On the heels of billionaire Tilman Fertitta's so-far successful buyout of Caesars Entertainment, billionaire media mogul Barry Diller has tendered a bid to buy MGM Resorts. Diller's company, People Inc., already owns 26.1% of the stock, having invested in MGM steadily over the past six years. Calling the company "wildly undervalued," Diller has offered to buy the other 74% at a 10% premium on the most recent closing price (which is up 15% this morning on the news). In a statement, Diller said he likes MGM, because "it represents a rare kind of business: one with real-world assets that AI cannot easily replicate or disintermediate and exceptional digital growth opportunities." People Inc. would close the deal with cash on hand and debt and funding commitments. MGM hasn't responded.
The San Antonio Spurs are -200 favorites over the New York Knicks in the NBA Championship. Game 1 is Wednesday in San Antonio.
VisualCapitalist.com used April 2026 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to show unemployment rates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Nationally, the unemployment rate stood at 4.3%, but the highs and lows were notable. Washington, D.C., posted the highest unemployment rate at 6.2%, nearly triple South Dakota’s 2.2%, the lowest. Nevada tied for second with California and Delaware at 5.3%, followed by Oregon and Washington at 5.2%. VisualCapitalist attributed the higher rates in the west to tech layoffs, slowing tourism, and a softer business environment.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has unleashed its new marketing campaign, titled "Pack for Vegas." We've seen a few 15-second spots, which are forgettable, but the full blown 60-second extravaganza is worth seeing. The cuts are a lot more rapid-fire and dizzying than we prefer, though that's de rigueur these days, but the writing is strong ("Las Vegas isn't just a place you go. Las Vegas is a place where you let go. Sleep will be optional. Decisions will be questionable. Expectations will be shattered. Limits get tested and plans ignored, in the most spectacular way possible."), and the visuals are evocative, as fleeting as they are. See it here.
The Carolina Hurricanes are -150 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights to win the NHL's Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Tuesday in North Carolina.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -3.5 favorites over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the of the NBA's Western Conference Finals. The total is 212.5.
The Carolina Hurricanes soundly defeated the Montreal Canadiens last night by a score of 6-1 to take the NHL's Eastern Conference championship in five games. So the Vegas Golden Knights, representing the Western Conference, will play the Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup; it's the VGK's second appearance in the Final in three years, after winning the Cup in 2023. The first game will be at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Hurricanes have home-ice advantage after finishing the regular season at 53-22-7 and 113 points, second most points in the league. The Knights were 39-25-17 and 95 points. Ironically, the Colorado Avalanche earned the most points at 121, but were swept by the VGK 4-0 in the conference championship.
Every year, the Casino Collectibles Association (CCA) holds a fundraiser auction at its show in Las Vegas at South Point in June. This year for the first time, you can bid online, as well as in person. You can see on the items -- casino chips, tokens, silver strikes, and other memorabilia in 200 live and 35 silent lots -- at the CCA website. If you want to buy something, you can register and pre-bid at the auction portal. The CCA show (June 18-20) is a fun event, especially for Vegas and casino history buffs; we attended last year's and you can see our coverage here.
Las Vegas claims three venues on Yelp's just-released list of the Top 100 Sports Bars nationwide, one of which just missed the top spot. McMullan's Irish Pub, right behind the Orleans on Cameron Street near Tropicana, came in at number two. McMullan's, which boasts one of the largest selections of Irish whiskey nationwide (150), ranging from single malts to single-grain varietals, also offers Irish pub fare, Irish beers on tap, live music on the weekends, and Premier League rugby matches on the screens. Hofbräuhaus, Paradise and Harmon, ranked number 16 and the Roadrunner Saloon at Buffalo and Washington came in at number 30.
On Wednesday, a local player struck it big at the Palms, winning more than $1 million while playing, of all games, baccarat. We can't remember the last time we wrote about a seven-figure jackpot and baccarat in the same sentence, if ever. The player made a $5 bet on the base game and a $5 side bet on the progressive, which he proceeded to hit. The Palms press release, which all the local media copied verbatim, is decidedly light on the exact mechanics and the photo didn't show the winning hand, at least not that we could see. But we're trying to track down the details and we'll keep you posted.
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VegasAdvantage.com reports that Virgin is dealing $5 blackjack. But unlike similar games, it's dealt from a shoe, not a continuous shuffling machine, and pays 3-2 on naturals. Strong. You'll also find $10, $15, and $50 3-2 tables, along with 3-2 Free Bet Blackjack, which VegasAdvantage calls "rare." Craps offers 10x odds. The video poker lineup is attractive at one bank of machines near the sports book: 10/6 Double Double Bonus (100.06%) and 16/10 Deuces Wild, 9/6 Jacks or Better, 8/5 Bonus, and 9/7 Double Bonus, all above 99%, in $0.25, $0.50, and $1 denominations. Virgin is also courting locals with free play, food and drink deals, and pool perks. For all the details, visit VegasAdvantage.
Caesars Entertainment announced this morning that it entered into an agreement to be acquired by Fertitta Entertainment in an all-cash transaction valued at $17.6 billion. The deal includes a “go-shop” period through July 11 that gives Caesars six weeks to consider other offers. If it goes through, Fertitta will assume $11.9 billion of Caesars’ outstanding debt, meaning a roughly $5.7 billion cash outlay for the acquisition. All the Caesars executives and management teams are expected to retain their positions. Shareholders will receive $31 per share, a nearly 50% premium on the stock price as of Feb. 25, the last trading day before rumors of the buyout surfaced. And that will be the end of Caesars as a public company; billionaire Tilman Fertitta will take Caesars private and the shares will be delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Truist Securities gaming-analysis department surveyed upwards of 800 U.S. consumers about Las Vegas and what they found was much "more positive that expected," given the negative perceptions that have circulated for more than a year. Nearly three-quarters of those polled were positive about Las Vegas as a "value-oriented destination" and fully 88 percent were favorable toward the wave of all-inclusive packages at the Plaza, Boyd downtown properties, MGM, and Caesars. Roughly 65% said their image of Sin City had improved over the last few years and 78 percent were planning a visit in the next year. More telling, efforts to upgrade Las Vegas’ bargain-oriented image appear to be working: 64% said their view of the city was "Much better" or "Slightly better" since the all-inclusive deals started. “The survey speaks to the overall resilience of Las Vegas as a destination,” the Truist analysts concluded.
"We want the Cup! We want the Cup!" That's what the fans were chanting at T-Mobile Arena last night, after the Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1. The VGK swept the series 4-0 and will face either the Montreal Canadiens or the Carolina Hurricanes for the iconic silver trophy, which was first awarded way back in 1893. The Hurricanes are up 2-1 and play tonight in Montreal. Vegas' opponent could be determined on Friday if Carolina wins the two next games or as late as Tuesday if it goes to Game 7.
AEG Presents Summer Sale is running again this year with tickets to select shows for $50 (plus tax & applicable fees). Some good ones are available: Bryan Adams/Chris Tucker/Morrissey/Roger Daltry/Squeeze at Encore, Black Keys/Death Cab for Cutie at Virgin, Martin Lawrence/Howard Jones/America at Resorts World, Queen tribute at Durango, and dozens more. Tickets must be purchased by Monday. Worth checking out.
The 57th annual World Series of Poker starts today and runs through July 13, when the final table of the Main Event will be set. Those nine players will have three weeks off, then reconvene to determine this year's poker champion on August 3-5. In the meantime, 100 bracelet events will be contested and we'll keep you posted on the biggest wins, best-known winners, and all the major dramas and traumas that are sure to occur.
The price of a gallon of gas in southern Nevada averaged $5.27 last week, hitting Memorial Day travelers hard. It was a full $1 more than the average price over last year's holiday weekend. The lowest price, according to GasBuddy, is $4.59 at Costco, the highest, according to AAA, $5.38. That's starting to approach record territory: $5.67 in June 2022.
Officials from both Nevada and Arizona held a Memorial Day ceremony yesterday at Hoover Dam to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to the nation and to help inaugurate the American250 celebration of the country's 250th anniversary on July 4. The display at the dam was called "the most ambitious patriotic installation ever attempted at one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks." It features a massive American flag, 300 feet wide by 150 feet tall, suspended across the dam, with dramatic red, white, and blue colors illuminating the rest of the face of the dam. The colored lights will be activated every night through the Fourth and you can see a 12-second video of the display here.
Drink Las Vegas is a four-day cocktail festival that will "showcase the world's top spirits, wine, and culinary talent with curated events, high-energy parties, and exclusive tastings, all designed to celebrate the art of the drink." Sponsored by MGM Resorts, the festival takes place at Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, and Park MGM Thurs.-Sun. Sept. 24-27. At $275 to $450 per person, the events aren't exactly for the hoi polloi, but they're focused enough to be worth it, most likely, to anyone who has a special interest in a particular restaurant, libation, chef, venue, or party. You can see the full schedule and book your tickets here.
The city is busy with an estimated 300,000 visitors capping off the long Memorial Day weekend, compared to 345,000 here last year. The sports books will be jumping with NBA and NHL playoff action today. Promos are sparse, but as it does every year, South Point is offering active and veteran military a free buffet for two today. Must show military ID.
The Enhanced Games, a series of Olympic-style competitions in which performance-enhancing drugs aren't just permitted, but encouraged, will be held today at Resorts World. Self-consciously controversial, the Enhanced Games include swimming, weightlifting, and track and field and competitors can be on testosterone, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, and stimulants (such as Adderal), among others. The one-day event has attracted 42 athletes and the prize pool is significant, more than $25 million; competitors can also win seven-figure bonuses for breaking world records. The Games are taking place in an open-air arena on a vacant portion of Resorts World property that was erected in the past couple of weeks. An invite-only crowd of 2,500 spectators -- investors, digital creators, and influencers -- are in attendance; no tickets were sold to the public. Proponents claim that the Games are meant to "push the limits of performance," while critics insist they undermine the integrity of athletic competitions and normalize drug use. Fence sitters speculate that if the future involves AI taking over consciousness spaces, perhaps synthetic performance intensifiers will appropriate physical spaces.
Alex Palou is the +200 favorite to win today's Indianapolis 500. He's followed by Pato O’Ward at +625 and David Malukas at +725.
Boyd is promoting a deal at its three downtown hotel-casinos. If you book for two nights, you pay $97.12 for the room, plus $67.98 for the resort fees and $11.72 in taxes, for a total of $176.82. You get back $75 in food and beverage credit at any Boyd restaurant downtown, including Redwood Steakhouse at the Cal, along with the Triple 7 Brewery and Main Street Station buffet. It works out to just under $51 per night and it's good seven nights a week. The deal ends on August 30. You can the Fremont book here, the Cal here, and Main Street Station here.
Goodsprings, a town of 300 people 10 miles from Jean, was founded in 1900 and the first school opened there in 1913 to serve the population of 800 at the time. The school operated for 113 years, making it the state's oldest continuous public school (UNR dates back to 1885), but with only two students remaining and two employees, a teacher and custodian), the Clark County School District Board of Trustees voted to shut it down for good. The two-room schoolhouse cost $2,000 to build and residents hope to turn it into a museum. The last two students will be bused to Sandy Valley, 14 miles from Goodsprings and 35 miles southwest of Vegas, where the middle- and high-school students from Goodsprings attend school.
Cevent, a convention-industry service company, named Las Vegas the second-best convention destination in North America, behind only Orlando. The survey is based on "insights gleaned from more than $20 billion of global-sourcing and request-for-proposal activity through Cvent’s sourcing platforms in 2025." Orlando and Las Vegas were followed by Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, New York City, Austin, and Washington D.C. In addition, three Vegas resorts ranked in the top 10 hotels for hosting meetings: Venetian (number 3), Fontainebleau (5) and Wynn/Encore Las Vegas (7).
NADC Burger (“Not a Damn Chance”) showed up here last summer in a popup location at Resorts World. Apparently, the run was so successful that the Austin-based chain, which opened in 2022 and now has locations in six other states, wanted to stick around. The new permanent location opened last week at 124 S. Sixth Street, a block off Las Vegas Blvd. at East Carson. It's open till midnight. And Redhead Burger opened this week at the Grand Canal Shoppes. The smashie shop, founded in 2019 in Miami Beach by two redheaded brothers and their redheaded father, has two locations in South Florida; the one at the Grand Canal Shoppes is its first outside the Sunshine State. It's open until 2 a.m.
The general contractor and A's team president appeared before the Las Vegas Stadium Authority yesterday and said construction of the $2 billion 33,000-seat stadium is moving along and right on schedule for opening day of the 2028 MLB season. A's President Marc Badain told the Authority that the first set of suites and premium memberships in exclusive areas behind home plate put on sale in March sold out quickly. In addition, 80% of the home-plate seasons tickets have been gobbled up and general-public tickets will be offered "in the coming months." The team itself is on a winning streak, sitting in first place in the American League West with a record of 26-24, a game and a half in front of the Texas Rangers. They'll play six games at Las Vegas Ballpark and a few tickets are still available.
Boomer’s Sportsbook is opening its 12th location at Silver Sevens on June 1. Silver Sevens is the biggest casino and closest to the Strip for Boomer's, which will launch its 13th venue at Club Fortune North when it opens, also in June; SS will boast betting seven kiosks. It's been a rapid rise for the independent sports book chain since it launched less than a year ago (August). The Nevada Gaming Control Board held an emergency meeting yesterday to recommend approval of the SS application, which the Gaming Commission seconded an hour later. The regulators like Boomer's and its founder/CEO Joe Asher, deeming an independent sports book beneficial to the state and sports bettors (they're right). Gaming Control has five more active Boomer’s applications pending; they're all expected to be approved before football season begins.
Schedules sometimes get disrupted and this is one of those times. Instead of the normal Beer Friday tomorrow, Anthony and Andrew will be going live on YouTube for Beer Thursday today at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact online, and have a drink or two with the guys, while they field questions about all things Las Vegas. Join at LVA YouTube live channel.
An estimated 230,000 EDC attendees cleared out just in time for 300,000 visitors to flood the city for the long Memorial Day weekend. The unofficial start of the summer travel season, AAA estimates an all-time record of 45 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home and Las Vegas is the fourth top destination, according to AAA's booking data, behind Orlando, New York City, and Seattle (though we might question the Seattle ranking). Apparently, higher gasoline prices aren't impacting visitor numbers and room rates reflect it; the luxe Strip properties are charging more than $500 per night, with the highest tier in the four figures. Downtown and the locals casinos are getting half that. Basic strategy: Don't drop by for a bargain room or unreserved meal at a nice restaurant.
