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.
"All In: Vegas Matt" is a six-part docuseries that follows slot mega influencer Vegas Matt around as he lives the livestreamed dream. Matt signed on as an ambassador for FanDuel in 2024 and FanDuel is producing the series. The first episode, "The Rise of Vegas Matt," goes into his background and is available for viewing on YouTube after being released last Thursday. You can also read a review of the episode. And you can see our own YouTube interview with Matt, his son EJ, and his sidekick WBG here.
Sometimes things go right. The phones and Internet are back up at LVA, well ahead of the estimated repair time. Thank you for your patience.
If you're trying to call in or email us today, our phones and Internet aren't working. We've been told that the outage is expected to end around 4 p.m., though you know how those things go. We'll post an update in the space when everything is back to normal.
Guns N' Roses are hitting the road later this month on a world tour, spanning Mexico, South America, and Europe before returning to tour the States. The U.S. dates throughout the summer will be the band's first in three years and they'll be making a stop for one night in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on August 22. From there, it's on to New Zealand and Australia through the end of the year. Tickets are on sale now starting at $59.
Utah-based low-cost-carrier Breeze Airways is now flying nonstop between Reid International and California Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport (ACV), Santa Ana John Wayne Airport (SNA), Provo Municipal Airport (PVU), and Magic Valley Regional Airport (Joslin Field/TWF). Airfares start at $39 one way.
A warming trend in progress could drive the thermometer to 90 degrees or more this weekend. Today's and tomorrow's high of 80 will rise to 85 on Thursday, 88 on Friday, 89 on Saturday, 90 on Sunday, and 92 on Monday (March 16). If those highs don't nudge at all upwards, records won't be broken through Friday; the record high for the 12th, Thursday, is one degree higher and for Friday two degrees. Saturday's 89 would tie the record for March 14, while Sunday's 90 would beat the record by two degrees and Monday by three. Typically, Las Vegas doesn't hit 90 for the first time until April 15 and the record for the earliest 90-degree day was set on March 13, 2007.
Boyd Gaming will open its new Cadence Crossing Casino on Wednesday March 25. It's located at 920 N. Boulder Highway, right next to the existing Jokers Wild, which will be torn down to make way for a hotel. The new casino has 450 slot machines (no table games), two restaurants, a center bar, and a lounge.
As the partial government shutdown continues unabated, the lines at security checkpoints at Reid International and airports around the country stretch for what some observers call "hours." Funding for the Department of Homeland Security was cut off a little less than a month ago and the impact is showing up now bigly. TSA workers will miss their first paycheck this week and increasing numbers of them are taking unscheduled time off. Plan on leaving an extra two hours for domestic flights at the busiest times, mostly 6-10 a.m., to get through security, three hours for international flights.
The Southern Nevada Art Museum opened downtown on Friday at 1029 S. Main St., just north of E. Charleston next to the Arts Factory. The 10,000-square-foot exhibit space features more than 500 pieces from 88 artists dating as far back as the 1400s. According to the press release, the collection was assembled through a nonprofit organization and artwork personally acquired by the executive director/curator. Works include art by Picasso, Dalí, Goya, Rembrandt, Renoir, Ziggy, Michael Godard, Donovan Fitzgerald, Kat Taz, and many more, covering modern, abstract, cubism, and impressionism. The Friday door unlocking was the soft opening; the grand opening will take place sometime in May. Admission is $10 and hours are Sun.-Thurs.10 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri.-Saturday till 6.
The Athletics' owner John Fisher told the Review-Journal, in an article published this morning, "We’re absolutely running on time and on budget,” referring to the stadium build. He added, "I hope it stays that way, because these things are sometimes unpredictable.” Fisher was in town to attend Big League Weekend, with the A's playing the L.A. Angels at Las Vegas Ballpark. Of course, a major construction project is unpredictable, but was he hedging his bet? He also said that the majority of the "final pricing" was completed in January, which ostensibly means that the $2 billion price tag shouldn't change. The last piece of the puzzle is the $1.1 billion that Fisher will be paying out of pocket, unless he can attract additional investors in the team, which so far he hasn't been able to do, at least that's been announced.
When Zero Bond opened in New York in 2020, "it quickly became the city's definitive power room," writes Forbes in a story about the Las Vegas branch of the venue opening on Tuesday night. "No photographers. A members-only door. An eclectic room where the city's most influential voices in entertainment, finance, and tech feel comfortable enough to actually talk to each other." The founder of Zero Bond told Forbes, "The place feels as intimate and design-driven as Zero Bond in New York, while embracing the scale and energy that only Vegas can offer. Vegas is often about spectacle, but the most meaningful moments happen in private." At the invite-only 20-person event last night at the Wynn, the glitterati were out in force: Kevin Costner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom, Ryan Phillippe, Grace Van Patten, Jackson White, Corey Gamble, Jeffrey Beacher, Ashley Benson, Brandon Davis, and Crayton Carrozza. Costner, 71, raised paparazzi eyebrows by staying close to Brooks Nader, 29, model (think Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue) and actress. In case you're interested, Zero Bond charges $1,000-$5,000 in initiation fees (based on age and tier), $2,750 to $4,400+ annually for standard membership, and $50,000 initiation fee and $7,500 annually for a Founding Membership that allows access to both the New York and Las Vegas clubs.
The Savannah Bananas, known as the "Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball," will play three games at Las Vegas Ballpark on April 30 and May 1 and 2. Celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, the barnstorming exhibition baseball team plays a fast-paced entertaining version of the game called "Banana Ball," featuring choreographed dances, backflip catches, and fan-focused antics. The scoring celebrations are epic, the world's tallest hitter stands 10 feet over the plate (on stilts), the umpire twerks and does a robot dance, among others, after every strike three call, hitters are escorted to bat by the likes of the Backstreet Boys, Tony Hawk, Joey Chestnut, Johnny Bench, Eli Manning, and Mickey Mouse. Tickets aren't cheap, starting at $256, and the games last a time-limited two hours (to ensure the fast pace), but it sounds very entertaining.
Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead by one hour for Daylight Savings Time, which began at 2 a.m. this morning. Making the change is especially important if you want to bet today’s early games.
Max Holloway is a -200 favorite over Charles Oliveira in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Caio Borralho is -235 over Reinier de Ridder.
The World Baseball Championship has begun and the United States is the -110 favorite to win the tournament. They're followed by defending champion Japan at +340 and the Dominican Republic at +380. The championship game will be played on March 17.
Another day, another extension of the Metallica residency. After playing coy for almost a year about its shows at Sphere, the heavy-metal band has extended the original eight-show residency three times now, twice in the last two days. Thursday's dates included two weekends next February; yesterday's is four dates a year from this month: March 4, 6, 11, and 13. (Next, we expect tickets to go on sale for shows two years out.)
The median price of existing single-family homes in February was $482,000, down a half-percentage point from February 2024 and a bit below the record high of $489,000 set last November. The median price of condos and townhomes in February was $285,000, down just under 6% year over year. Curiously, prices remain near record levels as inventory continues to rise. At the end of last month, listed single-family homes were up 17% over last year and condos/townhomes were 24% higher. Meanwhile, sales were down. Houses dropped nearly 10% year over year and condos 8%.
And the dates keep coming. Originally announcing eight shows for its Sphere residency on Feb. 25, Metallica quickly added eight more dates on March 3 and even more quickly tacked on six more yesterday. The count is now up to 20 and shows extend out a full year. The new dates are February 4, 6, 18, 20, 25 and 27. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. We're bringing earplugs and aspirin.
David Copperfield has announced the end of his 25-year residency at the MGM Grand. His last performance will be on April 30. The most commercially successful stage magician in history, according to Forbes, isn't exactly retiring. The 69-year-old Copperfield wrote in a social-media post, "I'm excited to announce the largest and most challenging project I've ever tackled." Could it be making the moon disappear, which he announced in 2023 and scheduled for 2024? He claimed he's been working on it for 30 years. We'll see.
Sartiano's Italian Steakhouse, a reportedly popular restaurant on Prince Street in the SoHo district of Lower Manhattan, opened yesterday at the Wynn adjacent to New York-based social club Zero Bond, which is opening next Tuesday. The restaurant looks out over the 18th hole of the Wynn Golf Course and Sphere -- quite the view. According to the Review-Journal's "first look" coverage, the Wynn and Manhattan menus are mostly the same, though the steak program has been expanded for Las Vegas. Amazingly, the Vegas menu with prices is posted: Caesar salad $25, meatball appetizer $28, jumbo prawn cocktail $36, pastas $39-$55, with a tableside fettucine alfredo for $75, seafood salad with caviar $125 ($455 for a large), steaks $87-$235, side dishes $20. Obviously, these minimum $250-per-person dinners are meant for whales on comps. If that's you, we'll join you if you like.
The Eastside Cannery, shuttered since the pandemic, was imploded last night around 2 a.m. You can see a three-minute video of the event here. The tower is dropped in the first 30 seconds, then it's two and a half minutes of dust and wind and rubble. Still, it's always cool to watch a (vacant) building cave in.
North America's largest construction trade show, CONEXPO-CON/AGG, has overtaken the town and continues through Saturday. Held every three years, the trade show is "a global gathering platform for the construction, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete industries." More than 130,000 attendees, including upwards of 2,100 equipment manufacturers, are flooding three million square feet of exhibit and classroom space, mostly at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The average price of a gallon of gasoline in Las Vegas rose 12 cents, more than 3%, from yesterday to today as the effects of the war in Iran start to show up. The national average increased by 12.1 cents per gallon between Monday and Tuesday, the largest single-day increase since 2022 and the fourth-most in a single day in history, according to AAA. A gallon of unleaded now averages $3.84, up 15 cents since a week ago and 32 cents in the last 30 days. The petroleum analyst for GasBuddy told the Review-Journal that a gallon of gas in southern Nevada could increase by up to 60 cents in March, due to the war and the typically seasonal change from winter to summer gas.
A lot of classic rock, oldies, and pop acts will be appearing in Las Vegas in the coming months; here are our favorites: Cheap Trick at the Venetian April 17 and 18; Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight at the Palms April 25; Nora Jones at the Venetian May 9; Pablo Cruise and Pure Prairie League at Westgate June 20; Firefall, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and Orleans at Westgate July 4; and best of all, Pat Benatar and (guitarist husband) Neil Giraldo at the Palms Aug. 21.