The Electric Daisy Carnival, which just closed out its 2026 edition, was so successful this year (and every year) that it immediately announced a second weekend for next year. EDC 2027 will span two weekends, May 14-16 (EDC Dusk) and 21-23 (EDC Dawn), with the whole 12 days, Thursday the 13th through Monday the 24th, known as EDC Dusk till Dawn. According to the statement on the website, "Both Dusk and Dawn will have lower capacities, giving you more space on the dance floors and making travel and accommodation easier. We’re aiming for less congestion on the roads, in the skies, and at the hotels, contributing to an overall smoother experience. We’re also bringing ticket prices closer to what they were a decade ago, helping to ease the cost of your trip to Vegas." Could work; we'll see. At least EDC is way out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and doesn't create Cone City on the Strip and vicinity like F1.
Virgin is promoting a deal with up to 50% off room rates, no resort fee, and $25 in food and beverage credit every day of the stay. Rates are as low as $51 weekdays and $135 weekends (including taxes), but you must book before midnight tomorrow night for travel through Sept. 8. You can see the rates and book your room here.
Circa Sports is back for another record-setting football-contest season. Circa Survivor, Circa Million VIII, and Circa Grandissimo will have a combined guaranteed prize pool of $30 million, largest in history. Circa Survivor guarantees $20 million, Circa Million VIII $6 million, and Circa Grandissimo $4 million. As always, each contest’s pool is no rake, so any additional entries that exceed the guarantee will enhance the winnings. Last year, five winners of Circa Survivor all went 20-0 and took home the largest prize pot in history of $18,718,000; each won $3,743,600. Grandissimo winners split $6.9 million and Circa Million VII paid out $1 million, Sign-ups for the contests begin on Friday. Entry fees are $1,000 each for Survivor and Million and $100,000 for Grandissimo.
To no one's surprise, Clark County commissioners approved the 10-year contract extension for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, meaning F1 will take over Vegas through 2037, at least. As a sop to local businesses and Strip employees, the commissioners demanded -- demanded! -- that race organizers "further condense future construction timelines and improve traffic mitigation." We're all looking forward to that day.
Now in its 19th year, Las Vegas Restaurant Week will be held from June 1 to 12 (it's actually a 13-day event). It takes place in early June every year and encourages Las Vegans and visitors to dine out for a good meal at a good value for a good cause. The city’s finest restaurants offer special three-course prix fixe menus, donating a portion of proceeds to Three Square Food Bank, southern Nevada’s only food bank and its largest hunger-relief organization. Each restaurant selects the donation level of $4, $5 or $6 per meal. Since 2007, more than million meals have been provided for those in need through Restaurant Week. The list of restaurants that participate in the event continues to grow and this year is epic -- nearly 300 restaurants to choose from. You can see them all, including the special three-course menus and prices, and make reservations here.
Heart Attack Grill, long-time fixture at Neonopolis downtown, has closed. The eatery was well known for its servers dressed as nurses and gigantic cholesterol-clogging meals; customers who weighed more than 350 pounds, and proved it by standing on the scale out front, ate for free. Of course, a place with that strong a theme couldn't go out with a whimper. Instead, the owner issued a three-part announcement. The second part was classic Heart Attack-style: "We’re proud of our 21-year impact on America’s waistline. The obesity rate has risen from 30% in 2005 to nearly 45% today and we pat ourselves on the back for leading the charge!" The first part was a scathing indictment of what Las Vegas, according to the owner, has turned into. "This decision stems from the reality that major casinos have intentionally priced the average person out of the quintessential American experience of affordable indulgence. The soul of Las Vegas has been replaced by corporate greed. Our core value, 'Eat Big and Laugh Loud,” no longer fits a city peddling forty-dollar artisanal avocado toast." The third part hinted that the restaurant is looking for a new location, though that might not be Vegas: "We look forward to finding new communities that still appreciate a Bypass Burger and the freedom to feast without apology."
Heard about Nitro Circus? If not, it's a global sports entertainment brand featuring world-class action-sports athletes, daredevils, and stunt performers. Founded in 2003 by motocross superstar Travis Pastrana, it has grown into stadium tours, TV shows, and competitions. In a publicity stunt to advertise the Nitro Circus 2.0 Tour, coming to Las Vegas in August, Travis Pastrana himself surprised casino-goers at Boulder Station by roaring around the casino floor on a motorcycle. You can see the video here on 8NewsNow.
The Buffalo Sabres are -125 favorites over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their second-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.5. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
The Plaza is bringing back its Welcome to the Weekend Summer Friday Fireworks Shows for the third consecutive year. They'll start on Friday June 5 at 9:10 p.m. and continue through Sept. 4 (depending on weather conditions). Main Street in front of the hotel will be closed to traffic a little before, during, and a little after the shows to make them more pedestrian friendly. The party for Plaza guests starts at 7 p.m. at the rooftop pool, whence the fireworks are launched. Various weekend packages are available throughout the summer.
How windy was it here yesterday? Windy enough for the Weather Service to issue a High-Wind Warning starting at 2 p.m. yesterday and continuing through early this morning. Windy enough to damage power poles and down power lines, leaving 1,000 residents without power and to prompt a precautionary power shutoff in the Mt. Charleston area to mitigate wildfire risks. Windy enough for a ground stop to be issued by officials at Reid International, with upwards of 450 flights delayed through the afternoon and evening. Worst of all, windy enough to close several stages and all carnival rides on the final night of EDC up at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; the festival producer posted signs blaming "extreme weather" for the partial shutdown. Gusts reached 65 miles an hour around the valley and ushered in cooler temperatures for the next few days, with lows dipping down to 39 and the low 40s and highs in the low to mid-70s, 10-15 degrees below normal.
The Detroit Pistons are -4.5 favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series. The total is 205.
The new video in the series that covers Las Vegas history decade by decade has been released, right on schedule, by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial. "The City of Las Vegas: The Eighties" is the eighth in the series; one is released every year in conjunction with Las Vegas' birthday, May 15. Like the other "City of Las Vegas" videos, The Eighties is a meaty 70 minutes and well worth every one. You can see it here.
Going into the final round of golf's PGA Championship, Alex Smalley with a 2-stroke lead is the +460 favorite to win. He’s followed by Jon Rahm at +525 and Ludwig Aberg at +625.
Arnold Allen is a -120 favorite over Melquizael Costa in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Daniiel Santos is -170 over Doo Ho Choi. Another MMA organization called MVP is running a simultaneous event with more recognizable names, albeit no longer of top-level UFC caliber. In the main event, Ronda Rousey is a -650 favorite over Gina Carano. Others on the card include Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou.
The current odds for the Preakness Stakes make Incredibolt the favorite at 9-2, followed by Ocelli and Taj Mahal, both at 5-1. The long shot is Crupper at 50-1. For the second year in a row, the Triple Crown is not in play, as Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is not in the field.
Less than four years after opening to major hoopla, the Jonas Bros.-branded Nellie's Southern Kitchen will close at the end of business on Memorial Day. Run by the Jonas parents in a joint venture with a New York-based investment firm, Nellie's "celebrates the comfort food, hospitality, and Southern charm" that date back to the family's 1760s roots in North Carolina. The original Nellie's, in Belmont, NC, will remain open. No plans for the space, tucked in an out-of-the-way corner at the end of restaurant row at MGM Grand, have been announced.
A story in today's New York Post appears to dethrone Las Vegas as the most sinful city in the country, replaced by none other than ... New York. But does it really? The Post cites a study by PokerTube.com that analyzed more than 200 U.S. cities for "adult entertainment infrastructure" (bars, clubs and pubs, strip clubs, tattoo parlors, casinos, and X-rated shops) and public health (single residents, STDs, and excessive drinking rates). New York came out on top by a long shot, with 1,400 bars, 109 nightclubs, 375 pubs, 79 adult stores, 11 strip clubs, 240 tattoo shops, and more than seven million residents, of whom nearly half are officially single. Vegas didn't even place second, which went to Baltimore (52% single, highest rate of STDs) or third (Chicago). In fact, we were ranked eighth. The caveat: Perhaps the New York Post (and SecretHouston.com, which also reported on the study) received advance copies, but we were unable to find the study itself on PokerTube after extensive searching and querying. If it even exists, we can't confirm. We can also say that the obsessive-survey-site WalletHub has been doing a vice study for many years and Las Vegas has always ranked at number one, followed by Houston, L.A., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Miami in its 2026 study; New York City isn't even in the top 10. We'll go with WalletHub, at least until (or if) we see PokerTube's primary research.
In last night's sixth game of Round 2 of the National Hockey League playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights crushed the Anaheim Ducks 5-1. The VGK emerged victorious from the round 4 games to 2. The home team now advances to the Western Conference championship round against the Colorado Avalanche; the first game is on Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver. If they beat the Avalanche, they'll play for the Stanley Cup against either the Carolina Hurricanes, which swept the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0, or the winner of the Montreal Canadiens-Buffalo Sabres series; the Canadiens currently lead 3-2. The VGK last won the Cup in 2023.
Mosquitos, cockroaches, scorpions, and rodents have given Las Vegas a ranking in the National Pest Management Association's biannual Public Health Pest Index, according to a story in the Las Vegas Sun. Vegas "is one of 10 U.S. cities most vulnerable for disease-spreading pest activity this spring and summer." The long string of record high temperatures in March have, the report warns, driven the pests indoors seeking water and a cooler environment. Clark County has already seen one death and 27 other cases of West Nile virus, transmitted by mosquitos. The warning is mostly for locals, but visitors should also be aware. In a related development, a study of water purity at national parks found a deadly "brain-eating amoeba" at three parks, including Lake Mead. Though very rare, the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, exists in hot springs and hydrothermally fed waters across Lake Mead Recreation Area, as well as Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The amoeba thrives in warm pools up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Who's singer and a solo artist (and actor) in his own right, Roger Daltrey will play three shows at the Encore Theater on Aug. 26, 28, and 29. The Who completed its most recent "farewell tour" last year and Daltry, 82, is hinting that this might also be his last solo tour of North America. He'll be backed by a nine-piece band, including some musicians who were on stage for the Who's final shows. Presales began yesterday and general ticketing starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT.
Originally slated to be completed sometime in April, the former Poker Palace is now on track for a late June reopening. Club Fortune North has undergone "almost a complete redo," according to the CEO of Truckee Gaming, and will be "dramatically different" that what people remember of the old Poker Palace, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. After the multi-million-dollar renovation, Club Fortune North will be a "good looking, very modern, quality product." We're looking forward to seeing it next month.
Scottie Scheffler is the 4-1 favorite to win the PGA Championship golf tournament. He’s followed by Rory McIlroy at 9-1, and Jon Rahm at 14-1. Tiger Woods is not in the field.
Long-time LVA subscribers remember with fondness the Second Street Grill at the Fremont downtown, mainly for our 1990s 50% off coupon that was good for the total bill no matter how much it was, not to mention the excellent food. (We had a lot of big parties there at half-price.) The new Third Street Grill's name reminds us of that restaurant, though this one is in the Food Hall and is counter service. It's located at the southwest corner bordering the edge of the casino floor and has six old-school counter seats. It serves breakfast 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfasts range from pancakes and waffles ($8.99-$13.50) to country-fried steak ($19.99), with bacon and eggs and burrito bowl ($14.75). Lunch offers soup ($4.99) and salad ($10.99), five kinds of "haute" dogs ($4.90-$7.49), Chicago shaved beef roll ($14.99), crispy chicken san and BLT ($14.99), and pastrami ($16.99). No LVA-worthy bargains, though it sort of fulfills the role of a coffee shop and we can see other hotels copying this model.
Entreprenuer and reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump is turning the opening of Vanderpump Hotel, the old Cromwell, into a spinoff series of "Vanderpump Rules," in its 13th season. The new show, “Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas,” will be a "limited-series reality show that gives a behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to open a hotel with the famous Vanderpump name." What does it take? Since this is reality TV, we expect glamour, drama and intrigue, decadence, evanescence. The show will air on Bravo, but no release date has been announced.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that an expansion team will be coming to Las Vegas to start playing at the start of next season. If you haven't heard of the PWHL, you're not alone; it's only a couple of years old, having launched in January 2024 with eight teams comprising elite-level women hockey players. The Vegas team will share T-Mobile with the VGK, which is in full support of the franchise, and based on league crowd counts, which averaged nearly 10,000 and sold a million tickets this year, it could pack the place. Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario, will also field teams in the 2026-2027 season.
For the sixth straight year, the U.S. commercial gaming industry (not including tribal and charitable casinos, racetracks, Class II devices, and lottery) set a new record for revenue. According to "State of the States 2026: The AGA Survey of the Commercial Casino Industry," the industry achieved $78.6 billion last year, up 9.1% over 2024, generated $17.9 billion in gaming tax revenue for state and local governments, and provided employment for 1.8 million people across the country. Of course, profits for the gambling industry involves deficits from players -- not entirely, given more people gambling and people gambling more frequently and/or higher amounts, among other factors. But while the industry celebrates, player losses mount, especially at igaming.
It's that weekend again. EDC hits the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday and runs through Sunday night. Upwards of 525,000 entrances are expected over the three days, same as last year and all tickets, both general admission and (very expensive) VIP, were sold out the first day of the presale. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Thursday with the inaugural World Party Parade on the Strip. This free and all-ages immersive dance party will start at the Sahara and continue down the Strip to Circus Circus. Traffic will be disrupted all over the city until late Monday when the teeming hordes have gone their merry way.
Last Friday, May 8, the National Weather Service reported that Las Vegas officially hit 100 degrees for the first time in 2026. The average day that southern Nevada first sees triple digits is May 24, so this year was a couple of weeks early. The earliest on record was May 1, 1947, and the latest, believe it or not, was June 30, 2023. Yesterday, the record high of 103 set in 1960 was broken when the thermometer hit 104 and today, we might tie the record of 104 (1996), but it's doubtful it'll be broken. We'll see. Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 102 and after that, the current heat wave eases off a bit, with high temperatures in the upper 90s.
The May/June issue of AARP's tabloid-style Bulletin is an epic eight-page (out of 40) investigative piece on the rapid growth of app‑based gambling, including online casino games and sports betting, and its impact on retirees. It forcefully makes the point that with fixed incomes and limited ability to recover from losses, older adults can face serious financial harm when gambling habits escalate. The piece doesn't cover much new ground for casino veterans like us, but with an estimated readership of 33 million, it will be an eye-opener for tens of millions of seniors who aren't aware that igaming in only the seven states where it's legal in this country will very soon break the $1 billion win mark for operators, per month. You need to be a member to receive the Bulletin and/or read the article online, but the extensive coverage in the latest Bulletin signals that this issue has fully crossed over into mainstream awareness as a major financial and social threat to older Americans.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, which oversees the Las Vegas bus system, has announced bus fare increases. Even facing a funding shortfall of more than $100 million, the RTC hasn't raised fares since 2011. On the Strip route, a single ride will go from $4 to $5, the two-hour pass ($6) will be eliminated, the 24-hour pass will go from $8 to $10, and the three-day pass ($20) will be eliminated. A 60-day public-comment period ends June 23; the new fares are expected to take effect some time in January.
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorcese (The Departed) is returning to Las Vegas, setting for his movie Casino, for a new eight-episode untitled Netflix series -- "a modernized, but still dangerous, version of the legendary city," according to the Irish gossip website Joe.ie. Oscar Isaac (lots of movies, including Star Wars and X-Men) will play the leading role as a hotel-casino owner who "has to make some long-odds moves to try and secure his position and take more ground" (sounds like Stupak). The series, titled "The Roman," will co-star Betty Gilpin, Alec Baldwin, and David Costabile. Scorcese will be executive producer, along with Brian Koppelman and David Levien of "Billions," "Rounders," and "Ocean's Thirteen" fame, who will also be the show runners. No timetable for shooting or release has been revealed. Thanks to Canada Roy and Andrew S. for digging this out.
Mojave Max, southern Nevada’s desert-tortoise mascot and weather oracle, emerged from his burrow yesterday shortly after noon, breaking the previous record for his latest arrival by nearly 48 hours. The earliest date Max emerged was on Feb. 14, 2005; he was looking for roses, chocolate, and a love letter that year. Max entered his a burrow to brumate (the reptilian form of hibernating) in early November and remained inactive for more than five months.
This month's LVA vlog covers more territory than Lewis and Clark. Anthony and Andrew launch right into it with the closing of a nearby casino and the delayed opening of another, then discuss the many potential arenas that could host the imminent Las Vegas NBA team, another major buffet biting the dust, the new all-inclusive movement afoot, Caesars taking over the Westgate SuperBook, this season's LVA pool survey, and our new advantage slots book that'll be on its way back from the printer soon. Finally, it wouldn't be an LVA update without a great meal deal and this one's a $16 half-pound burger for $6.99 -- tune in for where and when.
The slide through the shark tank, along with the entire aquarium area, at Golden Nugget pool have shut down and will be out of commission for the rest of the season, "due to unforeseen maintenance." And the South Point's spa and salon are undergoing a complete remodel; the salon will reopen next month and the spa in the fall.
It's been a long time coming (nearly 10 years and you can read the twice-told tale times five in our Question of the Day), but Lotus of Siam reopened on Friday in its original location at the Commercial Center on E. Sahara. It's a soft opening with a somewhat limited menu and the hours are 5-10 Wed.-Sunday, but it features a new bar and wine cellar. Welcome back!
Mojave Max, the desert-tortoise equivalent of Punxatawney Phil, has yet to emerge from brumation, which unofficially marks the beginning of spring in the Mojave Desert. Yesterday tied the record for the latest ol' Max has made his first appearance of the year. The earliest day he ever surfaced was February 14 in 2005. He showed up on April 24 in 2023 to set the new record, which was broken last year on May 8 at 2 p.m., and the new record took its place yesterday. According to Max watchers, his burrow is the deepest since the Emergence Contest began in 2000.
Khamzat Chimaev is a -470 favorite over Sean Strickland in today’s early UFC main event. In the other featured match, Tatsuro Taira is -150 over Joshua Van.
Tonight, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul will perform the fifth of her 10-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Yesterday, 10 more dates were added, due to "overwhelming fan demand." The new dates are August 28 and 29, September 2, 5, and 6, and October 23, 24, 28, 30, and 31. The various pre-sales end tomorrow at 10 p.m. PT and the general on sale starts Monday at 10 a.m.
The most incisive commentary we've seen to date on the most controversial gambling topic that has emerged in decades is posted on CDC Gaming. In the piece, titled "The wisdom of crowds and other expensive misconceptions," long-time gaming-industry expert and consultant Andrew Tottenham argues that the claims these markets promulgate, that they aggregate the wisdom of crowds and produce more accurate forecasts than any individual expert can provide, are a leaky bucket at best and a downright fraud at worst. "The problem is that the product bears little resemblance to the pitch." His thesis boils down to this: "A market valued for its ability to aggregate information creates, at sufficient scale, a financial incentive to corrupt the very information it is aggregating." In other words, the "crowd" is "wise" until it gets too expensive for the biggest players to be truthful and trustworthy. You can digest all the evidential details here.
The Evel Knievel Experience: An Interactive Museum of America’s Original Daredevil has announced its debut date: June 27. Long rumored and planned, the museum has finally relocated from Topeka to downtown Las Vegas in the Arts District at 1001 S. First Street just north of E. Charleston. Per the press release, "Designed as a modern interactive museum, the destination will invite guests to step into the world of Evel Knievel through high-adrenaline experiences, rare artifacts from his life, and immersive exhibits capturing the ambition, spectacle, and risk behind his legendary career." Most visits are expected to last approximately 60 to 90 minutes. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., parking on site for $4. Tickets are on sale now, $35 general, $32 local/military, $16 ages 6-12.
Las Vegas is pulling out all the fireworks stops to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday starting next month. Eight consecutive Saturday nights will see fireworks shows either on the Strip or downtown beginning on June 6 and running through July 25. The eight-minute displays will start at 9 p.m. and be synchronized to music broadcast on KOMP 92.3, 97.1 The Point, and 98.9 HANK. Here's the schedule and the casinos from whose rooftops the fireworks will be blasted into the sky:
June 6 – Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, and the Venetian
June 13 – MGM Grand, ARIA, and Planet Hollywood
June 20 – Plaza, Binion’s, and Fremont Street Experience parking garages
June 27 – Resorts World, Fontainebleau, and The STRAT
July 4 – Nine (as yet unannounced) rooftops from one end of the Strip to the other
July 11 – MGM Grand, ARIA, and Planet Hollywood
July 18 – Resorts World, Fontainebleau, and The STRAT
July 25 – Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, and The Venetian
Though the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority this week reported a 17.4% decline in visitation from Canada last year, the dollar-parity promotion at Circa, the D, and Golden Gate downtown has attracted more than 50,000 Canadians in three months since it launched in late January. The Stevenses properties say the promo has generated more than 5,100 room nights and $10 million in slot play. The promotion, which trades Canadian and U.S. dollars at par (with some conditions), runs through August 31.
MSN reported yesterday that Brightline is officially worried about its continued solvency. Its outside auditor, Ernst and Young, which prepared the company's 2025 financial statements, warned that Brightline "does not currently have the liquid funds necessary to service its debt and meet such other obligations as they become due.” Indeed, Brightline didn't make interest payments of $117 million due early this year and the grace period expires in five weeks. It's trying to secure funding, but said in a statement, "Substantial doubt remains as to the ability of the company to continue as a going concern.” Thus, there's substantial concurrent doubt that the high-speed rail line between southern California and Las Vegas can continue to come to fruition. And thanks to DanOH for sending us the MSN link.
In its first-quarter earnings call, Sphere Entertainment's CEO announced that the Wizard of Oz has sold "almost three million tickets," generating $370 million in ticket sales alone. If you recall, the AI-updated movie opened last August 28, so it's only a little more than eight months into its run, which Sphere said in the earnings call will be "a strong performer through 2026 and beyond." A new film, extreme-sports documentary From the Edge, will enter the arena's movie rotation "later this year."
Our News item yesterday on the closing of all Primm properties, except the busy Lotto Store, was incorrect. The Lotto Store will, in fact, close on July 4, along with Primm Valley Hotel-Casino, the two gas stations, and the apartments that house many of the nearly 350 employees who work in Primm. With the closing of the Lotto Store, the new nearest lottery outlet to Las Vegas will be Last Stop Travel Center on US93 roughly halfway to Kingman, around 40 miles from the Strip -- about the same distance to the Lotto Store in Primm. The other possibility is the Chevron station at Yates Wells, around six miles south of Primm on I-15, 45 or so miles from Vegas.
Southwest Airlines will launch nonstop flights to 11 new destinations and add flights to 15 existing routes to and from Las Vegas over the next 10 months or so. Next week, Southwest begins its service to Anchorage, Alaska, and in a few weeks, the number-one carrier out of Reid International will start its first international flights to Cabo San Lucas and Cancun. Also next month, SW will add flights to Reno, Orlando, Nashville, and five other existing cities. In October, Mexico service expands to Puerta Vallarta and SW will start flying to San Jose, Costa Rica. Also in October, more planes will go to and from L.A., San Francisco, and Oakland and in November to Denver and Phoenix. The last expansion will occur in March, with flights to several new destinations on the East Coast.
The last of the Primm Valley Casino Resorts' operations in Primm are closing. To review, Whiskey Pete’s closed in December 2024 and Buffalo Bill’s closed, except for sporadic events, last July. Buffalo Bill's, Primm Valley Hotel-Casino, Primm Center, and Flying J will shutter after business on July 4; tenants living in the Desert Oasis apartments (employee housing) have to be out by July 6. The Lotto Store just over the state line in California doesn't appear to be affected; it's not owned by Primm Valley Casino Resorts parent corporation, Affinity Gaming. The Prizm Outlet Mall is owned by a mall company and at last count, two stores were still opened, but this development could be the final nail in the coffin for that operation as well. Other than the Lotto Store, as of early summer, Primm will be Nevada's latest ghost town.
Temperatures will rise steadily over the next several days, starting with highs of 86 today, 93 tomorrow, and 98 on Friday, then break the 100-degree mark for the first time this year on Saturday. If Monday sees 103 and Tuesday 104 as predicted, both will set new high-temperature records and could lead to Extreme Heat Watches and/or Warnings, as the highs are 10-20 degrees above normal for this early in May.
If you're coming to our office or driving past the Rio today through Saturday, you'll see tents, carnival rides, and midway games crowding the back parking lots. It's the Southern Nevada State Fair, which takes place at the Rio every year around this time. If you want to attend, admission starts at $10 for any single day, with rides and food sold separately. Children 54 inches and under get in free. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., till midnight Fri., 1 p.m. till midnight Saturday, and 1-9 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free.
Due to ongoing health concerns, Dolly Parton has canceled all six of her planned dates at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in September. Previously, the dates coincided with last year's NFR and were rescheduled for September. Now, they've been canceled entirely. The residency would have been Dolly's first performances in Las Vegas in 32 years. She told People magazine that everything is treatable, but she’s still healing. Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.
Master illusionist David Copperfield performed for the last time in his eponymous theater at MGM Grand on Thursday night. Known for his large-scale illusions and unstoppable work ethic (up to 15 shows per week for 25 years at MGM), the 69-year-old Copperfield's career probably isn't ending. It's been rumored that he could reopen in the Sahara's Foundry Room or that he'll take his show on the road.
Michael B. informs us about two changes in resort fees on comped rooms. The Palms, which previously charged the full resort fee on comped rooms, is now collecting 50%. The D and Golden Gate, which used to waive the RF for all stays, is now charging it for Friday and Saturday nights. And Las Vegas Magazine reports that the long-running $45 prix-fixe three-course lunch special at Estiatorio Milos restaurant at the Venetian has taken on an interesting twist. Dubbed the “Quick and Delicious Business Lunch,” the deal is you're out the door in less than 60 minutes or the meal is on Milos. Apparently, the staff is alert to dawdling on purpose, but if you're in a hurry to get back to the convention floor at the Venetian Expo, this is a fine way to do just that -- combined with an excellent Greek lunch.
After knocking off the Utah Mammoth in six games in Round 1, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Anaheim Ducks in the first game of Round 2 tonight at 6:30 at T-Mobile. The VGK will enjoy home-ice advantage through this round. Since replacing head coach Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella on March 29, the Knights went 7-0-1 to end the regular season; when the playoffs are included, they're 11-2-1.
The Eagles have added six more shows to the band's neverending residency. This is the 11th time they've extended the residency that began all the way back in September 2024 and will total 64 shows (so far), the longest-running stint by a long shot of any act since Sphere opened. The new dates are Sept. 18 and 19 and November 13, 14, 27, and 28. The general on-sale for the two new dates begins on Friday May 15 at 10 a.m. PT.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are -8.5 favorites over the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 209.5.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -165 favorites over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.
The Detroit Pistons are -8 favorites over the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 201.5.
In this month's interview, Anthony and Andrew chat with Pauly C., Vegas influencer extraordinaire. He and Anthony have known each other for some time; Pauly approached Huntington Press with a good idea, which they discuss along the way. They also talk about Pauly and gambling, how he got started as an influencer (you'll notice how many words he can stuff into a 30-second span), how he really feels about MGM Grand and Caesars, good deals at Station casinos, will the baseball stadium be completed, and his recommendations for lunch, dinner, and best gambling book. Click the white arrow for an entertaining and informative three-quarters of an hour.
The Boston Celtics are -4.5 favorites over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 204.5.
The current odds for the Kentucky Derby make Renegade the favorite at 5-1, followed by Commandment at 6-1 and Further Ado at 7-1. The long shot is Albus at 55-1.
Low-cost Spirit Airlines shut down all operations early this morning after suffering through two bankruptcies in two years with no bailout in sight. It was the second busiest carrier at Harry Reid International after Southwest, which, along with United, Delta, and JetBlue, is accommodating stranded Spirit passengers with $200 limited-time fares. All 16 Spirit destinations from Las Vegas are served by other airlines.
Hard Rock Las Vegas hosted a topping off ceremony Friday to commemorate the installation of the final beam on its Guitar Hotel tower. We like what an executive from the lead construction company said at the ceremony. "Topping out this project represents far more than a construction milestone. It marks a defining moment in reshaping the Las Vegas skyline and introducing a new city icon.” Construction began in summer 2024 and has employed more than 5,000 workers. The new resort-casino will feature 3,700 rooms, a redesigned casino and pool, a new pool at the Guitar Hotel, an additional pool for the guitar tower, a 175,000-square-foot casino, more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space, new restaurants, bars, lounges, and retail outlets, and employ about 6,000.
The Review-Journal reports this morning that the site of the failed SkyVue project across the Strip from Mandalay Bay has been sold to a local real estate developer for $70 million. At 12 acres, that comes to $5.83 million per. SkyVue was an observation wheel project that got as far as raising two concrete columns before going bankrupt; the columns have been scraping the sky in place since 2014. The developer has big plans for the acreage, including a heart-shaped 874-room hotel-casino, giant heart-shaped LED marquee, Fremont Street Experience-like covered pedestrian plaza, and theater; reportedly, a 265-foot-high "midair restaurant" will incorporate the smokestacks into the property. No financing or timeline details were divulged.
A group from Las Vegas led by local businessman Grant Gustavson submitted a bid earlier this week to Major League Soccer to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the team to southern Nevada. Gustavson is the 30-year-old grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, who co-founded Public Storage; he's also the son of Tamara Gustavson, who owns 11% of Public Storage and is ranked #251 on the Forbes 400 with a net worth of $8 billion. A report out of Vancouver this morning puts the offer at $500 million to buy the Whitecaps and the Gustavson group has proposed building a soccer-specific stadium here. No details about the site or the specific terms of the buyout offer were disclosed, except that the stadium would be built completely with private financing -- no public funding needed.