Illuminarium, the 360-degree, digital, immersive entertainment venue located at AREA15, will close permanently on Friday. This was announced in a stealth Facebook post on February 13 and posted via a one-line banner on the venue's website (unearthed by Canada Roy). We've reviewed several shows there ("Space," "Lite-Brite," "Amplified") and generally liked them, though the Las Vegas landscape for immersive and digital art is highly changeable. Perception Las Vegas, a standalone building on the North Strip that featured a digital show on Leonardo DaVinci, closed with no fanfare last year. Paradox Museum is being taken over by TJ Maxx. Arcadia Earth, Lighthouse Art Space, Museum Fiasco, immersive Van Gogh, and immersive Disney have all come and gone in the past few years. No doubt the high-rent Illuminarium will be replaced by something even more high-tech.
In case you've never seen it, or want to see it again, or were looking for it on Netflix and couldn't find it, Martin Scorsese's 1995 classic film Casino, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesce, and Sharon Stone, is available for streaming on Netflix again. From what we understand, Casino was taken off Netflix due to the standard cyclical nature of streaming licensing agreements. Netflix's contract with Universal Studios expired, but since the movie is so popular, the streaming service paid to re-license the content, allowing it to return to the library. Casino is always worth seeing again, if only to catch the cameo from our guy Frank Cullotta.
Here's a new one. After announcing an eight-date residency at Sphere last week after a nearly year-long buildup, Metallica posted a note on X yesterday that "due to unbelievable demand (wow, guys!)," six more dates have been added. The other reason it's new is that the presale will open tomorrow at 10 a.m., but the dates haven't been identified. Also, tickets for the first eight dates (October 1, 3, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, and 31) don't go on sale until Friday. Is the band, ticket distributor, and/or Sphere trying some kind of marketing experiment? Who knows? But we've never seen this approach before.
The U.S. commercial (non-tribal) gaming industry hit a record high for gross gaming revenue (GGR) in calendar-year 2025, generating $78.7 billion, a 9.2% increase over 2024's total, according to the American Gaming Association’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. Casino games earned $50.9 billion, up 2.3%, sports betting won a hair under $17 billion on a total handle of $167 billion (a hold of 11%), and igaming hit $10.7 billion, a 22.8% increase year over year. All 38 commercial gaming markets recorded annual revenue increases in 2025. All told, casinos, sports books, and online gambling paid $18.1 billion in taxes. Tribal casinos, meanwhile, generated their own record in GGR, $43.9 billion, for fiscal year 2024 (reported in July 2025), marking a 4.6% increase over the previous fiscal year. This revenue, derived from 532 gaming operations in 29 states, was the fourth consecutive year of record-breaking performance. Gambling in the U.S. is a $125 billion or so industry.
Average Las Vegas temperatures in March start out a bit cool and rise steadily, but not too high. From an average high of 66 degrees on the 1st, temps top out at 74 on the 31st. The lows go from 47 to 52. The record temperatures can, of course, be much more extreme: 92 is the highest (set on the 21st in 2004) and 19 the lowest (set on the 2nd in 1939, brrr). March historically has the second highest rainfall during the year at .59 inches.
Las Vegas Strip gross gaming revenue plunged in January, dropping 11% from $840 million a year ago to $747.6 million last month. Baccarat, as usual, was blamed; revenue from the baccarat tables shed 44% year over year, from $214.3 million a year ago to $118.5 million last month, despite an increase in drop of 14%. It's a difficult comparison, given that the hold went from an unusually high 27% in January 2024 to 13% in January 2025. That said, all other reporting jurisdictions, except one, were also down: Boulder Strip casinos by 7%, downtown 5.1%, and locals casinos 4%. Only North Las Vegas was up, by nearly 5%. Statewide gaming revenue fell 6.5% year over year.
The Review-Journal reports that LPM, the French-Mediterranean restaurant the Cosmopolitan, will close on March 31. Though we love French food and this place looked good, it wasn't on our review radar. It opened in late 2023, a little more than a couple of years ago, and prices were très cher, mon frère: escargot $30, three-course small-bite bar menu $45, brunch $85 per person, (very) small plates $13, and the like. No word on what might replace LPM or when.
A story in USA Today, "Vegas feels busy on weekends, but the midweek slump is real," reports that U.S. carriers "have trimmed schedules as demand has softened." It quotes data from Cirium, a provider of aviation data and analytics, showing that airlines have cut their scheduled seats into Reid International by 7% in the first quarter from a year earlier. Canadian airlines have cut 30% from the available capacity, as our brethren to the north continue to travel everywhere except the States. We agree with the summary of the story: "On Fridays, it still feels like peak Vegas, but by Monday, it's a whole different vibe."
Brandon Moreno is a -200 favorite over Lone’er Kavanagh in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, David Martinez is -290 over Marlon Vera.
One of the event contracts on prediction markets this week was the length of the State of the Union address by President Trump. Traders who bet the over 100 minutes cleaned up when the SOTU speech went a mind-numbing 107 minutes, which topped the previous record of 87 minutes set by Bill Clinton in 2000. Was there insider trading from any number of people who knew the length of the speech before it was given? You make the call.
The Backstreet Boys band has added six more dates to its Sphere residency: August 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22. Since launching the "Into the Millennium" shows, the group has performed to more than 575,000 fans at 35 sold-out dates, with 18 more to go through the summer. Tickets for the new shows are on sale now.
Reid International reported a nearly 8% decline in the passenger count in January from January 2025, down by 350,000 people passing through. The number of domestic travelers, 3.68 million, was down from 3.95 million, a decline of 6.8% from a year ago. The 272,145 international passengers represented a decrease of 19.2% from 336,734 in January 2025. The two major Canadian carriers, Westjet and Air Canada, reported drops of 28% and 34%, respectively, over January 2025.
Yesterday afternoon around 3:15, the official thermometer at Reid Airport hit a high of 81 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. It's the first 80-plus-degree day since November 8 and it comes more than two weeks early; temperatures breaking into the 80s typically don't occur until mid-March. The 81 didn't come near the record of 87 set on Feb. 26, 1986, but the forecast is for warmer through the middle of next week, with highs around 83 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
It's just a rumor at this point, but someone seems to have leaked something to the Financial Times, the British broadsheet that focuses on business and economic news. FT reported yesterday that Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Golden Nugget brand and Houston Rockets and currently ambassador to Italy, "is considering" acquiring Caesars Entertainment. Fertitta, according to the report, is "one of multiple parties expressing takeover interest," including a potential management buyout. If a buyer emerges, it will be the biggest casino deal since the last time Caesars was acquired, in 2020 by Eldorado Resorts. It will also be expensive. Though Caesars cleared $12 billion in revenue last year, the company carries $20 billion in debt.
In this month's YouTube interview, Anthony and Andrew chat with Dave and Marc of GambleSmart.net. Founded by the two in October 2023, Gamble Smart is a YouTube Channel focused on the "everyman" aspect of gambling, providing tools to become smarter with game selection, budget control, and knowing when to walk away -- accurate, truthful, and transparent information for the average gambler. Marc and Dave talk about their frugal, common-sense, fun approach to casinos, ranging from budgets and tipping on comped drinks to repairing slot machines. It's an enjoyable and informative 25 minutes.
Comedian and TV and movie actor Damon Wayons Jr. will perform three shows May 22, 23, and 24 at Wiseguys in Town Square. Also at Wiseguys, Luis Elizondo will appear on June 2; Elizondo is one of the biggest names in UFOs and UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena). American punk rockers Social Distortion will play Cosmopolitan on Sept. 25. And acclaimed American hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age will appear at Allegiant Stadium on September 26.
Qantas Airlines has announced that it will become the first airline to offer non-stop flights between home-country Australia and Las Vegas. Qantas has flown charter flights between the two before, but this will be the first scheduled service. Flights will be seasonal, between December and March, on Boeing 787-9s for 236 passengers -- 42 in business, 28 in premium economy, and 166 in economy. Tickets are on sale now for the inaugural flight on December 29 through March 12 between Kingsford Smith in Sydney and Reid starting at $783 (AU$1,099). These will be epic airplane experiences: just under 14 hours.
Bob Taylor’s Ranch House has been named a recipient of this year's James Beard Foundation "America's Classics" awards. The award recognizes "locally owned restaurants with timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities.” Bob Taylor's joins the Peppermill, which won in 2024. The restaurant opened in 1955, three years before Golden Steer, and is the oldest continuously operating eatery in Las Vegas. You can read all about it in our Question of the Day.
One of the biggest buildups we've seen recently has been for the Metallica residency at Sphere. The rumors started last summer and the band has been "hinting" for at least six months, but the dates have finally been announced. The band was founded in 1981 in the thrash-metal genre, but has mellowed (a bit) over the years, perhaps since it moved to San Francisco. That said, Metallica is widely regarded as the biggest and most successful heavy metal band in the world, maintaining massive popularity for more than four decades. They've sold over 125 million albums worldwide and won 10 Grammy Awards and consistently sell out stadium tours, grossing over $1.4 billion in ticket sales since 1982. The dates for the eight-show (so far) “Life Burns Faster” residency at Sphere are: October 1, 3, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, and 31 and feature "no repeat weekends," in which no songs are repeated in the Thursday and Saturday dates. Tickets go on sale a week from Friday, March 6, at 10 a.m. PT.
EPIC stands for "Elvis Presley in Concert" and this movie looks fantastic. It's not a traditional biopic, but a cinematic experience that combines never-before-seen and restored archival footage of Elvis, primarily from his legendary 1969-1970 Las Vegas residency, along with outtakes from older concerts. Baz Luhrmann, the filmmaker behind the 2022 biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler, discovered some of this long-lost material (including negatives stored in Warner Bros. vaults in Kansas salt mines), while researching his earlier film, and he restored it for this project. It also incorporates candid interview excerpts where Elvis narrates parts of his own story, covering his military service, Hollywood years, and more, making it feel like he's telling his tale directly. But mostly, it showcases Elvis at the peak of his showmanship in those iconic jumpsuits, delivering electrifying performances. It had an exclusive IMAX run starting last Friday and will open in theaters worldwide this Friday. It's 100 minutes long and you can see a fabulous trailer for it here.
Previously an obscure betting event relegated to offshore and for-entertainment-only lines, tonight’s State of the Union address will draw plenty of action due to the expansion of the prediction markets. Both Kalshi and Polymarket have markets on everything from the chances of a person attending to what words Trump will utter. For example, the markets say there’s a 72% chance he’ll say “affordability,” an 83% chance he’ll say “hottest,” and a 93% chance he’ll say “Trump.” A hot prop is the length of the address, which has an 86% chance of going more than 90 minutes. See more of the prediction-market odds here.
VisualCapitalist has posted a chart, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data, showing job growth or decline in all 50 states between December 2024 and December 2025. Nevada ranked at number 47, fourth from the bottom and one of 14 states that sustained job losses during that period. Nevada's employment rate fell by .05%, reflecting the disappearance of a total of 8,600 jobs over the year. Missouri recorded the fastest growth rate at 1.7% (52,200 jobs), while New Hampshire saw the steepest decline at 0.8% (minus 6,000 jobs).
According to several cybersecurity publications, the Wynn has been attacked by a "computer hacking extortion group," which is claiming it stole 800,000 records related to company employees. The cybercriminals are demanding $1.5 million by Monday or they'll release the records, which include employees' names, email addresses, phone numbers, positions, salaries, start dates, birthdays, and other personal information. The company hasn't issued a statement as of this writing, but "there's no indication" that the stolen data involves the personal information of Wynn guests and players.
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will fight a rematch on Sept. 19 at Sphere. Mayweather, now 49, beat Pacquiao, 47, by unanimous decision in May 2015. Mayweather retired in 2017 with a 50-0 record; Pacquiao retired in 2021 (68-8-3). Both have come out of retirement to fight professionally and in exhibitions and in this fight, Pacquiao hopes to add a loss to Mayweather's perfect record. It's not known in what weight class or in how many rounds the fight will be contested. The event will be streamed on Netflix.
The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards return to Las Vegas for the first time since 2022, after three years in Texas, for the May 17 ceremony at the MGM Garden Arena. Associated events, such as the ACM Next Wave: Country's Beach Bash, are scheduled for May 16 at Mandalay Bay Beach. The show will be livestreamed on Prime Video. Tickets are $200 for VIP early access and $150 for general admission and benefit Lifting Lives, the academy’s philanthropic partner that provides financial aid to those in need. They go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
Alinea, one of the most influential and celebrated fine-dining restaurants in the country, will do a "residency" at Bellagio from April 16 to May 31, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Alinea, which debuted in Chicago in May 2005, isn't a restaurant in the traditional; it's "a full sensory journey" of avant-garde, modernist, and molecular gastronomy focusing on multi-course tasting menus "that blur the lines between food, art, and performance." It had three Michelin stars from 2011 until 2024 and has won too many accolades, including a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, to begin to list here. The restaurant is traversing the country on a 20th anniversary tour, following residencies in Brooklyn, Miami Beach, Beverly Hills, and Big Sky, Montana; Las Vegas, specifically the Michael Mina space at Bellagio, is its last stop. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 9 a.m. PT at bellagio.mgmresorts.com/alinea.
The mayor of Hitchcock, Texas, a small town near Galveston, was arrested last week for running an illegal gambling business in the back room of his coin-operated laundromat, Comfort Zone Washateria. After an undercover cop ran $20 through a machine and exchanged a TITO for cash, police returned and seized five gambling machines, "devices that they deemed to be too similar to slot machines," according to a report in GamblingNews. Slots and almost all forms of gambling are illegal in Texas. So is the "washateriaring" of cash.
So much has been happening this year that Anthony and Andrew put out a second monthly update yesterday. They cover the implosion of the 16-story Eastside Cannery hotel tower, the openings of Club Fortune North (the former Poker Palace) and Cadence Crossing, the Super Bowl numbers in Nevada, the 30th anniversary of Wheel of Fortune slots, and the biggest news of all, the $1 bottled beers at Stage Door are no more. Sob! But they're still a good deal, so tune in to find out the latest on that.
If you're flying soon, you'll want to leave a little extra time to pass through security. Due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, the TSA PreCheck program has been suspended. So PreCheck travelers now have to wait in the regular line, which will delay the whole TSA security process.
Canada is a -120 favorite over the United States in today’s Olympic Gold Medal Game. The total is 5.5. The game starts early at 8 a.m. EST.
Anthony Hernandez is a -265 favorite over Sean Strickland in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Geoff Neal is -200 over Uros Medic.
Continuing a wave of recognition, Ada’s, Las Vegas’ most awarded wine-and-food venue, has been recognized by Mashed.com as the Best Wine Bar in Nevada in its national roundup highlighting the top wine bar in every state. The recognition follows Ada’s semifinalist nomination for the 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category. Late last year, Ada’s was also recognized by the World of Fine Wine in London for the second year in a row as having the “Most Original Wine List” worldwide; Ada's also won Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for the past two years. Finally, it was one of the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Top 100 Restaurants of 2025. Ada’s is a wine-centric restaurant from James Beard Finalist chef and local celebrity James Trees, also of Esther's Kitchen, Al Solito Posto, Bar Boheme, Petite Boheme, and High Steaks Vegas fame.
An interesting story on InGame.com, "10 Sports Moments They’d Swear Were Rigged These Days due To Betting," discusses the tendency of "today's jaded sports fans to see corruption in every bad call or play." The 10 events "that would have wrecked" fans include some doozies: the Jets beating the Colts in Super Bowl III, Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, Nick Anderson missing four free throws in a row, Appalachian State besting Michigan in 2007, and number 16 UMBC trouncing number one Virginia in 2018, among some other fine dubious outcomes. It's worth the four-minute read, which you can do here.
The latest social media outrage over a ridiculous expense is a Snickers bar for $13. According to GamblingNews, "A Hollywood television producer known for shows like "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" and the Billboard Music Awards, posted a 31-second TikTok on February 15 while standing in the hotel’s gift shop. In the clip, he holds up a Snickers bar and tells viewers it costs $13." The video initially garnered 15,000 likes, then blew up on X to 1.2 million views. Some commenters noted that it was an imported Cherry Whip Snickers, though others pointed out that it usually costs $3 in the U.S., only $1 more than a standard Snickers. MGM's CEO has been touting the company's "restructuring" of its overpricing for several months, but apparently, someone in the gift shop at MGM Grand didn't get that memo.
ESPN reports this morning that the A's stadium has reached a milestone: The foundation work has been completed and work is moving to the lower suite level and main concourse. The A's vice chairman told the Las Vegas Stadium Authority yesterday that $300 million has been spent on the $2 billion project -- without dipping into the $380 million in public financing. The team starts its second of three seasons in Sacramento in April and will play two pre-season games against the L.A. Angels at Las Vegas Ballpark on March 7-8. The A's will return to play six regular-season games there in June against the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies. The team told the Stadium Authority that work is on schedule to open the stadium by the beginning of the 2028 season.
Las Vegas experienced its first rain of the year on Monday and in three consecutive storms received exactly a half-inch. The precipitation total is still down by a little less than half; typically at this time of the year, with February being the wettest month, the average is .92 of an inch. The Red Rock Canyon loop road is closed this morning due to snow and ice creating hazardous conditions. Cool temperatures will linger today, with a low of 35 degrees and a predicted high of 53, 10 degrees below normal. It starts to warm up tomorrow with a high of 58, then Sunday returns to normal at 67. Next week the highs will all be in the 70s, except for Saturday, which is expected to hit 80.
In the face of some red ink, both in revenue and media coverage, the CEO of Caesars Entertainment dismissed the negativity with the flick of a wrist. “There’s really no crisis happening in Vegas,” Tom Reeg told analysts on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday. "This is normal economic-cycle activity. The city’s and all of our properties are doing quite well.” Caesars' Las Vegas revenue number for the full year 2025 was down 4.7% from 2024.
It's official: For full-year 2025, Las Vegas recorded its worst decline in annual visitation since 2020, the shutdown year, and the most precipitous plunge (excluding 2020) since the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority started tracking these numbers in 1970 -- 55 years. Wow. It was a 7.5% drop from 2024, representing 3.1 million fewer visitors last year. Hotel occupancy fell 3.3% year over year, the average daily room rate dropped 5%, and revenue per available room was down 8.8% Reid International reported a 6% decline in passenger traffic in 2025.
After a completely dry six weeks to start the year, Las Vegas got caught up in a major storm system moving east from southern California. The cold and wet front brought snow down as far as Mountain Pass, prompting the closure of southbound I-15 near Primm for several hours; on Mt. Charleston, enough snow fell that the ski resort up there is already speculating that the season could be extended. Southern Nevada will dry out today, but a second storm will start moving through tomorrow, with rain showers and a rain/snow mix in higher-elevation neighborhoods. The weekend's forecast is dry and sunny with highs in the upper 60s.
A Netflix animated adult-comedy series called "Strip Law" will premiere on Friday night. The description is of an uptight lawyer who teams up with flashy Las Vegas magician "to bring some pizzazz to the city's stupidest cases.” The Review-Journal's TV and movie critic Christopher Lawrence says the show “has slot machines that pay out in painkillers, a gun range where you can blow up cows, and something called 'Circumcisions by Elvis.'” The show's creator told ABA Journal, “It’s how Vegas feels to everyone more than what it’s actually like and satirizes the city’s reputation as the one place where you can do whatever.”
The 57th annual World Series of Poker has released its schedule for the summer extravaganza. The dates are May 26-July 15, with the Main Event July 2-9. There will be 100 live bracelet events of all varieties, though with a focus on mixed-game and mid-stakes tournaments, and the final table for the Main Event will be delayed, though for how long will be announced later (could it be a return of the November Nine?). A free livestream on the WSOP YouTube channel will run through the start of the Main Event, providing much more exposure than usual for the players and games. The WSOP-home Horseshoe is hosting a promotion starting March 1 and running until May 24, in which 25 winners earn a seat in the Main Event and another 200 win entries into the smaller events; players can qualify by logging at least 100 hours in live cash games at the Horseshoe.
The annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series half-marathon and 5K races will take place throughout the weekend, which will lead to road closures downtown and on the Strip. The 5K race starts at 5 p.m. Saturday downtown and the 13-mile half-marathon will begins at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, covering from Sunset Road to downtown and back to Flamingo Road. If you're in the vicinity, be prepared to be rerouted along with a lot of other traffic.
The hard-rock and heavy-metal German band Scorpions is returning to Las Vegas for a third residency at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood. The Scorpions played nine shows, all sold out, in Vegas in 2022, then again with nine sold-out shows in 2023. To celebrate the band's 60th anniversary (founded in Hanover, Germany, in 1965), they'll perform seven shows: Sept. 17, 19, 23, 25, 27, and 29 and Oct. 1 and 3. Tickets go on sale to the public on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT.
The Eastside Cannery, closed since the pandemic, will be imploded in the wee hours of Thursday March 5. The event, the first implosion of a casino since the Tropicana dropped in October 2024, will take place at 2 a.m. It won't be a public event, with no dedicated viewing area. Boyd Gaming is in the process of selling the land to a residential developer.
Remember the fully operational miniature roulette-wheel wristwatch, the Astronomia Casino, we publicized in this space a few years ago? Only $625,000. Well, compared to that, this fully operational slot machine watch, a Girard-Perregaux 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon, is a bargain at $299,000 -- if you could buy it. Problem is, it's sold out. But you can see the sales page here, some great photos here, and a two-minute Vimeo demo here. Not surprisingly, the discovery of this watch, as well as the roulette wheel one, and all the links here are credited with our deepest gratitude to Canada Roy.
The 2026 Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse) will be celebrated around the city starting Tuesday and running through the week. The major event is the 15th Annual Chinese New Year in the Desert, one of the largest Lunar New Year festivals in the U.S., which will take place Thursday through Saturday. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes speed, freedom, and vitality, all traits that will be represented in several parades, the biggest being downtown and in Downtown Summerlin, featuring traditional lion and dragon dances, fan dancers, stilt walkers, and drummers. Many Strip resorts, notably Resorts World, Aria, and the STRAT, will feature dances, special menus, and elaborate installations. Of course, you can't go wrong by celebrating in Chinatown, with its red-lantern decorations, festive displays, lion dances, and cultural performances, centered around the original Chinatown Plaza.
A report yesterday on 8NewsNow provided an update on the long-planned pedestrian bridge over Sahara Avenue and the Strip. Originally proposed in 2021 at a cost of $40 million, the bridge was supposed to break ground in 2024 and be completed two years later -- i.e., now. But at a City Council meeting earlier this month, plans for the bridge were pushed back until 2030 at the earliest. “Like all capital improvement projects, [the bridge project] can move forward only if and when funding is available,” a spokesperson for the city told the 8NewsNow reporter. Obviously, the projected cost has risen from the $40 million, which apparently the city couldn't afford years ago, and now it's anyone's guess "if and when" even more funding might become available.
In yet another new NBA All-Star format, in which three teams are involved, the World is the +160 favorite to win the tournament. USA Stripes, made up of NBA veterans, is +175, and USA Stars, made up of younger stars, is +200. Each game in the round-robin competition will have its own line.
Right on the heels of the WWE's announcement that it will impose a television blackout within 50 miles of Allegiant Stadium, where Wrestlemania 42 takes place April 18-19, ticket sales for the big weekend are lagging significantly behind last year's pace. Reports peg sales down nearly 20% compared to the same time frame for Wrestlemania 41, which also took place at Allegiant. Though a company meeting was held on Wednesday to address the the underwhelming sales, no price reductions are planned, at least so far. The cheapest seats costing $270, along with a second year in a row in Las Vegas, are being blamed for the slowdown. Meanwhile, a number of local bars are "frustrated," according to the reports, about the blackout after planning watch parties and now having to refund tickets.
Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win today’s Daytona 500 auto race at +850, followed by Kyle Busch at +900 and Ryan Blaney and Loey Logano, both at +1000. Two-time defending champion William Byron, going for the first-ever Daytona threepeat, is +1500.
Rental rates continue their slow but steady decline in Las Vegas. According to a report on Zumper, an online rental marketplace that connects renters with houses, condos, and apartments, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city last month was $1,195, down from $1,299 in January 2025, a drop of 8%. Two-bedrooms fell from $1,550 to $1,500 year over year and three-bedrooms dropped from $2,025 to $2,000. Why? A surge in new multifamily apartment construction has significantly increased supply and elevated vacancy rates, outpacing demand and forcing landlords to lower prices, offer concessions, and compete for tenants, resulting in Las Vegas having
one of the fastest rent declines in the country.
Comedy club "Laugh Factory" has launched a new 250-seat comedy club at the Horseshoe. It reopened at the Horseshoe after closing in October 2024 at the Tropicana. It takes over the upstairs Imagine Showroom, while Frederick da Silva's paranormal show will continue there in its 4 p.m. time slot.
Southwest Airlines will launch direct daily service between Reid International and Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica, beginning October 1. It will be the first-ever nonstop flight between the two destinations and Southwest's first-ever international redeye flight. Outbound from Vegas, the flights will leave late at night, arriving in San José early the next morning after approximately seven hours in the air. Return service from Costa Rica will depart around midday, allowing same-day onward connections within the United States.
Join Anthony and Andrew for the 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.
Circus Circus has opened a bingo hall, bringing the game back to the Strip for the first time since the Riviera's room closed in 2015 (the second-to-last bingo hall closed at the Frontier in 2007). Circus' room can accommodate 255 players per session and there are five sessions, starting at 3 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. In addition, coin-operated slots have been added to the slot floor, joining Slots A Fun as the only casinos on the Strip to offer the vintage games.
Our newest release, All About Sports Betting by Blair Rodman, is back from the printer and shipping. If you purchased prior to publication, your book has been shipped; new buyers will get immediate delivery. Our pre-pub offer of a 25% discount and free shipping extends through this weekend. AASB is one of the most comprehensive books on sports betting ever written, ranging from how to read the lines and make a bet to a 97-page “book-within-a-book” on sports betting strategy, including substantial contributions from Anthony Curtis and noted sports betting expert Frank B. Order here or from Amazon.
"Because Saturdays are for dancing." So begins the announcement from Spiegelworld about Club Honey, "a Saturday‑night-only situation where the music hits and the crowd actually dances." Starting at 9 p.m. in the Glitterloft, the space that formerly housed DiscoShow at the Linq, Club Honey provides the opportunity to "dance to the music you love until you can’t anymore and when you need a break, grab a drink, find a couch, and have a lounge." This refers to the comfy sofas outside Glitter Loft, the 99 Prince Bar, and Diner Ross in case an appetite has been worked up -- an all-in-one night out. And it's free, but you need to get on the guest list, which you can do here.
The global dance music festival company Insomniac has unveiled its lineup for the milestone 30th anniversary of Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas. Returning to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway May 15-17, the festival will welcome more than 500,000 attendees for three days and nights of music, art, and community. On the multiple stages, the following acts will perform: Kaskade, John Summit, GRiZ b2b Wooli, Martin Garrix, Underworld, San Holo, Seven Lions, San Pacho, MPH, Interplanetary Criminal, MALUGI, Snow Strippers, The Prodigy, Hannah Laing, Chris Stussy, Tiësto, Levity, Lilly Palmer, Beltran, Nico Moreno, KETTAMA, Time Warp, Factory 93 Experience, Joseph Capriati, Eli Brown, Indira Paganotto, Klangkuenstler, Prospa, Peggy Gou, ATLiens, GHENGAR, HOL!, AHEE b2b Liquid Stranger, INFEKT b2b Samplifire, Holy Priest, Restricted, Sub Zero Project, Lil Texas, Kuko b2b Johannes Schuster, GRAVEDGR, Noizu, OMNOM, Wax Motif, BOLO, Luuk van Dijk, Luke Dean, Josh Baker, Gareth Emery, Paul Van Dyk, Darude, Ilan Bluestone, Paul Oakenfold, Tinlicker, Eli & Fur, DJ Tennis b2b Red Axes, MCR-T, Paramida, SALUTE b2b Chloé Caillet, BAUGRUPPE90, Heidi Lawden b2b Masha Mar, and HAAi b2b Luke Alessi. More will be announced as the festival comes closer. All tickets are currently sold-out. To join the waitlist for three-day GA, GA+, and VIP tickets, visit the EDC Las Vegas 2026 website.
As it's been doing since 2013, the downtown Denny's at Neonopolis is marrying couples at its only wedding chapel in the country. But on Valentine's Day, two people with a marriage license can get married there for free, saving the usual $199 ceremony fee. The catch: Parties must sign the company's "toast-nuptial agreement," vowing to stay together through the next morning. The one-day promotion is available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with a reservation made on Denny's website. Newlyweds will receive an “Over-Easy Overnight” kit that includes branded “Slammy” pajamas, eye masks, and pillowcases for the morning after; couples who remain together until noon on Sunday, then post a “Just Married” photo on Instagram, Facebook, or X tagging @DennysDiner and using the hashtag #DennysToastNup by 1:59 p.m. PT will receive a $100 Denny’s gift card as a “breakfast-in-bed” reward.
The CEO of Truckee Gaming told the Nevada Gaming Control Board yesterday that the former Poker Palace, which the company bought in October, will reopen no later than mid-April. It will be renamed Club Fortune North, to brand it with Club Fortune (South), a Truckee Gaming property in Henderson. “If Circus Circus and Excalibur had a baby, that was Poker Palace,” said Truckee Gaming's Ferenc Szony. He elaborated that Poker Palace received a "total gut job" and is being rebuilt from the floor up. The Control Board forwarded its recommendation to the Gaming Commission that the company receive its gaming license for the North Las Vegas property, along with approval for a Boomer's sports book to accompany the reopening; Boomer's will also have a race book, but unlike Poker Palace, no table games.
A post on X from Derek Stevens takes us into the beer walk-in refrigerator at Circa. From the looks of it, it's bigger than our the entire downstairs of our office. Derek tells us that for the Super Bowl, Circa, the D, and the Golden Gate have nine parties running simultaneously. He also learns from the reefer crew that they have at least 1,000 kegs of beer and hundreds of pallets of bottled brew to go around. He's told, "There's a zero percent chance that they'll run out of beer." Derek says, "That's the lock of the day." It's worth 30 seconds to click here and take the behind-the-scenes tour -- if only to see Stevens in his hot-pink suit.