The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Las Vegas today is $5.19, up nearly 25 cents since April 1. That's roughly $1 higher than the national average of $4.23 per gallon. Statewide, the average is $5.12 and Reno topped $5.35. Diesel is down from its record of $6.49 set last month, but not by much; today it's $6.18 a gallon. Of course, the Middle East disruptions are to blame, with a barrel of crude oil nearly doubling in price since January 1. The historic high in Las Vegas is $5.61 per gallon, set in June 2022. And there's no relief in sight. According to AAA, the U.S. Energy Information Administration doesn't expect prices to ease until "later in 2026."
In MGM's first-quarter earnings call, CEO Bill Hornbuckle hinted at a potential future for T-Mobile serving as the home arena for the imminent Las Vegas NBA team. We recently posted a Question of the Day on the many proposed sites for the NBA arena, concluding that T-Mobile could be a frontrunner, given that it's the only one that's built and the NBA has hinted that a Las Vegas team could play its first season in 2028, less than than two and a half years from now. Hornbuckle said, "T-Mobile is part of that conversation. Whether short-term or long-term, all roads lead to it for now, because the league has expressed interest in hosting a team as early as 2028." He added that he hopes to have a resolution by early next year.
Olivia Rodrigo, American singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as a Disney Channel star before becoming a Grammy-winning pop superstar, is making her second stop in Las Vegas as part of her upcoming "Unraveled" tour. This time, she's performing at T-Mobile, a big step up from her last appearance at the Chelsea at Cosmopolitan in 2022, when she was 19. The 62-date tour spans the U.S., Canada, and six countries in Europe between September and May 2027. She'll play two nights in Las Vegas: Dec. 19 and 20. The presale starts Tuesday and the general next Thursday, both at noon local time. If you want to catch her act, she's hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
The Boulevard Pool on the fourth floor of the Cosmopolitan overlooking the Strip will show movies on the 65-foot digital marquee again this summer. Doors open at 6:30 on Monday nights starting on June 8 and continuing though August 17; the movies start after dark around 8 p.m. They're all PG-13-rated, so it's a family night out. When we reviewed it several years ago, admission was free with a valid players card, but then MGM took over and now admission is $15, $10 locals (who can get their parking validated at the pool), free for hotel guests and MGM Rewards Gold tier members and above. Here's the schedule: June 8 A Minecraft Movie, June 15 The Mighty Ducks, June 22 Clueless, June 29 Rush Hour, July 6 Talladega Nights, July 13 Space Jam, July 20 How to Train Your Dragon, July 27 Superman (2025), August 3 Super Mario Galaxy, August 10 Ocean’s 11, August 17 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The Foundation Room on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay is transitioning to a new setting that will be called Vinyl Room. It will be similar to the old venue, an upscale lounge with tiered memberships offering enhanced access and amenities and insider experiences. The name represents the new theme: music memorabilia and thousands of vinyl records on display, all highlighting artists who’ve performed in Las Vegas. The analog audio is, according to the press release, "inspired by Japanese 1970s high-fidelity listening rooms" and the food served will feature Japanese and Asian flavors. The Vinyl Room is slated to open in August.
After a long, convoluted, and highly competitive process that started way back in 2013, New York City welcomed its first full-scale casino with live table games yesterday. The existing Resorts World racino, which was previously limited to slot machines (albeit 2,500 of them), kicked off table gaming with 240 blackjack, crap, baccarat, and roulette positions. Resorts World fast-tracked the expansion, hiring 1,250 new employees, including 950 dealers, most completing onboarding over the weekend. In addition, the Resorts World Dealer School has already trained and hired more than 400 local residents and another 500 graduates are expected by May. This casino is in Queens, next to Aqueduct Racetrack across the Belt Parkway from John F. Kennedy Airport; next up are Hard Rock, also in Queens near Citi Field in Flushing Meadows where the Mets play, and Bally's in the Bronx, though those are being built from the ground up and aren't expected to open for several years.
New York Times-owned sports-news website The Athletic reports that Major League Soccer is looking to relocate the Vancouver Whitecaps Canadian soccer team. The team has been up for sale for a couple of years and though Vancouverites strongly support the Whitecaps remaining in British Columbia, Canada Roy told us, "Barring a medium-sized miracle, this team will be leaving Vancouver. They've got the second-best attendance in MLS and made it to the League Final in 2025, but they they don't own their stadium, so they have extremely limited revenue streams. Governments in Canada are loath to spend public money to support wealthy owners of sports teams and there is no prospect of a new stadium of any type." He went on to give us a good laugh. "Next season, the Vancouver Whitecaps could morph into the Las Vegas Greenbacks." That's pro sports for you, folks -- and maybe the new soccer venue will be built between the A's stadium and the proposed NBA arena across from Mandalay Bay.
In a survey of the best late-night food spot In every state, foodie site Chowhound looked for restaurants that get "rave reviews for providing delicious food and good service at a time when many people might be drifting off to dreamland." We might take issue with their requirement of being open until at least 11 p.m.; late-night to us starts at midnight. Be that as it may, Nevada's best spot, according to Chowhound, is Starboard Tack, one of Las Vegas' original seafood restaurants. It set sail in 1972 out on E. Sahara near Pecos and was open 24 hours, known for its nautical decor, graveyard specials, and its status as a go-to bar for casino workers getting off all three shifts. The owner-landlord closed the restaurant in 1990 and leased the building, which turned into Gilligan's Hideaway. That bar had a respectable run of 27 years; after it closed, two locals revived Starboard Tack in 2017. Today, it's known for serving the best (self-proclaimed) Mai Tai in Vegas, good fish and chips, oysters, and a crab Rangoon dip. And yes, it's nothing if not late night: It's open again 24/7 in the original location.
Steven Patrick Morrissey, known mononymously as just his last name, is a highly acclaimed and controversial English singer, songwriter, and author who earned his fame as the frontman of the indie rock band the Smiths (1982-1987). Since the Smiths, he's had a successful solo career and is considered one of the greatest lyricists in British history. He's appeared in Las Vegas several times over the past few years, including two five-show mini-residencies at the Colosseum at Caesars in 2020 and 2021 and a couple of nights at House of Blues. The 67-year-old Morrissey artist will kick off a tour of the States on Aug. 14 at Encore Theater, then play three more shows on Aug. 15, 18, and 19. Tickets will first be available through an artist pre-sale tomorrow at noon. The general on-sale begins Friday at noon local time via Ticketmaster.
A study by real estate site Redfin finds Las Vegas to be one of the best markets for home buyers in the nation. Vegas comes in fourth for the ratio of sellers to buyers at 101%; only Miami (148%), Nashvillle (119%), and San Antonio (109%) have a higher percentage of sellers to buyers. Redfin notes that 38 of the largest metropolitan areas in the country are buyers markets, a nearly 30% increase from March 2025. Only five metro areas out of the 38 are seller’s markets, down from nine in 2025. Nationally, at the end of March, there were 43% more sellers than buyers, with a little more than 600,000 homes on the market; Redfin says this is the second biggest gap in history (the first was in 2013).
Here's a new one on us. A 33-year-old Washington state man is facing criminal charges for using a hidden vibrator to cheat on a Flip It coin-pusher machine at the Northern Quest casino near Spokane. He was charged with second-degree cheating and second-degree burglary after security and gaming agents "noticed the man keeping his hands deep in his sweatshirt pockets while pressing against the side of the games. Investigators say the machines and their contents began to vibrate, causing coins to fall into the dispenser and trigger bonus payouts." They were watching him, because he'd been trespassed from all Kalispel Tribal properties for 99 years over kicking and pushing the Flip It machines. He faces up a year in jail for cheating and significant jail time on the burglary charge, which entails unlawful entry (due to being trespassed) with the intent to commit a crime, such as theft.
After years and years of anticipation (mostly from relocated southern Californians), the 75-year-old Hat will open on May 6 in Las Vegas. The Hat specializes in pastrami and has 11 locations in southern California. The first location outside of California, it's located at 6125 S. Rainbow Blvd. between Russell and Sunset roads. It serves pastrami dips and pastrami burgers, roast beef, barbecue beef, and steak sandwiches ($10.49), eight other burgers ($4.79-$6.29), cold sandwiches, and three kinds of fries ($5.29-$7.19). It's a little ahead of schedule since the last announcement several weeks ago that pegged the grand opening for late May. We'll let all the hoopla die down before heading down to see what all the hoopla is about.
Miracle Eats at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood continues to expand. The newest addition is SoulBelly BBQ, which opened downtown in 2021 and has now come to the Strip. We reviewed it in the March 2022 LVA and liked it; it's the brainchild of Bruce Kalman, a James Beard-nominated restaurateur who has appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” among others. In our review, we called it "high-end 'cue," so we're curious to see what parts of the extensive downtown menu are being served at Miracle Mile -- and how much they cost. Soulbelly is open now, seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and joins Carnegie Pizza, Dave's Hot Chicken, Chipotle, Tacotarian, Lobster Me, and Irv's Burgers in the Miracle Mile food court.
In a speech on Thursday to the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, touched on plans that the LVCVA, which owns the Las Vegas Monorail, has for the elevated transportation system. It was the first time we've heard that the tourism authority plans to incorporate the Monorail into the growing Las Vegas Loop subterranean transportation system. "The Vegas Loop makes a huge difference whether you’re using it or not in taking people off the streets,” Hill said. “It will incorporate the Monorail. We’ll take the track off, put a pre-cast two-lane road on top, incorporate it into the Boring Company system, and use the existing Monorail stations. When you get to the MGM station, we’ll tie it into the parking garage and use it as part of a station with ramps to get in and out of it.” In other words, the Monorail's guideway will be an aboveground extension of the underground Loop on the east side of the Strip between the Sahara and MGM Grand -- without the onus of having to dig a four-mile-long tunnel behind the hotel-casinos.
Youssef Zalal is a -135 favorite over Aljamain Sterling in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Norma Dumont is -185 over Joselyne Edwards.
A weeklong sale will offer $30 tickets to some of the biggest shows this summer in Las Vegas. The Live Nation "Summer of Live" promotion starts on Wednesday and runs through the following Tuesday (May 5). These are entirely for headliners, from Guns N’ Roses at Allegiant Stadium all the way down to Boys Like Girls at Brooklyn Bowl. Here are some others: Deep Purple (PH Live); Boyz II Men (Chelsea at Cosmo); Blake Shelton, Cyndi Lauper, Nikki Glaser & David Spade, and Rod Stewart (Colosseum at Caesars); Jonas Brothers, New Kids On The Block, and Sammy Hagar (Dolby Live at Park MGM); and Weird Al Yankovic (MGM Grand Garden Arena). Dozens of lesser names are also available. Book here.
Boyd Gaming is offering an all-inclusive package, including room, resort fee, food and beverage credit, and taxes. It's for one-, two-, or three-night stays between May 1 and September 30 and is good on weekends (!). The one-night costs $75 and gets you $25 in food credit; the two-night is $175 with $75 in food credit; the three night is $275 with $125 in food credit. So it works out to $50 per night, including resort fees and taxes, and Gold Coast has plenty of good food options for the credit. And it's refundable within 24 hours of your stay; otherwise you lose the first night ($50). You can book here. Prefer the Orleans? The almost identical deal is available there: one night $100 with $50 F&B, two nights $200 with $100 F&B, and three nights $300 with $150 F&B. Again, $50 per, including weekends. You can book there here.
How about this hot? Lisa, one of the four members of Korean pop group Blackpink, sold out her four-show residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, “Viva La Lisa,” within 10 minutes of the tickets going on sale to the public yesterday. Let's see, 16,000 tickets, 10 minutes, carry the 1, that's 26.6 tickets per second. It's perhaps not so surprising, considering that the 29-year-old has the largest Instagram following among K-pop artists, with 107 million followers (South Korea’s population is just under 52 million) and is the bestselling K-Pop female with her 2021 solo album, Lalisa. Seems to foreshadow additional dates at the Colosseum.
Climate Central, "a nonpartisan group of climate scientists," has issued its annual Earth Day report on the 245 fastest-warming locations in the U.S. and Reno maintained the dubious distinction of placing first, which it has for the past several years. Las Vegas ranked second. Reno's average temperature has increased 7.8 degrees since 1970, Vegas 6 degrees, based on official temperatures recorded at Reid Reno-Tahoe airports. El Paso ranked third at 5.9. Tyler, Texas, and Burlington, Vermont, tied for fourth at 5.3 degrees. The report found that winter is the fastest-warming season for 76% of U.S. locations. The warming is linked to increased greenhouse gas concentrations, which are 31% higher than in 1970, and urban heat island effects.
Aria's Poker Classic Summer Series will kick off on May 29 to compete, along with the Wynn Summer Classic and the Venetian DeepStack Championship Series, among others, with the World Series of Poker. In addition, it was just announced that the BetMGM Poker Championship will take place in Aria's poker room starting Monday June 29 and running through Saturday July 4, with a $3,500 buy-in and $4 million guaranteed prize pool, a $1 million increase from last year’s event. The Poker Classic will finish up on July 13. The complete schedule is available at ARIA Poker on X.
A local hit a jackpot for $1,159,768 while playing Dragon Link at Durango’s high-limit slot room on Tuesday night. The player, who chose to remain anonymous, made a $25 bet to win the progressive jackpot, which reset to $1 million. The high-limit room at the Durango opened on December 15; this is the largest jackpot hit there since then.
A new Pew Research Center study surveyed people in 25 countries, asking if gambling is morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or not a moral issue. Here at home, 20% of adults say gambling is morally acceptable and 50% don't consider gambling a moral issue; the rest feel that gambling is morally unacceptable. Canadians were similar: 27% unacceptable, 30% acceptable, 41% not a moral issue. (The rest don't have an opinion.) Americans and Canadians were least likely to find gambling wrong. Contrast that with the other side of the survey, where 89% of Indonesians, 83% of Indians, 78% of Turks, 72% of Nigerians, and 71% of Italians consider gambling morally unacceptable. There were gender, age, and religious differences as well; you can see the whole survey here.
Thomas Dolby, the English synth-pop musician, producer, and technology entrepreneur, will play the Sahara Theater on July 25. Classic rock band Little Feat will blow out the International Theater at Westgate on August 6. Karol G, the globally renowned Colombian singer-songwriter, widely recognized as a premier figure in reggaeton and urban pop, will make a stop at Allegiant Stadium on her 40-date world tour that kicks off in July; she'll play Vegas for one night on August 7. And Chayanne, the renowned Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actor, will perform at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay on October 17.