Due to "overwhelming demand," the Eagles' long-running residency at Sphere has been extended by two more shows, on Friday April 10 and Saturday April 11. This is the 10th time the band has added dates to the residency that began all the way back in September 2024 and they'll be the 57th and 58th shows, by far the longest-running stint of any act since Sphere opened. The general on-sale for the two new dates begins on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
Realtor.com reports that wealthy Californians are moving to southern Nevada in droves to escape onerous taxes and capitalize on the disparity in housing prices. In January, Realtor's analysis showed that 23% of listing views for Las Vegas properties came from Los Angeles, with another 8% from San Jose and 4% from Riverside. Meanwhile, the median price for a single-family house in L.A. is $1.03 million and San Jose $1.12 million compared to $465,000 in southern Nevada. In addition, California has proposed a one-time 5% tax on anyone with a net worth of $1 billion or more (estimated to be 200 people), while Nevada has no state income tax at all. It's been basically the same story for many years: Nevada welcomes high-net-worth refugees from California and there are plenty of mansions to go around.
The Four Seasons has been named the number-one Best Hotel in Las Vegas and in Nevada in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Hotels Rankings. U.S. News cited "the city's only non-gaming non-smoking luxury resort" in ranking Four Seasons the best hotel, "offering a refined alternative to the energy of the Strip. With its signature On The Strip, Off the Grid ethos, the hotel delivers a sense of calm and escape, while remaining seamlessly connected to Las Vegas’ most iconic entertainment, dining, and sporting destinations." The Four Seasons PR department couldn't have written it any better and maybe they did, considering that Four Seasons Hualalai and Four Seasons Lanai were the number-one and -two hotels in the nation, while the Las Vegas location ranked #23.
The total sports betting handles for 2025, ranked by states, have been calculated (by Chris Altruda, long-time gambling-revenue reporter). Nevada placed eighth at $8.07 billion, barely a third of the handle of first-place New York at $26.3 billion and half of Illinois at number two and $15.7 billion. New Jersey came in third ($12.2 billion), Ohio fourth ($10.3 billion), and Pennsylvania fifth ($8.9 billion). Even Massachusetts ($8.5 billion) and Arizona ($8.3 billion) bested Nevada. Of note is that all seven states with higher handles than Nevada's allow unfettered remote sports betting via mobile app, unlike Nevada's hybrid model -- mobile betting is available, but only after first appearing in person at a sports book location or partnered casino to complete account registration, ID verification, and often initial funding/deposit.
Last Thursday a slot player from New York was at the Venetian was playing Three Card Poker and was dealt a spade royal flush, activating the mega tier of the resort’s Millionaire Progressive. By making the $5 side bet, the player won $1,661,451. The Millionaire Progressive is available on multiple table games throughout the Venetian and the Palazzo casino floors, including Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, and Mississippi Stud. The New Yorker is the 17th millionaire since the progressive was introduced in 2018.
According to VisualCapitalist, Nevada's population growth between April 2020 to July 2025 ranked 10th in the nation, growing by 5.7% with 176,595 new residents. Idaho placed first at 10.4% and 190,610, followed by Florida (8.9%/1,924,311) and South Carolina (8.8%/452,024). Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee rounded out the South's representation in the top 10, with Utah and Arizona in the west and Delaware the anomaly in the northeast. West Virginia lost the most residents percentage-wise (-1.5%), with New York and California losing the most residents in total (both more than 200,000). Nationwide, the population grew by 3.1% or nearly 10.3 million in the half-decade.
Various media outlets report this morning that the WWE will impose a television blackout within 50 miles of Allegiant Stadium, where Wrestlemania 42 takes place April 18-19. That means local bars, sports bars, and sports books won't be showing the matches, even if they pay a licensing fee. The only option now is to buy tickets to see the event live; one-day entry generally ranges from $271 to $322 for the worst seats in the house, two-day $652–$738. But you won't believe how high tickets go from there. Premium seats are running $9,000 and the most expensive we found are $92,000 for top-tier, front-row, VIP experience packages.
Government Wash is a once-popular and previously unmanaged recreational shore area on the northwestern edge of Lake Mead near where the lake’s water level has receded, exposing more shoreline and opportunities for water access. It historically served as a site for camping, fishing, beach access, and boating. But the National Park Service closed the area in July 2024 to clean it up after years of trash build up, long-term encampments, and off-roading vehicles damaged the land. In the restoration process, crews cleared more than six tons of litter, repaired areas affected by erosion and compaction, defined 51 campsites, and improved infrastructure and access roads that now allow small-boat access to the lake. Hosts oversee the campground, which, even after all that work, remains free. To get there, take Lakeshore Road (NV 167) a mile or so past the junction with E. Lake Mead Blvd., then turn right at the Government Wash sign.
The Seattle Seahawks are -4.5 favorites over the New England Patriots in tonight's Super Bowl. The total is 45.5.
Get your phones ready to time the singing of the Super Bowl's National Anthem. The over/under on how long it will take Charlie Puth to sing it is 1:56. Last year’s time was 2:00, making it 9 of the last 13 years going 2 minutes or more. This bet isn’t offered in any U.S. sports books that we know of, due to legal restrictions, but it's fun to track to start the game.
This month's Update ranges far and wide, starting out with First Friday in the Arts District, then seguing decisively to the latest about the A's stadium and the Bally's announced megaresort. From there, Anthony and Andrew discuss Ellis Island's new rooftop casino (complete with photos), the Super Bowl YouTube show with Frank B and Fezzik, Canadian dollars at par downtown, our Plaza video poker coupon, and the "most luxurious" hotels in Las Vegas (which you won't believe even after you hear them). The bad news is the 100% increase in price for bottled beer at the Stage Door, but everything's relative. Click and spend a few minutes with the guys.
The American Gaming Association has projected a record $1.76 billion in legal wagers on the Big Game today. This represents a nearly 27% increase from last year's estimate and doesn't include prediction market action, which could double the handle. A second source posted a similar estimate; the Sports Betting Alliance (via Legal Sports Report) forecasted around $1.71 billion in legal handle.
The other beer bottle has finally dropped at the Stage Door. After decades of holding the line on its $1 beer in the bottle, the price has been raised. We haven’t confirmed, but we’re told by a reliable source that the lowest price is now $2 for a bottle of Heineken or Dos Equis. Testament to how good the dollar deal was, after a 100% price increase, this is still the best price we know of for beer in the bottle anywhere near the Strip.
Super Bowl viewing parties of varying extravagance will be taking place all over town. Parties with free admission that will be held in big showrooms or ballrooms twill be at Westgate, Rio, and South Point. Absent a defined plan, you can’t go wrong hanging out in any sports book or sports bar.
In its fourth-quarter earnings call yesterday, Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith told investors that the company's new casino on Boulder Highway next to Jokers Wild will open in late March, at least three months earlier than originally announced. The non-hotel casino will boast a 10,000 square feet with 450 slot machines and no table games. After it opens, Boyd will raze Jokers Wild and, as previously announced, start considering adding hotel rooms to Cadence.
The median price of a single-family house in Las Vegas was flat in January compared to December at $470,000, but fell 3.1% from January 2025's price. The median price of condominiums and townhomes also declined year over year, down 3.2% to $283,750. The volume of unsold houses continues to increase, up nearly 20% for houses and 25% for condos over January 2025, a five-month inventory. It's definitely a buyers market out there.
It’s the Big Game this Sunday so hit the nearest sports book or local bar where the game will surely be on. Or go to one of the free parties at Rio, Westgate, or South Point.
The Golden Steer has opened its second-ever location in New York. The new restaurant is in the iconic One Fifth Avenue building (1926) that overlooks Greenwich Village's Washington Square in lower Manhattan. The restaurant is co-owned by husband-and-wife team Nick McMillan and Amanda Signorelli; the couple took over operations of the original Golden Steer in 2019, continuing the family legacy passed down from Signorelli’s father Michael, who acquired it in 2001. The menu largely follows the Vegas location and more are on the way; Signorelli told Nation's Restaurant News that additional restaurants will open in the U.S. over the next few years.
Seventeen WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth has bought one of Elaine Wynn's condos in Las Vegas, according to the Review-Journal. The nearly 5,000-square-foot property, with four bedrooms and five bathrooms, is located in Park Towers near the corner of Paradise and East Flamingo. It was on the market for six months at an asking price of $2.95 million and Hellmuth paid $2.8 million, a 5% discount. He and his wife moved into the condo in December. Elaine Wynn's other condo sold for $8.25 million in August.
Barry Manilow recently underwent surgery for stage-one lung cancer. The operation was successful and the Grammy Award winner said, "I’m doing great and recovering very well." But he needs a little more time to recuperate before launching a tour at the end of the month, so he canceled his Feb. 12-21 appearances at Westgate. No replacement dates have been announced; tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase. Manilow returns to the Westgate on March 26, 27, and 28 as part of his national tour.
A story in the Review-Journal reports that the New England Patriots opened as an 80-1 longshot to win the Super Bowl at the Westgate Super Book, while the Seattle Seahawks opened at 75-1 at Circa Sports. One extremely farsighted gambler bet $100 on an exacta (the top two finishers), in which the Patriots beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl at -- are you sitting down? -- 3,100 odds on August 25 at Circa. If the Patriots prevail, this bettor, sweating his exacta throughout the entire season, will win $310,000 on their $100 investment. Circa Sports indicated that if it wins, it will be the longest longshot ever to cash at the sports book.
On the heels of Five Guys' opening a large branch at the Grand Canal Shoppes, complete with a full bar, the burger chain will open another casino outlet at the Plaza this summer. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the 2,200-square-foot restaurant will seat 60 with an outdoor patio and will be Five Guys' 12th location in Nevada.
We're a little behind the curve on this one, but Infinity Museum opened in the Boulevard Mall on S. Maryland Parkway in late August. Even if you enjoy digital immersive attractions, this one looks unlike anything you’ve seen before, with the world’s largest walk-in kaleidoscope and dodecahedron infinity rooms. The website claims, perhaps without too much hyperbole, that "every selfie is a masterpiece." Infinity Museum is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and tickets cost $30 for adults, $20 for children. Get a gander of some of the attractions at the website.
It's all over but the shouting: Klint Kubiak, the Super Bowl-bound offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, will be named the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the Big Game. Kubiak, 38, is the son of former NFL coach Gary Kubiak and played safety for Colorado State. He's been a coach with the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and New Orleans Saints, but this will be his first stint as a head coach.
Calling him "the last of a dying breed in Las Vegas: the independent casino mogul," Forbes.com posted a profile of Derek Stevens in its "Daily Cover" feature. The high concept: Stevens and his younger brother Greg "took a big gamble on remaking downtown Las Vegas. They now have a portfolio of properties worth more than $1 billion." It's worth a read if you have a spare 10 minutes.
The big national entertainment news so far this week is that Sylvester Stallone's production company is adapting the book Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker into a television series. The screen treatment of Doug Swanson's book has long been rumored and it now looks official. Cole Hauser, known for his rugged roles, particularly as the fiercely loyal Rip Wheeler in the hit Paramount series "Yellowstone," will star as a young Binion, as he "helps shape modern day Vegas, for better or worse." Deadline wrote, "The upcoming portrayal of Binion will capture his unapologetically bold style, from violently outsmarting rivals to building a family empire and bending the law to his will." No timetable has been released thus far.
Last month came in as the fifth-warmest January in Las Vegas in 89 years, since temperature records began to be kept in 1937. The average temperature was 52.1 degrees, 2.6 degrees warmer than normal. Precipitation totaled only 0.14 of an inch, .42 of an inch below the long-term average. As for February, the normal range of high and low temperatures provides for comfortable outdoor experiences, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s; the averages are 63 and 41 degrees. The record highs and lows, however, can veer wildly in either direction. The record high for the month is a sweltering (for February) 87, set on the 26th in 1986, while the record low is a chilling (even for February) 16, reached on the 7th (1989). February typically sees the most precipitation of any month of the year, .7 of an inch.
Talk about a big move. AREA15 has announced that it will add nine eateries to its roster of a dozen or so, all in the second quarter of this year. The new places will be Alien Pizza Party, The Bowl (with high-tech robots preparing the food), Chilangos Tacos, Cosmic Pretzel, Fuku (from Momofuku's David Chang), Good Company Burgers, Museum of Ice Cream, Nacho Daddy, and Saint Honoré Doughnuts & Beignets.
The Westgate will host the Las Vegas premiere of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, the new film from Oscar-nominated director Baz Luhrmann. The screening will take place on Tuesday February 10 at 7 p.m. in the International Theater, the very stage where Elvis made entertainment history by selling out 636 performances. And though the showing is sold out, this premiere gives us a chance to report that the film will hit IMAX theaters on Feb. 20 and regular theaters on Feb. 27.
An excellent animated YouTube video tells the 26-minute story of how Tommy Glen Carmichael, a locksmith and TV repairman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, turned himself into the most successful slot machine cheater in history. For 16 years, he engineered a series of homemade devices so powerful they fooled casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, and cruise ships, earning him more than $16 million — before the FBI finally caught up. It was the longest running (known) casino heist ever. After his arrest, Tommy became a paid consultant, hired by the casinos he once robbed, to help them stop cheaters like him. The documentary breaks down the entire timeline: Tommy's introduction to the cheating world, his invention of the devices, his methods and evasion tactics, the FBI operation, and the final deal that changed the casino industry forever. We highly recommend this well-done video, total edge-of-the-seat stuff. (And thanks once again to Canada Roy for finding and sharing it.)
Scotty's Castle in Death Valley National Park closed in October 2015 following a massive flash flood that severely damaged the infrastructure and roads. Then in 2021, the visitor center caught fire. Earlier this month, the famous castle in the middle of nowhere reopened on a limited basis for "flood-recovery tours" on select Sundays between Jan. 4 to March 29 for $35 per person. But in a sign of how high interest remains in Scotty's, all the $35 flood-recovery tours are sold out. No word on when or whether more will be added, but we expect they will be; all the proceeds are going toward completing the restoration, which will cost around $90 million and take several more years to complete.
Carlos Alcaraz is a -310 favorite over Novak Djokovic in today’s Australian Open men's tennis final. Djokovic is seeking his 11th Australian Open title and a 25th major win. Alcaraz is going for his first Australian Open title, which would give him the career Grand Slam, winning all four majors, and his seventh major title overall. Note, this line was posted with the match in progress.
Alexander Volkanovski is a -145 favorite over Diego Lopes in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Benoit Saint-Denis is -435 over Dan Hooker.
Reid International handled 54.98 million passengers in 2025. The total was down 6% from 2024's, but was still the third-most passengers in a year in Reid's history. The decline was partially attributed to a steep dropoff of passengers in December: 22% fewer international arrivals and departures and 10.3% domestic for the month. For the year, the domestic passenger count fell 5.9% and international was down 7.4%. The airport's connection to more than 170 markets remained consistent last year.
Aryna Sabalenka is a -150 favorite over Elena Rybakina in tomorrow’s Australian Open women's tennis final. Sabalenka is seeking her firth Grand Slam title, Rybakina is going after her second. The match starts early at 3:30 am EST.
Skyscanner is an independent and free travel search engine that compares millions of flights, hotels, and car-rental deals to help users find the cheapest, fastest, or greenest travel options. It conducts an annual survey of the "cheapest destinations for Americans in 2026."
It looked at destinations with economy round-trip flights booked on Skyscanner between January 1 and October 31 of last year for travel between in 2026. Then, with OnePoll, an international market research company, Skyscanner surveyed 2,000 travelers in November 2025. They found that the cheapest day to fly this year is Wednesday and five of the top 10 cheapest destinations are in the U.S. Las Vegas ranked number one, due to being "one of the most competitive flight markets in the U.S., with high airline capacity, frequent routes, and strong demand year round that keeps flight prices relatively low." Skyscanner also cited major attractions and day trips. We say Sin City can be a bargain destination -- if you know what you're doing, but most people don't. Here are the other nine destinations in order: San Salvador, El Salvador; Miami, Florida; Kahului, Hawaii; Orlando, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Mexico City, Mexico; Cancún, Mexico; and Milan, Italy.
"Out of Bounds: The Sports Betting Boom" is a new series from VICE TV that takes an inside look at the systems, scandals, and psychology behind modern sports. The documentary premiered on VICE TV Thursday and began airing on the VICE Sports YouTube channel last night. You can see a long excerpt here.
The 33rd annual Casino Chip and Collectibles Show will take place on June 18-20 at South Point, its home for the past many years. The show is open to the public all three days, with a $10 admission on Thursday, $5 on Friday, and free on Saturday. More than 30 dealers of casino memorabilia from all over the world will fill the second-floor South Point ballroom, selling and trading gaming chips, slot tokens, playing cards, dice, matchbooks, ashtrays, advertising materials, antique gaming devices, swizzle sticks, post cards, and much more. We attended last year's confab and you read our report and see photos here.
Singer-songwriter Paul Anka will make an appearance for one night at the Pearl at the Palms on May 16. Anka, 84, has been a star for just shy of 70 years, singing his first number-one song, "Diana," at age 15. He wrote the song “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” for Buddy Holly in 1958 and "My Way," Sinatra's signature song, in 1969. He also composed the Academy Award-nominated theme for The Longest Day and wrote the theme for the “Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Anka collaborated with Céline Dion, Tom Jones, Drake, Justin Timberlake, Michael Bublé, and perhaps most notably Michael Jackson, with whom he co-wrote three songs, all of which reached number one worldwide. Tickets for the show start at $65 and are on sale now.
Gross gaming revenue on the Strip dropped 6% in December, ending the year on a decidedly down note. This was especially true by comparison with almost every other reporting jurisdiction in Nevada. The Strip won $827.7 million last month, down from $881.2 million in December 2024. Strip slot revenue fell 6.9% from $495.4 million to $461.2 million; the drop was up 1.5%, but the hold was down year over year. Likewise, baccarat revenue fell to $156.4 million from $197.2 million in December 2024, a decline of 20.7%; drop was up 1.4%, but the hold fell to 16.3%, down from 20.8% in December 2024. Due to the Strip dump, the statewide win declined 1.5%. But downtown (4.6%), locals casinos (5.8%), Boulder Strip (9%), North Las Vegas (5.3%), Laughlin (9.8%), and Mesquite (11.1%) GGR all increased.
The Westgate will unveil its big Super Bowl proposition-bet menu tonight at 7 p.m. It's an event, with the big odds board in the SuperBook going dark, then lighting up all at once with hundreds of props. The prop release usually takes place on the Thursday one week removed from the game, but it's taking place a day early, probably in response to other books having already put up their numbers online. Regardless, it's cool to see and there'll be several sports betting luminaries there at the opening.
VisualCapitalist ranked the 50 states on a health scale by measuring 99 indicators, such as economic hardship, smoking rates, and mortality data. Overall values were measured in z-scores, with a score of 0 representing the national average. Nevada placed 42nd on the list with a score of -0.39, between New Mexico (-0.37) and Kentucky (-0.50). Louisiana (-0.94), Arkansas (-0.83), Mississippi (-0.77), and Alabama (-0.75) were lowest. The top four healthiest states were found to be in New England: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut, all with scores between .99 and .68, with Utah (.64) rounding out the top five.
The fourth-annual Siegel's Bagelmania World Bagel Eating Championship takes place at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Bagelmania at 252 Convention Center Drive. The public is invited and the event is free, but parking is limited in the area, so it's best to arrive early. The contest is all-you-can-eat bagels and cream cheese in eight minutes. Champion eater Joey Chestnut will be defending his crown; he won in 2024 and 2023 by downing 15 whole bagels. Geoffrey Esper took first place in the inaugural year, 2023, setting the record at 17.75 bagels. Chestnut told News3LV, "People coming out to these events expect me to do well, so I have to put in the work and make sure I go in hungry." The winners will share the $10,000 prize pool.