Whoever climbed Sphere the other day while being filmed for the venue's new movie From the Edge (we still don't know his name) is fortunate he had permission. A Las Vegas local who climbed to the top of the arena in February 2024 without authorization was sentenced yesterday to 45 days in jail, a year of probation, and $77,000 in restitution for damages. The local, who calls himself "Pro-Life Spider Man," pled guilty last October to charges of willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property; he could have been given a year behind county bars. It's not the first time this character has been arrested for similar charges. He scaled Aria in August 2021, the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco in May 2022, and the New York Times Building to days later.
Caesars and Westgate have inked a deal for Caesars Sportsbook to take over the Westgate SuperBook. The name will remain Westgate SuperBook, but with the official addendum "powered by Caesars Sportsbook” (if anyone bothers with it; we probably won't). Pending approval by regulators, the transition will be completed in time for football season. Per the press release, "Caesars will oversee race and sports book operations and technology, expanding wagering options and access while preserving the identity, scale and atmosphere that have defined the SuperBook for decades." Westgate's SuperContest will remain in place for the 2026-27 NFL season.
One of the most nebulous press releases we've seen in some time emerged from the ether this morning. It concerns the putative Las Vegas Diamond Arena, a 21,212-seat venue intended for an NBA expansion team. It's full of all the indisputable reasons that this project, which would be located directly across the Strip from Mandalay Bay, is the perfect site to "deliver everything needed to define the future” of a long-term home for a Las Vegas pro basketball team. For example: immediate access to I-15 and I-215, visibility to 60,000 daily vehicles on I-15, proximity to Reid International (with over 55 million annual passengers), and 18,460 existing parking spaces nearby. That kind of thing. As for who might be behind Diamond Arena, whether or not whoever it is has a deal for the land in question, whether or not there's any funding in place or in the pipeline, what the parking situation might be like when both NBA and MLB teams are playing home games within a half-mile of each other, and when these little details might be forthcoming, interested parties can contact the Letizia (PR) Agency.
Hosted at Allegiant Stadium for the second year in a row, Wrestlemania attendance was down by nearly 15% from last year, according to the just-announced totals. WrestleMania 42 attracted 106,072 for the weekend, down from last year's 124,693 attendees. Observers doubt that the WWE will bring it back for a third consecutive year, though by most metrics, this year's event was a success for both the wrestling organization and Las Vegas.
Allegiant Stadium was named the 2026 U.S. Stadium of the Year at the 37th Annual Pollstar Awards last Wednesday in Hollywood. The venue was honored for its "exceptional programming, world-class guest experience, and significant contributions to the live-entertainment industry, hosting major artists and events." The award was peer-voted and competed against major venues, including SoFi Stadium (L.A.), Fenway Park (Boston), and MetLife Stadium (New Jersey).
A well-thought-out and well-written opinion piece on the Nevada Independent site is titled, "Vegas Isn't Greedy. It's Cruel." Here are a few choice quotes. "Vegas always took your money. That was never a secret. But the old version of the deal had a second half [comps, cheap buffets, great stories to take home] that made losing feel like a fair trade." "The old Strip made you feel like a high roller even when you weren't one. The new Strip makes sure you know exactly where you rank." "Vegas used to give you a story. The story brought you back, because the house always wins. But it used to have the decency to make you feel good about it." "The old Strip let you in on the joke. The new one makes you the punchline." The whole piece is worth a read; it takes only a couple of minutes. Of course, you can still do Vegas the right way; you just have to know how and where. That's where LVA comes in, but you've known that for a long time.
John Katsilometes, the Review-Journal's entertainment/gossip columnist, writes this morning that the Sphere climber we reported on yesterday was part of the new movie that will replace Wizard of Oz at the end of its run in December. The movie, titled From the Edge, is about extreme sports, including free diving, skiing, base jumping, and (now) Sphere-crawling. The most famous skyscraper free climber, Alex Honnold, actually lives in Las Vegas to take advantage of the year-round opportunities out at Red Rock, according to Kats. The climber hasn't been identified, but the helicopter with the huge camera on its struts that was assumed to be the cops was filming the climb for the movie. Kats believes we'll hear who the climber was in due time.
A new food truck park is getting ready to open downtown in the Arts District. The space, 7,000 square feet, is big enough to host 10 food trucks serving international cuisines. Interestingly, unlike most food truck parks, this space is indoors, a couple of blocks east of Las Vegas Blvd. near the corner of Wyoming and Commerce. Parking will be free (when no major event is taking place in the area) and the park is expected to open by June, after inspections and final signoff by the city.
The Powerball jackpot has just been accelerated by the potential addition of 53 million eligible new players. After years of negotiations, the Multistate Lottery Commission and its UK counterpart Allywn have opened up Powerball lottery sales to residents of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland starting sometime this summer. The international expansion, the first time a non-U.S. lottery will contribute to a U.S.-based jackpot, is expected to increase the prize money significantly, reaching the $1 billion grand-prize mark in two months rather than the typical three without a winner. The ticket price remains $2 for U.S. residents (£2 or $2.70 across the pond) and the odds of winning remain exactly the same. American winners can take a lump sum, while UK winners must take their prize as an annuity. The lower-tier prize structure will remain unique to each group and more than half the ticket cost will stay in the local jurisdictions to fund public programs.
Several Instagram posts and reels show a man free-climbing (scaling without ropes or gear) the exterior of Sphere last week. They also show a police helicopter hovering nearby with a big camera mounted on a front strut. (Were the cops filming the stunt to use as evidence?) Early speculation as to who the climber was mentioned free solo legend Alex Honnold, who successfully climbed to the top of Taipei 101, the 101-story 1,667-foot skyscraper in Taiwan in January, using only the building's metal structural elements for holds. But the Sphere climber was later identified, though not confirmed, as Maison Des Champs (also referred to as a "Pro-Life Spider-Man" activist known for similar stunts on skyscrapers). You can see good videos of the ascents here and here.
The free concerts that Fremont Street Experience hosts every summer are returning for a ninth year starting May 15, when country artists Lee Brice, Austin Williams ,and Grace Tyler will take the FSE stages in conjunction with the Academy of Country Music awards show at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17. Also announced are Crossfade and Trapt on May 30, Fuel June 13, Finger Eleven June 27, George Birge July 4, Sleeping with Sirens July 11, Mayday Parade Aug. 8, Story of the Year Aug. 22, and Maggie Lindemann Oct. 10, all Saturdays. More shows will be revealed as they're booked.
Bellagio has introduced weekend late-night dining at two of its fancy restaurants overlooking the lake. From 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Lago now serves up food from a special late-night menu. If you have a hankering for hamachi, carpaccio, Caesar salad, puttanesca pizza, chocolate budino, and the like at 2 a.m., head to Lago. You can see the menu here; scroll down to the bottom for the late-night offerings (without prices, of course). On May 22, Yellowtail, the Japanese restaurant, will also open during the same late-night hours as Lago, serving crisp tofu, gyoza, rock shrimp, sushi rolls, a bento box, and desserts, according to the Review-Journal.
Another one bites the dust. In a two-sentence announcement, MGM wrote, "MGM Grand Buffet will close permanently after business on May 31, 2026. There are no immediate plans for the space at this time; however, any future venue details will be shared once confirmed." We wonder how many people have booked the MGM all-inclusive deal announced a couple of weeks ago for beyond May 31 that included both the Excalibur and MGM Grand buffets. Oh well, no great loss; we haven't been fans of this buffet since it opened in 1993. But it leaves only Excalibur, Main Street Station, Rampart, and South Point as (relatively) low-priced buffets in Las Vegas (and don't write in to tell us that we forgot Circus Circus; if you've been there recently, you'll know why it's not even up for consideration.)
For many years during March Madness, 8 News Now, the local CBS affiliate, has held a "restaurant bracket," pitting 64 Las Vegas eateries against one another in the same elimination format as the NCAA basketball tournaments. This year's cuisine was pizza. The Final Four pizzerias came down to Dom DeMarco's, which won the last pizza bracket in 2022, but was knocked out by Metro Pizza, Pizza Rock, and Napoli. Napoli emerged victorious over Metro with 53% of the vote to take the grand prize (publicity). Napoli arrived in Vegas in 2006 from Boston and has since expanded to four locations, with a fifth on the way to downtown. The huge menu features 10 lunch specials like a 10-inch pizza and soda ($9.99), 20 or so appetizers, a dozen salads, wings, burgers, wraps, plenty of pasta, 10 desserts, and pizzas from 10 to a giant 36 inches ($122.99). We've never tried Napoli, but we will.
Have you heard about these new hybrid performances? Called "live docu-concerts," they combine a live tribute concert with documentary-style narration, interviews, archival footage, and multimedia displays to chronicle a music artist's life and career. Recent iterations include The Simon & Garfunkel Story, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – The Aretha Franklin Story, and The Life and Times of George Michael. A fourth docu-concert on Phil Collins, originally of Genesis and then a superstar solo artist, will make a stop on its 55-city North American tour at Resorts World on September 26. Collins was the drummer for Genesis and penned and sang such hits as "Invisible Touch," "Turn It On Again," "Mama," "Follow You Follow Me," and (our favorite) "Home by the Sea." In his solo career, he made the charts with "In the Air Tonight," "Easy Lover," "Against All Odds," and "One More Night." Should be an interesting multi-media show in Resorts World's newly renovated 4,850-seat theater. Tickets are on sale now.
The podcast Low Rollers by CasinoReports talked to Blair Rodman, author of our recent book All about Sports Betting. Host Eric Raskin and Blair discuss sports betting in the ‘90s and today, poker, casino tournaments, writing books, and more. It's a 38-minute podcast; Blair shows up right at minute five. Just click the white arrow and you're in.
Soul and R&B superstars Chris Brown and Usher are joining up for the "R&B Tour," in which they'll co-headline at stadiums throughout North America. The 33-date itinerary will stop in Las Vegas for two nights at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday Sept. 5 and Sunday Sept. 6. The tour will partner with Global Citizen to provide access to quality education for children around the world by donating $1 for every ticket sold to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. Brown is particularly hot these days; his last tour, which ended in October, was the highest-grossing ever by a solo Black American male artist, earning nearly $300 million and drawing two million fans to stadiums in North America and Europe. Presale tickets will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the general on sale starts on Mon. April 27 at noon.
Magician Jen Kramer will celebrate her second milestone of the year when she performs her 1,000th show a week from tomorrow. The only female magician headlining her own show in Las Vegas, Kramer's show blends sleight-of-hand magic, storytelling, and audience interaction, with charm and energy that never quit, even after doing it a thousand times. Her first milestone was in February, when she transformed her fiancé into her husband in a wedding ceremony that also took place at the Westgate.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a roundtable discussion in downtown Las Vegas today. The event will be held at the non-casino AC Hotel in Symphony Park, which opened in September at 330 South Grand Central Parkway. The visit is part of a tax-week event focusing on no tax on tips and overtime. The time hasn't been announced yet, but the president's visit is expected to cause traffic disruptions downtown in the early afternoon and flight restrictions starting at 3 p.m.
The West Wind Drive-In Theater in North Las Vegas will host its bi-annual Free Movie Night a week from tomorrow, April 23. Gates open at 6 p.m., with movies starting at 8 p.m. Admission is completely free for everyone. Parking is first-come first-served with limited capacity, so arriving at least an hour early is recommended. The theater will screen double features on its screens, including Zootopia 2, The Bad Guys 2, Wicked: For Good, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, KPop Demon Hunters, and Anaconda (2025 version). Before the movies, there will be free family activities like an obstacle course, bungee trampoline, balloon artists, movie characters, and music. The snack bar will offer a $2 special on nachos (full menu also available).
After yesterday's News item about Reid International ranking fourth least stressful out of the 20 largest airports in the U.S., this revelation makes that an even more impressive feat. According to Airports Council International, the primary global trade association for airport operators, Reid is the fifth busiest airport in the world for the number of aircraft landings and takeoffs; its 586,046 takeoffs and landings to and from 170 destinations in 2025 placed it behind Chicago's O'Hare, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas Ft. Worth, and Denver. Shanghai at number eight was the busiest internationally. Atlanta ranked first for total passengers at 106.3 million, followed by Dubai at 96 million, and Vegas didn't place anywhere near the top with a mere 40-plus million last year. Total airline passengers worldwide were estimated to be just under 10 billion and the top 10 busiest airports for passengers represented 9% of the total.
Country superstar Kenny Chesney has canceled his two July 4th weekend shows at Sphere. The reason? He wants to spend more time with his family. Seriously. Refunds will be automatically processed, along with a promo code for ticketholders for a future Sphere date.
Chesney will perform at Sphere on 11 other dates in June and July. We say, we know plans change, but if he didn't want to perform over July 4th, why did he schedule two shows to begin with?
One of Las Vegas' most beloved French restaurants, Le Cirque, will close at Bellagio on August 23. Le Cirque opened when Bellagio did in 1998, so it's been here for nearly 28 years. It was also one of the most popular French restaurants in Manhattan, opening in 1974. That closed 2017, leaving the Bellagio Cirque as the last location for the brand. A new restaurant will open in its vacated space in mid-2027, though what kind has yet to be determined.
A study by Mozio, a global ground-transportation search and booking platform specializing in airport transfers and "last-mile" travel, found that Reid International is the fourth least stressful out of 20 major U.S. airports (determined by passenger counts). Mozio analyzed how frequently flights are delayed, how much it costs to park for a day, and how long it takes to reach the city center. Minneapolis-St. Paul International came in as least stressful, with a total score of 1.76 on a scale of 10. Phoenix Sky Harbor (2.28) and San Francisco International (2.98) also placed below Reid (3.16), which had 76.4% of flights departing in less than 15 minutes of the scheduled time, $36 daily parking rate, and nine minutes to the city center (actually, CityCenter on the Strip). The most stressful was Chicago O'Hare (8.42, 24%, $43, and one hour), then LaGuardia (7.5) and John F. Kennedy (7.19), both in New York.
Another grandiose plan for a resort centered around an arena for the incoming NBA basketball team was announced yesterday. This one joins a long list of proposals that we covered in a recent Question of the Day. "Starr Vegas" would be what the developers call an "ecosystem for year-round sports, entertainment, and luxury living" near the intersection of S. Las Vegas Blvd. and W. Starr Ave, roughly two miles south of South Point. The 63-acre site would host a kitchen sink full of attractions and amenities, including a 25,000-seat arena; a 50,000-seat soccer/concert stadium with retractable roof; a 1,000-seat rooftop dome (which looks to us like a venue for watch parties); a cultural and entertainment district complete with theater, comedy club, boxing museum, and Combat Sports Hall of Fame; and hotel, casino, sports book, retail, office, and residential components. The announcement also mentions a new proprietary ticketing system. The developers have long ties to ticketing, sports venues, and Las Vegas real estate and claim to have already secured $6 billion in funding for the project, which is budgeted at $10 billion. We'll see.