This isn't exactly Vegas news, but it caught our attention. Nathan's Famous, the hot dog company that started with a stand on Coney Island in 1916, has been bought by the giant packaged-meat company Smithfield Foods, which owns numerous brands, including Armor and Farmer John's. Smithfield paid $450 million in cash. Why we noticed this is because Nathan's has long been featured in our own Top 10 at the Downtown Grand, where $3 buys you a 12-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and America's iconic frankfurter, along with a bun, onions, sauerkraut, mustard, even (shudder) ketchup if you wish (a propitious assist on that from Canada Roy). Smithfield owned the right to produce and sell Nathan's products in the U.S. and Canada and at Sam's Clubs in Mexico; with the cash purchase, the company now owns Nathan's outright.
As of yesterday, nearly 200 flights were canceled at Reid International and there were 200 delays. According to the airport, those account for around 9% of departures and 11% of arrivals, caused by the massive storm from New Mexico to New York. Local broadcast media interviewed Vegas visitors stranded by the airport slowdown -- and they weren't complaining about highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s, compared to sub-zero temperatures in some places and sheets of ice for roadways and driveways. Highs today will be the same, with a warming trend arriving: Wednesday 63, Thursday 66, Friday 68, and 70 this weekend. The beginning of February will feel more like March.
PokerNews reports that the Planet Hollywood poker room will close "at the end of the month." The 23-table room didn't reopen after the pandemic until last year's World Series of Poker, but it was somewhat out of the way, located on the second floor above the casino, and never really caught on with players. The reduction in visitation didn't help, nor did nearby competition from Aria, Bellagio, and MGM Grand. But the PH poker room lasted barely nine months before closing again, this time, perhaps, for the last time.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas is welcoming the newest Vegas Loop station. The resort announced that the new station, located on level V-1 at the south valet, is now open. Riders will be able to use the station to travel to all Las Vegas Convention Center terminals, plus select resorts, by entering the Riviera Loop station at the West Hall. All trips to and from Fontainebleau will be introduced as complimentary for guests, according to the resort. Vegas Loop stations are also open at Encore, Westgate and Resorts World. The system also offers surface trips to Harry Reid International Airport on a limited basis.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bally’s most recent permit applications for its mixed-use development surrounding the A's stadium on the old Tropicana site indicate a total budget of $1.19 billion and a final completion date of December 2030. For the four-phase construction plan, Bally's will file 13 construction permits in all, with the hotel and casino the last structures planned to be built in 2029 and 2030.
Las Vegas has been named the host city for the 2027 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship game on January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium. This marks the first time Nevada will host the championship game, following the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's approval of spending up to $40 million on the event. Las Vegas will be the 11th different city to host a CFP title game and the third in the Pacific time zone. The $40 million ponied up by the LVCVA is part of a bid to get the game; the LVCVA will help organize the event by covering such expenses as game management, marketing, advertising, security, and team practice facilities.
The Seattle Seahawks opened as -4.5 favorites over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. The opening total was 46.5.
In today's NFC Championship, the Seattle Seahawks are -2.5 favorites over the Los Angeles Rams. The total is 46.
In today's AFC Championship, the New England Patriots are -3.5 favorites over the Denver Broncos. The total is 43.
The winner of the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot that hit on Christmas Eve has shown up to claim the prize. The winner in Arkansas took the cashout of $834.9 million and will walk away with just under $495 million after taxes; Arkansas takes 3.9% on lottery winnings or $19.8 million. Arkansas also allows jackpot winners to remain anonymous, but that lasts only three years; then the name is released. The only thing that's known is the winner "took the time to seek legal counsel and financial advice first," as announced by the Arkansas Lottery.
Paddy Pimblett is a -245 favorite over Justin Gaethje in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Sean O'Malley is -210 over Song Yadong.
Yelp’s 13th annual list of the top-100 U.S. restaurants has been released and Las Vegas holds four spots. Rock N’ Potato in the Showcase Mall on the Strip, which serves a variety of baked potatoes and toppings, including the standout lobster mac n’ cheese, placed at number 23, highest on the list for a Las Vegas eatery. Lucky Noodle Taiwanese restaurant was ranked number 26, Ton Shou Katsu & Izakaya at number 31, and Rutba Indian Kitchen came in at number 34.
It's no secret that Canadians are staying away from the U.S. -- and by extension Las Vegas -- in droves. This is due in part to politics, but also to the exchange rate of the Canadian to U.S. dollar, hovering around $1.40 currently (the record is $1.62 set in 2002). In an attempt to lure Canadians to downtown Las Vegas, Circa, the D, and Golden Gate are offering an exchange rate of par, one loonie to one greenback, from now until August 31. Canadian guests staying at any of the three hotel-casinos receive the at-par rate at check-in and at select bars; they can also take advantage of at par for CAD$500 in slot promotional play (check the details at the players club booth). Canadian citizenship must be verified with a valid passport or government-issued ID. This promotion isn't new; for many years, the Cal-Neva in Reno did the same and from time to time, it surfaced for a little while in Vegas. But this is the first time in many years.
Country star Kenny Chesney has added six dates to his Sphere residency. After playing 15 sold-out shows at the arena last summer, Chesney initially announced five dates this June (19, 20, 24, 26, and 27), but due to popular demand will now play a total of 11 shows, with six more dates added in July (1, 3, 4, 8, 10, and 11). The presale opened yesterday; general public tickets go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
While the number of passengers handled by Reid International in 2025 fell several percentage points from 2025, Reno-Tahoe International continued its upward trajectory in passenger counts for the year; in fact, Reno-Tahoe saw the most passengers in nearly two decades: 4.9 million. It was the fifth straight annual increase and the highest number of passengers since 2007, when it was an even five million. From a low of two million in the pandemic year of 2020, passenger counts rose to 3.6 million in 2021, 4.3 million/2022, 4.6 million/2023, and 4.8 million/2024. The rising numbers reflect the steady growth in air service, with 85,000 more seats (+3%) in 2025 than 2024. The airport projects another 4% increase this year, with passenger counts surpassing five million.
The 2026 Member Rewards Books are in. We're distributing them now at our office and loading envelopes for mailing.
Deadline.com reports that a new film about Vegas is in production. Vegas: A Love Story "unfolds beneath the glow of the Las Vegas Strip, where a gifted graphic designer hustling for work falls into a passionate unexpected romance with a welder and single father struggling to rebuild his life. As the designer hides that she’s living out of her car, the welder's wary in-laws step in to protect their grandson. The return of the designer's charming but self-destructive ex threatens to unravel everything." Directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger, 99 Homes, Chop Shop), Vegas: A Love Story stars Maika Monroe (Longlegs), Brandon Sklenar (The Housemaid), Paul Dano (The Batman, War and Peace), Michael Shannon (Nuremberg), and Judy Greer (Ant-Man) and sounds to us like it will explore the seamier sides of Vegas and love stories.
Nine Las Vegas chefs, two outstanding beverage professionals, two bars, and one restaurant were announced on Wednesday as semi-finalist nominations for the 2026 James Beard Awards. That compares to last year's four chefs and one beverage professional; three made it to the finals, but none won the award. This year's semi-finalists are for Best Chef Southwest: Oulay Ceesay Fisher, Calabash African Kitchen; Brian Howard, Sparrow + Wolf; Yuri Szarzewski, Partage; Sarah Thompson, Casa Playa (Encore); Jamie Tran, Black Sheep; and James Trees, Bar Boheme; Best Emerging Chef: Ellie Parker, Main St. Provisions; Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Kimberly Mcintosh, Milkfish Bakeshop; Outstanding Restaurateur: Elizabeth Blau, Buddy V’s and Honey Salt; Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Bank Atcharawan, Jipata; Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service; Mariena Mercer Boarini, Aft Cocktail Deck (Wynn); Best New Restaurant: Tamba; Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Ada’s; and Best New Bar: Nocturno. Finalists will be announced March 31 and the awards handed to the winners at a ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
A hectic schedule, including delivery of the Member Rewards Book, necessitated a change in our YouTube plans. As such, this month’s “Beer Friday” will run today. Join Anthony and Andrew for the livestream starting at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact online, and have a drink or two with the guys, who will update the MRB status. Join at LVA YouTube live channel.
The Wizard of Oz has now sold two million tickets, grossing more than $260 million in ticket sales alone since it opened at Sphere on August 28. By comparison, the ninth-highest-grossing regular movie in 2025, How to Train Your Dragon, grossed $262 million in domestic tickets. Of course, it's nowhere near a fair comparison, since Wizard of Oz has been playing for only five months and the average Sphere ticket is $130, while a ticket to a typical movie theater is more like $15. But Oz breached the million-ticket/$130 million mark in mid-October, barely six weeks after it opened, so given that it took more than three months to sell the second million tickets, the movie might be slowing down a bit. In fact, the next film in the Sphere queue has been announced: From the Edge, chronicling extreme-sports athletes. That won't be ready until the end of summer, so Oz has a long way to go.
Spice up Valentine’s week with Marriage Can Be Murder! From February 12 to 15, this wildly entertaining murder-mystery comedy at the Rio promises love, laughter, and endless surprises. Treat yourself (and your date or crew) to a night packed with interactive fun, chocolates, champagne, and a rose — because this isn’t just a show; it’s an experience! We have two coupons for the show, an MRO ($20 off) and an MRB ($25 off). These four Valentine shows will be special and limited regular tickets are available for 2/12 and 2/15 (regular tickets are sold out on 2/13 and 2/14).
Sphere Entertainment has cut a deal with the state of Maryland, Prince George’s County and a D.C.-area real estate developer to build a third Sphere at National Harbor. This will be a smaller-scale arena with 6,000 seats, about one-third the size of the Vegas venue, and roughly the same size as the second Sphere, currently under construction in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The project will be financed with public and private funding, including approximately $200 million in state, local, and private incentives. The rendering making the rounds shows Sphere close to the Potomac River next to MGM National Harbor. National Harbor is a waterfront development on the Potomac, with a marina, convention center, outlet mall, carousel and Ferris wheel, and ferry terminal.
In a somewhat rare event, a new restaurant is opening in February at the Gold Coast. Charter 75 Modern Kitchen will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails; the website also mentions live entertainment and a late-night happy hour. After TGI Fridays closed a year ago, Cornerstone Café & Steakhouse expanded into some of that space, but before then, we can't remember when a new dining concept opened at the good old Gold Coast, walking distance from our office. It was probably Cornerstone, which replaced the old Cortez Room in 2016. Steak 'n Shake and Tacos El Pastor are also opening in the next couple of months.