Here's a story that might wind up in The One That Got Away file. A winning ticket was sold for the Texas Lottery's November 14 drawing for a grand prize of $78 million. Winners have 180 days to claim their jackpots and this one has yet to be claimed. With exactly a month to go, Texas media outlets are issuing clarion calls for the winner to step forward before the ticket, worth approximately $44 million, expires on May 14.
A local player hit a jackpot for $1,689,909 Thursday on an Aristocrat Gaming slot, Dollar Storm, at The Resort at Summerlin. The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, won the grand prize on a $30 spin.
It appears that the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces will retain the team's core players, who together have won the league championship three out of the past four years. The Aces have reportedly signed superstar guard Jackie Young to a deal for the maximum regular salary of $1.19 million, making her the first player in WNBA history to earn more than $1 million over a single season. (Prior maximum salaries were much lower; the highest in 2025 was around $269,000). Point guard Chelsea Gray is reportedly finalizing a three-year multi-million dollar deal, while forward/center A'ja Wilson, widely considered the WNBA's GOAT, will soon sign a "supermax" deal for $1.4 million to return to the Aces. The regular season starts on Friday May 8.
The WWE will invade Las Vegas next weekend for Wrestlemania 42 and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood is putting on a drink promotion to draw fans in their off hours. Starting Friday and ending Sunday, those of drinking age can join the $5 Drink Bar Crawl through the mall. Per the press release, "This self-guided tour takes visitors through participating bars and restaurants, each pouring a specialty drink for just five bucks. No wristbands, no cover, no catch. Just show up and drink up." Here are the participating venues and their $5 drinks: Buffalo Wild Wings, tall Coors Light; Carnegie Pizza, 24-ounce Truly Hard Seltzer; Flights tall Beer cans and hard seltzers; La Salsa Cantina, 16 ounce house margarita; Lobster ME, 16-ounce Bloody Mary; Nacho Daddy, house margarita; Pampas, 12-ounce spicy margarita; Rosa Mexicano, mini frozen margarita; Tacotarian, 12-ounce margarita.
Going into today’s final round of the Masters golf tournament, Rory McIlroy is a +175 favorite to win. Cameron Young is +250, Sam Burns is +625, and Scottie Schefler is +1000.
Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg are pick 'em in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Azamat Murzakanov is -240 over Paulo Costa.
At least for the rest of the month of April, the Downtown Grand is serving up a barbecue brisket sandwich and a can of White Claw mango hard seltzer for $5 at Lucky's bargain food cart near the entrance. In addition, after you earn 300 points, you're eligible for a comped barbecue rib dinner at Freedom Beat Thursdays through Sundays.
Due to a meager snowpack in the Upper Colorado Basin this winter, the surface level of Lake Mead has dropped more than six feet since the beginning of March. It's now at 1,060 feet, a mere 20 feet higher than the record low of 1,040 set in July 2022. And though this is typically when the snowmelt starts to raise the lake's level (peaking in early July), authorities expect the lake to fall even lower between now and then. Mead is at 35% capacity and could drop another 16-17 feet by the end of the year. A spokesperson from the Southern Nevada Water Authority told Fox5Vegas, however, that the local water supply is "secure," thanks to pumping stations drawing water from the deepest parts of Lake Mead.
Anthony and Andrew discuss the opening of Cadence Crossing and the closing of Jokers Wild, plus changes in management at two of our favorite joints, Downtown Grand and Rio. Anthony reviews LVA's latest Las Vegas show-ticket survey, then launches into the best shrimp cocktail, video poker upgrades at Virgin, and Bert's rebate deal, while Andrew got lucky at -- are you sitting down? -- sic bo. That segment alone is worth the price of admission to the 22-minute update.
A new page on HarryReidAirport.com lists wait times to pass through TSA security checkpoints at all gates. You can select A/B, C, and C/D gates at Terminal 1 and the D/E gates at Terminal Three and the boxed graphics show the estimated wait times for both the standard and TSA Pre-Check lines. Scrolling down a bit shows the expected wait times by the hour and day of the week in a bar chart with the average and maximum wait times. The inevitable disclaimer reads, "Note that these estimated TSA wait times can fluctuate by the minute and should not be used to plan a later arrival to the airport," but at least there's now a place to go online for current estimates.
MGM and Caesars recently introduced all-inclusive packages comprising room, food, parking, and entertainment, but Circa launched this trend last summer and its All-In package is back for a second year. Available for two-night midweek stays in a king room, the $400 bundle includes $100 in dining credit at Barry’s Downtown Prime, 8 East, Saginaw’s Delicatessen, Victory Burger & Wings, and Project BBQ, along with $100 in beverage credit at the bars and lounges, including the Legacy Club on the 60th floor and four other bars. The package also comes with a reserved daybed at Stadium Swim. You can book here.
If you're around on Saturday, feel like taking a ride out to the 'burbs, and are in the mood for some cake, you can't go wrong at The Art of Cake at Uncommons, the mixed-use development right off the Beltway across the street from Durango Hotel-Casino. This free outdoor cake exchange will transform UnCommons into a dessert-filled community celebration starting at 11 a.m. and running through 2 p.m. Upwards of 500 cakes will be on display from local cake makers, either bakeries or homemade, and complimentary slices will be available while supplies last.
Insomniac, producer of the epic EDC music festival, will launch this year's festivities with the inaugural World Party Parade on the Strip. The event, a free and all-ages immersive dance party, will start at 6 p.m. on May 14, the Thursday before the weekend festival, at the Sahara and continue down to Circus Circus. "This vibrant parade will transform the Las Vegas Strip into a celebration of love, unity, and dance-music culture, featuring over 30 art cars equipped with large-scale sound systems, DJs, and hundreds of colorful performers," per the press release, plus anyone who wants to join in. The announcement adds, "P.L.U.R. strictly enforced." In case you're not familiar with the acronym (we weren't), it stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite at +550 to win golf's Masters tournament. He’s followed by John Rahm at +950 and Bryson DeChambeau at +1000. Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson are not playing; it’s the first time since 1994 that at least one of them is not in the field.
Victor Glover, one of the four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II Moon-flyby mission, mentioned Las Vegas yesterday. Watching the solar corona through the capsule's window, Glover commented, "If you’ve ever seen the spotlight off the top of the Luxor at night in Las Vegas, this looks like what that wants to be when it grows up.” The solar corona is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere. Typically invisible due to the brightness of the Sun, it's the pearly glow you see during a total solar eclipse. Though several astronauts have commented on the brightness of Las Vegas as seen from space, this one is the most clever. Isn't it? C'mon! Victor Glover just made the most dazzling light show in history sound like it's jealous of a hotel on the Strip. Or how about this? The solar corona just looked down at the Luxor beam and said, 'Cute. Call me when you grow up.'" By the way, "cislunar space" refers to the region between the Earth and the Moon.
How long does it take for the slots to start ringing again after a truck crashes through the front doors of a casino? You can see for yourself in this news coverage of a pickup truck ramming through the front of Main Street Station yesterday in the early afternoon. Luckily, no one was injured and the driver wasn't officially impaired, though the police said he was "confused" about the crash.
Here's a cool one. Bruno Mars, who by now needs no introduction, will be honored with a parade on the Strip on Friday. The event will celebrate Mars' impact on Las Vegas and the kickoff of his new tour at Allegiant Stadium that night. The parade will start at Bellagio and end at Toshiba Plaza outside T-Mobile, where Park Avenue will be renamed Bruno Mars Drive. Governor Joe Lombardo will be there to present Mars with a state flag.
We were surprised by the selection of "20 iconic dishes" served in Las Vegas restaurants in a story on TastingTable. We actually agree with most of them. Also, the write-ups are informed and informative; in short, this is a piece worth scrolling through to see what you've missed, mostly because the picks are at expensive Strip restaurants, such as StripSteak, Guy Savoy, Prime, Wing Lei, and Delilah. On the lower-priced side, TastingTable chose the burger at Fukuburger, the pan roast at the Palace Station Oyster Bar, adobada tacos at Tacos El Gordo, French toast ambrosia at the Peppermill, crispy duck at Lotus of Siam, and lobster eggs Benedict at Eiffel Tower. What's for lunch!
The median price for existing Las Vegas single-family homes sold in March dropped to $480,000, according to the Las Vegas Realtors Association. That was a slight decline of 1% from last year's $482,000. Condos and townhomes also took a dip of nearly 4% to $295,000. Inventory, meanwhile, rose for the umpteenth month in a row. The nearly 6,500 houses on the market represented an increase of 19% year over year, while the nearly 2,600 condos were up 17%. Sales of houses were up 7% year over year; sales of condos were down 9%. Rising interest rates and fears of an oil-based recession were blamed for the numbers, though as always, the realtors quoted in the coverage insist that the fundamentals of the southern Nevada market remain strong.
Michigan is a -6.5 favorite over Connecticut in the NCAA Basketball Championship game. The total is 146.
A good story in the Review-Journal this morning commemorates T-Mobile Arena's 10th anniversary, having opened on April 6, 2016, with local-boy-made-good Jimmy Kimmel introducing the debut act, local-boys-made-good The Killers. Since then, the $375 million 20,000-seat venue has hosted more than 1,000 events, sold more than 12.6 million tickets, "and poured five million fountain drinks and served one million hot dogs and bags of popcorn." The 111 basketball events, including Pac-12 Conference championships, USA basketball, the Las Vegas Aces' biggest games, the Harlem Globetrotters, and NBA exhibition and Cup games, could foreshadow T-Mobile becoming the home arena of a Las Vegas NBA expansion team, which might even happen in our lifetimes. The majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bill Foley, owns a minority share in the arena and would, if necessary, pour $300 million into renovating it for an NBA team.
Yes, but they had plenty of room to drop at the Buffet at Bellagio. Prices were reduced $5-$15, resulting in a range of $44.99 (weekday brunch) to $69.99 (Sat. seafood dinner). This buffet was one of the best spreads in Buffet City when it first opened nearly 30 years ago, but it has been a second-tier AYCE for a long time, and definitely since the pandemic, and MGM seems to have woken up to that fact, since it's now at a price point more in line with the Palms and Cosmopolitan. Truth be told, we'll take the Cosmo's Wicked Spoon brunch buffet any day at $49.99 weekdays and $54.99 weekends.
South Carolina is a -4.5 favorite over UCLA in today's NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game. The total is 128.
Visual Capitalist mapped the percentage of 18- to 34-year-olds who still live with parents in all 50 states, based on 2025 U.S. Census Bureau data. As would be expected, the states with the highest housing costs and the tightest supply dominate the list. In New Jersey, almost half of that age group lives at home (44.1%), topping the list, while six out of the rest of the top ten are in the northeast, with California the west coast high-cost entry: Connecticut (41.3%), California (39.1%), Maryland (38.5%), Delaware (37.0%), Florida (36.6%), New Hampshire (36.5%), New York (35.9%), Massachusetts (35.7%). Illinois and Nevada are tied for 10th (35.1%), just a little above the national average of 33%.
The Megabucks Triple Red Hot 7s Spitfire Multipliers jackpot for $10,486,432 was hit at Mandalay Bay last Wednesday. It wasn't an April Fools hoax and the player, who wished to remain anonymous, bet the max $5 to qualify for the jackpot. It would've been a joke if he/she hadn't.
Michigan and Arizona are pick ’em in today's second Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 157.5.
Illinois is a -2 favorite over Connecticut in today's first Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 139.
VitalVegas reports this morning that Dreamscape, the New York real estate firm that bought the Rio from Caesars in 2019, has been relegated to a minority ownership position. Private-credit company Kennedy Lewis Investment Management seems to have "purged" some of the executives and minority shareholders and has "quietly taken over." Kennedy Lewis has let the contracts with the CFO, VP of marketing, and VP of sales expire and VV gives the CEO 60 days to follow them out the door. It's yet another transition for the struggling Rio and we'll pay closer attention to the big off-Strip hotel-casino directly across the street from our office to see what the new future has in store.
The average price of a gallon of gasoline in Las Vegas has breached $5 for the first time since October 2023. It was $4.98 yesterday and it rose two cents overnight to hit the new threshold. The highest price for a gallon in the valley, according to GasBuddy, is $6.34. A year ago, the price was more than $1 less. Diesel, meanwhile, hit $6.39 on average per gallon today, up four cents from yesterday. It's the highest price for diesel in southern Nevada history.
Another immersive "digital museum" is on its way to Las Vegas. This one reproduces all 34 of the 500-plus-year-old frescoes painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome. Life-size representations of Michelango's famous sculptures, David, Moses, and Pietà, are also part of the display. The 25,000-square-foot attraction is on the third floor of the Shops at Crystals at CityCenter in the space that previously hosted two “Immersive Van Gogh” attractions, which is next to the “Princess Diana & The Royals” museum; the Sistine Chapel attraction comes from the same team. It opens on April 24 and tickets start at $32, available here.
Following in MGM's footsteps, Caesars has introduced an all-inclusive package available at Harrah's, the LINQ, and Flamingo. Unfortunately, this one pales in comparison. Whereas MGM's is for two nights at $330, Caesars is for one night at $200, but only for one guest; each additional guest is $100 per night. Sheesh. And while MGM is offering three meals a day, the Caesars deal is for two. MGM's gives you two tickets to two select shows and Caesars' is good for "bottomless" well drinks, house wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages at select bars (heavy drinkers will get more value out of this one). Two tickets to the High Roller observation wheel and 20% cabana and daybed rentals the LINQ's pool round out the package. You can book here (though good luck with Caesars' asinine booking engine).
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports this afternoon that Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley has a Zoom call scheduled with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver next week, during which she plans to propose a 20-acre vacant lot downtown for an arena for the putative Vegas team the league is considering. The lot is located near City Hall and the World Market Center and is owned by Blackstone asset-management group. So the city is officially throwing its hat into a ring that has seen more than a fair share of ups and downs, with at least four proposed sites either dead or in abeyance.
The James Beard Foundation yesterday released the finalists for their 2026 chef and restaurant nominees. From a slate of 14 Las Vegas semi-finalists announced in January, three nominations made the cut. For Best New Restaurant, Tamba is Vegas' representative; this is a highly acclaimed, upscale, contemporary, Indian fusion restaurant located in Town Square known for its modern take on traditional flavors, live-fire cooking, and a dedicated raw bar. Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa is up for Best Chef Southwest; Casa Playa is an upscale coastal-Mexican restaurant at Encore. Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf is also a finalist for Best Chef Southwest; Howard, a semifinalist in 2024, is known for live-fire cooking, sustainable ingredients, and a "neighborhood-cookery" approach that has made Sparrow + Wolf a popular industry hangout. The winners of these awards will be honored at the James Beard Award ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
How many weather records were set in March? Let's count them. First, between March 18 and March 30, Las Vegas saw 12 consecutive days of record heat, all the high temperatures in the 90s. To show how unusual that was, between 1937 and 2003, 66 full years, March had one -- not two, not three, but a single -- March day that surpassed 90 degrees. One day, March 25, hit 98. Second, the median daily temperature was 73 degrees, an astounding 12.2 above the typical median and 6.3 degrees higher than the previous record of 66.7 set in 2015. Also, 2015 was the last time Vegas experienced 0 inches of precipitation, like it did this year; the monthly average is nearly a half-inch. And it wasn't just March. February was the second warmest month on record in Las Vegas and January was the fifth. And it wasn't just southern Nevada. According to the Weather Service, upwards of 1,100 daily records were tied or broken throughout the country, most in the west. So far, April is back to normal, whatever that is anymore.
We use the term “trailer casino” to describe a space that offers temporary gambling to preserve a company’s gaming license. Typically, these spaces are in a trailer or even a tent. We don't know what structure Bally’s is using for its trailer casino, but the company is running one on the site of the former Tropicana from 9 am to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow.
With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel for the headline, April is a gorgeous month weather-wise hereabouts. It's dry and mostly sunny, with daily high temperatures rising from around 74 degrees on April 1 to around 82 on April 30 and lows ranging from 52 to 61. However, after March, all high-temperature bets are off. A record high of 99 degrees was set on the 24th in 2012, the 27th in 2000, the 29th in 2013, and the 30th in 1981. A record low of 31 degrees was set on the 2nd in 1975 and the 3rd and 4th in 1955. Typically, April is the second driest month of the year, receiving an average .15 of an inch of precipitation; June is driest with .08.
James Siva, chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, announced yesterday that the Golden State tribes are getting ready to introduce a ballot measure in 2028 to legalize sports betting. Siva, speaking at the Indian Gaming Association’s annual conference in San Diego, told the audience that the tribes will propose both retail and remote sports betting, which would be a switch from the tribes' stance in 2022, when they battled the big sports books with a retail-only referendum. Both proposals, the tribes' retail and the sports books online, were soundly defeated after hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on the campaigns.
Classic rock acts Deep Purple and Kansas will make one stop together in Las Vegas on Sept. 10 to play the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood. Deep Purple is known for its big hit "Smoke on the Water," along with "Hush," "Soldier of Fortune," "Child in Time," and (our favorite) "Lazy (You Just Stay in Bed)." Three original members of the band, Ian Paice (drums), Roger Glover (bass), and Ian Gillan (vocals, harmonica) will be on this tour; Ian Gillan was also the original Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar and it's his voice on the album, which has sold upwards of 10 million copies. Kansas' big hit is "Carry On, My Wayward Son"; along with "Point of No Return," "Icarus," and "Song for America." Presale tickets are available now; general public tix go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
The National Football League announced yesterday that Las Vegas will be the host city for Super Bowl LXIII in February 2029 at Allegiant Stadium. The announcement came from Phoenix at the NFL Annual Meeting, after "a review by the NFL's Fan Engagement & Major Events Committee and a vote by all the owners," according to the press release. When Las Vegas hosted the Big Game in 2024, it drew 330,000 people and generated upwards of $1 billion dollars' worth of economic impact and "63 in '29" is expected to do just as well, if not better. Also, it's yet another big event in the late 2020s for the city, with the new Hard Rock opening in 2027 and the A's stadium scheduled for completion in 2028.
Yes, all the attention is on March Madness hereabouts, but another college sports tournament is underway and the championship will be played at T-Mobile next week. The Frozen Four hockey final, North Dakota vs. Wisconsin and Michigan against Denver, will start on Thursday April 9; the winners will face off on Saturday for all the marbles. It's the first time the men's NCAA ice hockey championship final is being held in Las Vegas.
Lisa (Lalisa Manobal), the main dancer and lead rapper of the K-Pop girl supergroup Blackpink, will do a solo mini-residency, "Viva La Lisa," at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Nov. 13, 14, 27, and 28. it's not unusual for K-Pop superstars to perform solo, but Lisa will be the first stage a Las Vegas residency. The presale starts Wednesday April 22 at 10 a.m. PT and ticket hopefuls can sign up starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. and running through Sunday April 19 at 10 p.m. PT.
With eight games left in the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights yesterday abruptly and somewhat unexpectedly fired head coach Bruce Cassidy. On Saturday, the VGK lost their third game in a row and the sixth out of their past seven. Since the Olympics break, they've lost 10, tied 2, and won five. For the first time, the VGK will finish a season with more defeats than victories, though they're still in third place in the Western Division and on track to make the playoffs. Cassidy led the Knights to the Stanley Cup championship in 2023 and was the longest-lived head coach in the history of the team at almost four complete seasons; the new head coach, John Tortorella, will be the fourth in the franchise's nine seasons.
Two of the five White Castles in southern Nevada are closing permanently. The locations at Casino Royale on the Strip and on Marks Street in Henderson will close in the next few days. The other three, one on Paradise at Harmon, one downtown, and one out in Jean, will close for a few days as they transition from being locally licensed (by Terrible Herbst) to company owned, then resume operations. Terrible Herbst licensed all five stores over the past years, but offered them back to the company, which is taking over the three and closing the other two. When that transpires, all 340 White Castles will be company owned.
Las Vegas broke the record for the highest temperature in March, ever, on Wednesday when the thermometer hit 98 degrees. On Thursday, the high reached 93, tying the record for the date, but Friday's 92 broke the previous record of 88 set in 2022. Yesterday's 92 broke the record of 91, also set in 2022. Today's forecast is for a high of 92, which would beat the old mark of 89 set in 2015. If it does, it will be the 12th straight day of either tying or beating the previous record highs. Tomorrow's is 90, which would end the month on 14 straight days of highs in the 90s, 11 days longer than the record three in a row. Tuesday starts a relatively cool string of five or so days in the low 80s.
Israel Adesanya is a -135 favorite over Joe Pyfer in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Maycee Barber is -200 over Alexa Grasso.
We didn't know this until now, but the Downtown Grand is in receivership and has been for a couple of months, according to the Review-Journal. The report is that the owners defaulted on a $90 million construction loan from Banc of California and the receiver "has already begun a formal effort to sell the hotel-casino." The loan was taken out in 2019 to finance construction of the third (ill-fated) tower and Banc of California sued DTG on Dec. 23, nine months after the property stopped making interest payments; in addition, DTG "failed to pay the loan in full when it matured on Aug. 19, 2025." According to the R-J, the receiver is in full control of DTG and has "stabilized" the property with some additional funding help from Banc of California.
Two more eateries have been announced for BLVD, the giant shopping center on the south Strip. Tenshou, a Japanese fine-dining restaurant designed specifically for BLVD, will host an outpost of Tokyo's Bar Centifolia, which we're told is one of the finest bars in the world. The reservation-only intimate Centifolia features theatrical cocktails -- smoke, fire, liquid nitrogen, oversized ice cubes cut with a sword, and the "mixological wizardry of bartender-owner Yuzo Komai." The second restaurant will be Las Vegas' second location of Silverlake Ramen, originally from the L.A. neighborhood of the same name. Vegas' first Silverlake Ramen opened in Chinatown in 2023; the chain now has 30 locations in seven states, most in California. Tenshou should open by September and Silverlake by the end of the year.
The World Series of Poker has answered two questions that have lingered since its announcement last month of the 2026 schedule. First, as to which network will broadcast the tournament in its various forms, that will be ESPN, which resumes the partnership that ran from 1988 until 2021, when CBS took the reins. Second, the Main Event final table will take place starting on August 3, four weeks after the nine players are determined on July 13. It's a return to the pause between the Main Event and the final table, known as the November Nine, which was contested in that month from 2008 to 2016. The WSOP is referring to this pause as a "Cliffhanger" break.
The Hat, a 75-year-old eatery from southern California that specializes in pastrami, is finally imminent. It's been a long time coming; here's what we wrote on May 4, 2019, nearly seven years ago: "The Hat World Famous Pastrami, with 11 locations in southern California, has announced plans to build a 4,000-square-foot branch in southwest Las Vegas. The Hat, which serves a pastrami dip and pastrami burger, roast beef, barbecue beef, and steak sandwiches ($10.49), eight other burgers ($4.79-$6.29), cold sandwiches, and three kinds of fries ($5.29-$7.19), will open on S. Rainbow Blvd. between Russell and Sunset roads. No opening date has been announced." And we posted an update in June of last year after indications were a "spring 2026 opening." The chain is now hiring for the Vegas location, which is nearing completion, and the latest opening date is pegged at late May-early June.
MGM Resorts is "addressing the silly narrative about Las Vegas being overpriced" with a two-night deal that bundles room and resort fee, dining, entertainment, and parking into a single upfront price at Luxor ($337) and Excalibur ($329), plus tax. In addition to the room and RF, you get three meals per day per guest at 10 restaurants at Luxor, Excalibur, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and New York-New York (including two buffets); two tickets to one of six MGM shows per stay (including Mac King and Fantasy); two rides on the Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York; and free self-parking at any MGM property. The offer starts on April 6. This is, actually, a good package. The resort fees and parking ($135) and two tickets to Mac King and Blue Man Group ($200) alone more than cover the cost of the package. Then throw in the room, six meals for two, and the roller coaster and you've got yourself a deal.
A report by ESPN says that NFL owners will most likely select Las Vegas to host Super Bowl LXIII in February 2029. The vote is expected to take place at next week's annual meeting in Phoenix, though one source told ESPN that settling the Vegas question is just a formality.
On Tuesday, the WWE held a one-day-only ticket sale: With 25 days left to Wrestlemania 42, the 25Days sale took 25% off the price of the remaining tickets, which the seating chart shows are plentiful. The discount dropped the cheapest nose-bleed seats to $120 and the closer seats to around $400. Could this be further indication that the WWE might have made a slight strategic miscalculation in returning to Vegas for the second consecutive year of Wrestlemania?
In yet another Yelp list, the Best Seafood Restaurants in Every State, Nevada's best is, not surprisingly, Bajamar Seafood & Tacos. It's the latest recognition for the restaurant at 1615 S. Las Vegas Blvd. that opened in 2017 and ranked number two in Yelp's Top 100 Seafood Spots 2024 and 19 in the Top 100 Taco Spots 2023. The seafood tacos include octopus, shrimp, and marlin tuna, the ceviche is spicy, citrusy, and fresh, and the Surf N Turf Fries are loaded with carne asada and shrimp. A second Bajamar location opened in downtown Henderson about a year ago.
The big news this morning is that the NBA's Board of Governors yesterday voted for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams -- exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle. The bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team. and and likely starting play in the 2028-29 season.
Today is opening day for Major League Baseball. The Seattle Mariners are the favorite to win in the American League at +420 and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to win the National League at +100 (even money). The Dodgers are a +200 favorite to win the World Series.
Luke Combs kicked off his latest national tour at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night and proceeded to set two significant records. It was the largest crowd to attend an event at Allegiant; the 70,921 fans surpassed the attendance of 70,482 for the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing match in September. It was also largest indoor attendance for any concert or event in Nevada history. The wildly successful country singer and songwriter, Combs is known for his powerful raspy vocals and everyman appeal, but still; he drew more people than Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Rolling Stones, BTS, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Sting, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, the Raiders, Wrestlemania, and all the rest. For the crowd, the stage rotated, with four runways, so that all the seats could be sold.
Boyd Gaming will hold the official grand opening of Cadence Crossing Casino today. Boyd senior executives and Henderson elected officials will gather for a brief event, including remarks and a celebratory ribbon cutting, at 10 a.m., then media and VIPs will mill around until the doors open to the public at 12 p.m.
Vanderpump Hotel, the rebranded Cromwell, is now taking reservations for overnight stays starting May 29. Opening night's rate is $499, plus a $55 resort fee; rates in June are as low as $139 and rise as high as $399, plus RF. The hotel is reality TV star and entrepreneur Lisa Vanderpump's first foray into lodging. She has three restaurant/bars in Las Vegas: Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace, Vanderpump à Paris at Paris, and Pinky’s by Vanderpump at the Flamingo. The Cromwell is undergoing an extensive renovation in preparation for the rebranding; the casino, Giada's, and Drai's will remain open through the transition.
One of the most eagerly awaited culinary events of the year in Las Vegas will come to fruition next month. Maroon will launch April 24 at the Sahara in the space formerly occupied by Bazaar Meat. Bon Appetit magazine ranked this new Caribbean steakhouse among the 10 most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026. The third restaurant (Dogon in Washington, D.C., and Tatiana in New York City) from James Beard Award winner, author, and "Top Chef" star Kwame Onwuachi, Maroon according to Bon Appetit will be "the first black-owned concept to hit the Vegas Strip." Named for the Maroons of Jamaica, descendants of Africans who escaped enslavement and created self-sufficient communities in the country's Blue Mountains, the restaurant will "reimagine the classic American steakhouse through the lens of Caribbean cuisine with jerk rubs and dry-aged cuts, live-fire cooking, scotch bonnet-infused sauces, grilled seafood, and vibrant sides rooted in West African, Jamaican, and Creole traditions," Travel & Leisure writes. As we noted when it was announced last May, Maroon is definitely a coup for the Sahara after losing Bazaar Meats to Palazzo.
Taking a cue from Stadium Swim at Circa, the Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay has been reimagined and renamed Tailgate Beach Club. The centerpiece is 125 feet of LED screens that will broadcast not only sports, but also must-watch TV shows. An executive from Clique Hospitality, which created the venue, told the Review-Journal that at Tailgate Beach Club, "Sports energy and shared fan culture will come together in a way that feels uniquely Las Vegas." The dayclub's three heated pools will allow it to stay open year-round, ending Stadium Swim's hegemony on that front. Tailgate opens May 16 with a bang: Snoop Dogg takes the stage.
The average price of a gallon of gas in Las Vegas today is $4.81, $1.11 higher than it was at the beginning of the month. The lowest (cash) price, according to GasBuddy, is $4.19 at a Sinclair station on Pecos Road, the highest $5.19 at a Chevron station on W. Sahara. Nevada's average price is the fifth highest in the country, behind California ($5.76), Washington ($5.27), Hawaii ($5.21), and Oregon ($4.84). The war in Iran and seasonal changes (scheduled refinery shutdowns in California and the transition from winter- to summer-grade gas) account for the rapidly rising prices.
As it’s done for the past several tournaments, starting with this week's Sweet 16 games, South Point will deal -105 on all NCAA tournament games through to the championship game. The discount is for “straight bets only,” which implies the pointspread and the total. Bets must be made at the sports book (not available on the app).
After breaking high-temperature records on Tuesday (96°), Wednesday (97), Thursday (94), Friday (91), and Saturday (92), another record fell yesterday when the thermometer reached 91. The Review-Journal reported yesterday that between 1937 and 2004, March registered a single 90-degree day -- 67 years! Then, between 2004 to 2025, there were 12. This year, six and counting. Today's high is expected to be 94, then above 90 through Sunday. We're thinking this forebodes a long hot summer, especially considering that so far, we've skipped spring.
The latest in out-of-the-blue closings takes place tonight. Jokers Wild on Boulder Hwy. will close permanently tonight at 10 p.m. It had been known that Jokers Wild would close this year, but the date wasn’t made public until today. The casino is closing to coincide with the opening of neighboring Cadence Crossing on Wednesday. The Jokers Wild building is expected to be demolished, possibly to add a Cadence Crossing hotel. According to vitalvegas.com, decks of logoed cards are being given away at the cage for as long as they last.
This week's YouTube is one of our semi-monthly updates, with a lot to talk about. First, of course, is the heat, which we've been covering daily in the News, with record-breaking high temperatures a daily occurrence. Then, Anthony and Andrew launch into March Madness and some of the betting involved and the new Cadence Crossing opening on Wednesday; Anthony discusses the myths surrounding slot jackpots at new joints. From there, they go to the closing of Tony Roma's at the Fremont, with a brief detour as to why the other Tony Roma's in Vegas, which has been closed for a long time, was "infamous." Finally, Anthony talks about our new book, Breaking the Slot Code, which is at the printer and should be back in mid-April, plus the companion website with hundreds of videos of advantage slots, SlotSlayer.com, which is also coming soon.
Yesterday, the official Weather Service thermometer at Reid International fell three degrees short of hitting the century mark, but the high of 97 crushed the record for the day of 90, set in 2004. It was also the third consecutive day of record high temps and today and tomorrow will extend the streak. Today's high is forecast to be 96, which would break the record of 92, also from 2004. Tomorrow should reach 94, which would beat the 2004 record of 91. The extreme heat warning, which was issued on Wednesday, expires tomorrow at 8 p.m., though why is unclear. High temperatures Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are projected to be 95-96 and not until a week from Monday might they fall below 90. The previous record for consecutive 90-degree days in March was three (2004, of course); it could be 12 or 13 by the time this heat wave passes.
Movsar Evloev is a -250 favorite over Lerone Murphy in today’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Luke Riley is -200 over Michael Aswell.
The cafe at Aquarius in Laughlin, a Golden Entertainment property (Arizona Charlie's, STRAT), has good specials year round; they change every month or so. We tried a great turkey dinner that was available through December and a double cheeseburger in February; those reviews will be published in the April Advisor. Here are the specials that will be available from April 1 through June 30: the Sunrise Breakfast, with three pancakes, hash browns, two eggs, and a choice of bacon or sausage, $5.99; a double smashburger with lettuce, American cheese, tomato, onion, and special sauce on a brioche bun, served with French fries, $6.99; and a breaded pork chop plate featuring two pork chops and country gravy with potatoes and vegetables, soup or salad, $7.99. Each dish includes a choice of coffee, soft drink, or iced tea. Then there's the Belly Buster, a 16-ounce bone-in ham steak served with two eggs any style, hash browns, and toast or biscuits and gravy, and drink, $6.99. All will be available 24/7.
Scuttlebutt on the Vegas message boards purports that R&G Lounge, a celebrated Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, is coming soon to the Forum Shops at Caesars. We understand that some signage has gone up at the Forum Shops to that effect, though we haven't seen anything else mentioned about it. "R&G" stands for "Roots & Generations," reflecting its mission to honor the roots of Chinese culinary traditions by passing it down through the generations. Established in 1985, the restaurant has become an iconic symbol of Chinese heritage and culinary excellence and the menu boasts more than 150 dishes, including signature crab and Peking duck and lychee martinis. We'll keep an eye out for further developments on this front.
Jeezy is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and pioneer of Southern trap music, a subgenre of hip-hop that emerged around Atlanta in the early 2000s whose lyrics focus on drug dealing ("trapping") and survival on the street. Atlanta-based Jay "Jeezy" Jenkins, known for his gruff voice and hits like "Soul Survivor" and "Put On," will play 10 dates at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood on May 1, 2, 23, and 24 and June 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, and 27. The presale (code: SNOWMAN) started this morning; general-public tickets go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. PT.
Here's a story that was somewhat controversial several decades ago, then dropped from view, then resurfaced: Catholic church services held in Don's Celebrity Theatre at the Riverside n Laughlin. Services are conducted by St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, with Mass typically celebrated on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, offering a unique "church in a casino" experience for residents and tourists. The story, resurrected (so to speak) by Fox 5 Vegas recently, finds that Father Charlie "Ernie" Urnick has been officiating the entire time and puts on a performance worthy of a casino showroom, which keeps parishioners coming back -- on a heaven-dispensed comp.
After setting a new high-temperature record on Wednesday (94 beat the four-year-old record by one degree), Las Vegas hit 95 yesterday. That broke the record high for the day set in 2017 of 90 degrees. And on the first day of spring, there's no end in sight to the summer-like heat. Today, the high is predicted to be 98 degrees and according to the National Weather Service, there's a 50% chance we'll hit a hundred. If that actually happens, it'll be the first time southern Nevada has seen triple digits in March ever. It's never happened in April either; the earliest 100-degree day was on May 1, 1947. And it's not just us. The Review-Journal reports that Martinez Lake, Arizona, registered 110 degrees yesterday, breaking a record for the highest-ever March temperature in the entire country. In addition, record highs have been set across the west "in dozens of locations," including Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Prescott, Arizona.
Ninety-five years ago today, March 19, 1931, Nevada lawmakers legalized gambling. The bill passed the Nevada Assembly by a vote of 24 to 11 and the Senate 13 to 3. In the early years of the Great Depression, it was hoped that wide-open casino gambling would boost the state's economy, forge a tourism industry, and create jobs. All in all, it did exactly what was intended -- and more. The new law, along with the construction of Hoover Dam that started a month later, helped ensure that our very own Vegas would be unique on this Earth.
Wednesday set what's expected to be the first of several high-temperature records over the next several days. It was the hottest-ever day in March in Las Vegas, with the thermometer hitting 94 degrees to break the previous record of 93 set on March 26, 2022. That record could fall today, with a predicted high of 94-95, but will almost certainly be broken tomorrow at 96. And it's still winter (at least until around 8 a.m. tomorrow)!
Two new fast-food outlets have opened at the food hall at Resort at Summerlin (formerly Rampart), For the Win and Tacos 1986. Both are imports from -- you guessed it -- southern California, veritable institutions dating as far back as 2020 and 2018, respectively. We've heard good things about both, but best of all is that today starting at 11 a.m., the first 500 For the Win customers each get a free smashburger, made with grilled onions, along with pickles and "fry sauce" on a toasted potato bun, a $9 value. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, get there early; locals are rabid about free smashburgers.
Vital Vegas reports this morning that Tony Roma's will close at the Fremont on May 9. It will be the end of an era for this chain in Nevada; the Fremont's is the last location in the state. VV writes, "A new concept will open in the space in September (we’ve heard the footprint will expand to include the now-closed Second Street Grill area)." As of last count, there were 86 Tony Roma's locations worldwide, though only about 11 in the U.S. When this one closes, there will be 10 or less. The chain is entirely franchised.
The press release describes '80s hard-rocker Billy Idol as "headlining a limited run," which we generally label a "mini-residency." Whatever you call it, the 70-year-old Idol will play five “Hot in the City” shows at Fontainebleau, marking his first return to Vegas since 2023. As always, he'll be joined by super-dynamic guitarist Steve Stevens. Dates are August 28 and 29 and September 2, 4, and 5. The presale starts today at 10 a.m. PT (password HOTINTHECITY). The public onsale starts Friday at 10 a.m.
In today’s World Baseball Championship final, the United States is a -250 favorite over Venezuela. The total is 8.5, with over juiced to -150.
The NBA is reported to be taking the next and perhaps final baby step toward identifying two expansion teams next week at the league's Board of Governors meeting. The team owners will vote on initiating the formal expansion process, with a focus on adding teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. After years of hints, mentions, winks, and intimations about an expansion team for Vegas, the meeting could make it official, paving the way for new franchises to begin play as early as the 2028-29 season. That would add an NBA team to the MLB's A's planning to start playing home games in Sin City in 2028. First, of course, a three-fourths majority of governors will need to vote in favor, meaning 23 of the 30 teams would have to approve the expansion plans.
Rod Stewart will perform six additional dates for his "Encore Shows" residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Stewart, who has announced the end of the residency several times, particularly after his 200th show at the Colosseum since 2011, has also unretired and this is the latest in that line, which includes six upcoming shows in May and June. The new dates are August 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, and 29. The pre-sale starts this morning; general-public tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
Will the Las Vegas thermometer hit triple digits this week? Currently, the forecast is for highs of 96 on Wednesday, 99 on Thursday, and 100 on Friday and Saturday. Even the high 90s will shatter all-time records. Let's put it this way: The average high throughout March is in the low 70s, so 96 would be nearly 25 degrees above normal. Also, the earliest 100-degree day of the year for almost 100 years was May 1, 1947, so 100 on Friday would be six weeks earlier than that. An extreme heat watch goes into effect Thursday morning; just a little nudge upwards from the current forecast would hit the century mark. And Friday will be even hotter.
The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden spring display was unveiled on Friday. As always, the good folks at VegasChanges were there to photograph the carousel, Easter eggs, stained glass, birds, boat, ballerina, and flowers galore. You can see the photos here. This display runs through May 16.
Fogo De Chão, the popular Brazilian steakhouse that has been in operation on E. Flamingo since 2011, has opened a second location at the Venetian. From what we hear, it's the same as the original, with a 360-degree open churrasco grill, big salad bar, and Bar Fogo. This gives the Venetian-Palazzo-Grand Canal Shoppes more than 40 eateries within their extensive walls.
Michigan is the favorite to win the NCAA Basketball Championship at +320, followed by Duke (+350) and Arizona (+400). The longshots are Lehigh and Prairie View A&M, both at +600000 (6,000-1). The tournament begins with Tuesday’s two First Four play-in games.
In tonight's Academy Awards, One Battle After Another is the -370 favorite for Best Picture, with Sinners the second favorite at +200. Michael B. Jordan is -165 to win Best Actor for Sinners, and Jessie Buckley is the biggest favorite on the board at -20000 to win Best Actress for Hamnet. Sean Penn is the -650 favorite to win Best Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another and Amy Madigan is -200 to win Best Supporting Actress for Weapons.
The WWE has rescinded its ban on the 50-mile-radius TV blackout it announced about a month ago on Wrestlemania 42 in an effort to stimulate ticket sales. So local bars, sports bars, and sports books can show the matches after all at watch parties around town. Apparently, Circa and others continued to negotiate for the broadcast rights and ultimately cut a deal with the WWE; the news of the ban rescission was confirmed on Friday by Circa, which will show the events on its massive Stadium Swim screen.
On Friday, the Bureau of Reclamations issued one its spring prognosis for Lake Mead and the Colorado River watershed. It's not good. According to projections, the water level of Mead is "likely" to drop to 1,032.76 feet (above sea level), which would be nearly eight feet lower than the record low of around 1,040 feet set in 2022. If that happens, water releases from Lake Powell to Mead could be in jeopardy, unless the feds move water from upstream reservoirs into Powell. Moving water all the way down from Wyoming, primarily Flaming Gorge, would be a critical short-term "drought response operation" to protect Glen Canyon Dam's hydropower generation and is anything but sustainable in the long or even medium term.
Kevin Vellejos is a -550 favorite over Josh Emmett in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Gillian Robertson is -265 over Amanda Lemos.
Resorts World is closing its 29-table poker room on Monday March 30. This marks the second poker room to close this year; Planet Hollywood's closed in January. In addition, Poker Palace, when it reopens as Club Fortune North soon, won't have its namesake game. Eight poker rooms remain on the Strip: Aria, Bellagio, Horseshoe, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Venetian, and Wynn.
For the first time in memory, Reno has supplanted Las Vegas as the number-one-searched destination for Californians looking to relocate to Nevada. A study by Realtor.com found that last year, nearly half (43%) of views of online listings in the Reno area came from Californians, the highest percentage ever, while only 25% of views of Las Vegas area listings came from California users. In fact, Californians made up a larger percentage of potential homebuyers in Reno than locals, who accounted for only 30% of views on Realtor.com. Locals looking for houses to buy in Las Vegas accounted for 38% of views, 12% higher than Californians.
Join Anthony and Andrew for today’s Beer Friday livestream starting at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact online, and have a drink or two with the guys, while they field questions about all things Las Vegas. Join at LVA YouTube live channel.
STRAT is marketing hard with an "All-In Package." It includes the room, Tower admission for two, and a $25 daily dining credit. Rates start at $49 weekdays and $99 weekends and dig this -- there's no resort fee and the rates include taxes. Travel must be completed by October 31 (blackout dates may apply). You can book your rooms here.
We have it on good authority that Siegel's 1941 at El Cortez will close on April 5. It hasn't been announced, but our inside word is that five months of construction will follow, during which time the restaurant's staff will collect unemployment or find other work. The new eatery will reopen as a coffee shop for breakfast and lunch, then morph into a steakhouse later in the afternoon. More details are expected to be confirmed soon.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Tilman Fertitta has been in "exclusive" talks to acquire Caesars Entertainment "for roughly $7 billion." Fertitta's $34 per share was $1 more than investor Carl Icahn had offered; Caesars' shares closed Wednesday at $29.07, up nearly 12% on the news. Currently, according to the WSJ's inside sources, "An announcement isn’t imminent and it is possible the talks won’t result in any deal." But apparently, Caesars is entertaining at least two offers for the company to change hands again.
A mere 45 years after opening at the Fashion Show Mall, Saks Fifth Avenue will close at the end of May. Saks was one of the anchors that opened with the mall in February 1981, but Saks Global is shuttering 13 Fifth Avenues and three Neiman Marcus locations around the country. The Neiman at the Fashion Show will remain open for now, according to a company spokesperson.
The details are a bit sparse and we haven't checked out the practicalities, but M Resort is advertising premium drinks, such as Flecha Azul Reposado tequila, Blanton's single-barrel bourbon, Remy Martin VSOP, Woodford Reserve bourbon, Glenlivet 12 single-malt scotch, and Tito's handmade vodka, for $5 each. The ad says, "All day. Every day. All casino bars" (M Bar, Vue Bar, Knight Time Hockey Bar, and AMP'D). See the M website page here and thanks to Canada Roy for sending it along.