The Multistate Lottery Association has announced an interesting new game that isn't so much about the money. Rather, some of the prizes, and the game itself, are meant to appeal to football fans. The details of the game, called X’s and O’s, haven't been revealed, but in partnership with the National Football League, a couple of prize ideas have been considered, such as a suite at the Super Bowl and announcing a draft pick from the NFL Draft podium for a winner's favorite team. Of course, cash will be part of the prize structure, including a jackpot. One detail has been divulged: Instead of numbers, tickets buyers will pick eight of the 32 NFL teams.
Hogs & Heifers Outpost has reopened at the Plaza. The popular biker-themed bar was kicked out of its former 20-year location at Third and Ogden when its lease finally ran out in early July, after which the owner bought the vacant lot at 307-319 S. Main St. across from the Plaza. When the Sand Dollar Downtown closed at the Plaza in December, H&H made a deal to open a pop-up bar for ... well, so far for as long as it takes to open the new place across the street. Reportedly, more than half the staff of 45 is employed at the Outpost. If you visit, H&H doesn't take credit cards; it's cash only.
An Apple TV series about Siegfried and Roy is taking shape. According to People magazine, "'Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy,' will chronicle the duo's rise to fame.' Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes, Cold Mountain, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gattaca) is playing Siegfried Fischbacher, while Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man, Hacksaw Ridge, Tick, Tick ... Boom!) stars as Roy Horn. Variety wrote, “The duo push the concept of illusion versus reality to the extreme, personally and professionally, until tragedy reframes and opens a mystery surrounding their last fateful Las Vegas show.” We've had reports that some filming was done last week at El Cortez. The series is expected to premiere late this year or early next.
In the college-football National Championship, Indiana is a -7.5 favorite over Miami. The total is 46.5.
Blue Ribbon American Grill & Oyster Bar, which opened at the Cosmopolitan way back in 2010 shortly after the hotel-casino itself debuted, will close on February 16. It will be replaced by the Corner Bar that, according to the press release, "debuted in the SoHo district of New York City in late 2024 and has become one of the most coveted reservations in the country, a go-to destination for food enthusiasts and A-listers looking for elevated service, an energetic atmosphere, and a standout beverage program centered on creative martinis." The NY menu shows six martinis ($21-$22), along with $15 mashed potatoes and roasted carrots, $24 shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad, $37 vegetarian "chicken" parm, $65 eight-ounce filet, and $90 Dover sole. No word on an opening date, but Canada Roy assures us he'll be there to write the review.
Long predicted to be completed in time for the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, the Brightline West high-speed rail system between L.A. and Las Vegas might now be operational in "late 2029," according to a story in Newsweek. Construction activity continues along the route that follows I-15; crews are also working on the parking garage and train station at the terminus in Las Vegas on a 33-acre site off I-15 near the 215 freeway, close to the Las Vegas Premium Outlets South. Work commenced in 2024 and we wouldn't be surprised if the launch date is pushed back into the 2030s.
In today's NFC playoff game, the Los Angeles Rams are -4 favorites over the Chicago Bears. The total is 49.5.
In today's AFC playoff game, the New England Patriots are -3.5 favorites over the Houston Texans. The total is 41.
A guide took 8NewsNow, the local CBS affiliate, on a tour inside "the guts" of the Golden Gate, as part of the 120th anniversary celebration of Las Vegas' oldest hotel. The news crew went to the basement of the building, where a large room might've been the site of a bar during Prohibition and could be turned into something public someday. They also viewed a fountain hidden in what's now a back alcove of the building that dates to the earliest days of the hotel, Vegas' first building with running water. You can watch a pretty cool 3:41 video of the tour here.
In today's NFC playoff game, the Seattle Seahawks are -7 favorites over the San Francisco 49ers. The total is 44.
In today's AFC playoff game, the Denver Broncos are -1.5 favorites over the Buffalo Bills. The total is 45.5.
In a Bon Appetit story titled "The 10 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2026," Las Vegas claimed a spot. Maroon, a Caribbean steakhouse from celebrity chef, James Beard Award winner, author, and "Top Chef" star Kwame Onwuachi, is slated to open this spring in the space occupied by José Andrés’ Bazaar Meat. It will be Onwuachi's first West Coast restaurant and, as reported by Bon Appetit, "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," according to Travel & Leisure. As we wrote when it was announced last May, Maroon is definitely a coup for the Sahara and this is another sign.
Another big announcement of an even bigger project has quietly leached into desert dust. Atari, the video-game pioneer, announced plans to build themed hotels in eight cities, including Las Vegas. Here's what we wrote in January 2020. "Atari has inked a licensing agreement with a Phoenix developer to build Atari-branded hotels in eight U.S. cities: Phoenix, Denver, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, and Las Vegas. They would include an e-sports studio, an Atari 'gaming playground,' meeting and event space, restaurants, bars, and a movie theater and would be aimed at families and business travelers." Two months later, COVID took over and, according to a story this morning in the Las Vegas Sun, "The company explored developing a location in Las Vegas in 2020 and 2021, but the deal didn’t come to fruition. As recently as 2024, Atari Hotels said it remained in talks with potential land partners in Las Vegas and anticipated a series of project announcements in the first half of that year." Those never happened either. For what it's worth, the Phoenix location is furthest along and could open by late 2028.
The Virginia-based Five Guys burger brand, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has opened its first outlet on the Las Vegas Strip. The 10,000-square-foot location, called a "flagship," is located in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. It's the first Five Guys with a walk-up bar offering beer, wine, cocktails, and alcoholic milkshakes. It also features a dedicated non-alcoholic milkshake station and serves breakfast, one of the few in the U.S. that does (Five Guys breakfasts are common in the UK). Breakfast sandwiches consist of bacon and eggs, with optional burger patty. A glass-walled potato prep room showcases Five Guys' hand-cut fries. Best of all, we have a Member Rewards Online coupon for a 2-for-1 beer or wine and a Member Rewards Book coupon for a 2-for-1 yard-tall frozen cocktail.
The director of the wildly popular "Squid Game" series on Netflix is producing a new Korean series, "The Dealer." According to the press release, "'The Dealer' is a crime drama that follows Geonhwa, a brilliant casino dealer who, after a housing scam shatters her wedding plans, is forced to unleash her long-hidden powers." Her fiancé is a fierce (at work) but kindly (at home) detective, while another character is "a formidable casino ace whose razor-sharp instincts and unreadable poker face raise the stakes at every turn." No description of the villain(s), word on when it will debut, or how many seasons Netflix has signed on for, but we'll keep an eye out and provide updates as they arrive.
The STRAT is advertising a new "ALL-IN" offer. Rates start at $49 midweek and $105 weekends with no resort fee and taxes included and the deal comes with Tower admission for two and a $25 daily dining credit. Travel must be completed by October 31, so plenty of time to take advantage of it, and you can book here.
The Review-Journal reported this morning that Area15 will add nine eateries to its existing roster of a dozen or so, all in the second quarter of this year. The new places will be Alien Pizza Party, The Bowl (with high-tech robots preparing the food), Chilangos Tacos, Cosmic Pretzel, Fuku (from Momofuku's David Chang), Good Company Burgers, Museum of Ice Cream, Nacho Daddy, and Saint Honoré Doughnuts & Beignets. Bring you earplugs.
Caesars Palace has unveiled its two new Presidential Villas, located on the top 24th floor of the Colosseum Tower. You can book them separately or combine them into one palatial 19,000 square-foot suite, by far the largest in Las Vegas. They come with 24/7 butlers and so forth and if you have to ask how much they run for the night, fuhgeddabowdit. You can see some photos at TravelandLeisure, which if you're anything like us, will sweep away whatever spasmodic impulse you might suffer about sampling a stay in one of these steroidal sleepers.
Next time you're passing through the D Concourse at Reid International, keep an eye out for a 1972 Signal Red Jaguar XKE. The Jag was a gift from a boss of the Gambino crime family to John Gotti -- and now introduces the Mob Museum's new retail store at the D gates. The store "showcases the Museum’s storytelling, iconic artifacts, and curated merchandise," per the press release, "aiming to engage visitors with Las Vegas' organized crime history and provide a glimpse into what awaits downtown.” Especially if you've never been to the Mob Museum, the store will give you an impetus to visit. It's open daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Wing Bowl was an annual eating contest launched in 1993 in Philadelphia by two talk-radio hosts. The raucous spectacle was held the Friday before the Super Bowl through 2018, when it took a hiatus after the Philadelphia Eagles won the Big Game. This year, it's returning and will be held outside Philadelphia for the first time ever when it takes place downtown at the Plaza on Feb. 7, the Saturday before the game. The event has $5,000 in cash prizes at stake that 20 competitive eaters will vie for, including Molly Schuyer, defending Wing Bowl champion (2018), who holds the record of 501 wings. It will also feature the event's traditional cheerleaders, the Wingettes. They'll be dancers from Peppermint Hippo, the official after-party location. Tickets for spectators are free, but must be reserved online; Wing Bowl will also be streamed live on the Plaza's YouTube channel.
A new real estate record in Las Vegas was set when a condo located at the Summit Club in Summerlin sold for $21 million. The deluxe 5,000-square-foot five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom penthouse is on the top (third) floor of the Club, but still has expansive views over the valley. It was bought in 2023 by a "tech and gaming investor" for $9.4 million, who never moved in due to construction delays; the buyer purchased the whole shebang, "right down to the silverware." You can see photos on Realtor.com.
A tweet on X yesterday announced that the Las Vegas Loop tunnel down Paradise toward the airport is being tested now for a probable opening sometime before the end of March; the tweet predicts "Q1" (first quarter) of 2026. It also said the trip from Resorts World, at the other end of the current Loop, will take about 12 minutes, using the tunnel and some surface roads until the Loop is completed all the way to the airport. Various follow-up media reports cite a $12 fare and a mere six minutes when the tunnel reaches Reid.
K-pop superstars BTS will make an epic 79-date world tour this year, returning to the stage after a four-year break while the seven group members acquitted themselves of South Korea's mandatory 18-month military service for young men between 18 and 28. Expected to be one of the biggest tours of the year, BTS and their record label BigHit/Hybe could gross more than $1 billion on the reunion tour from concerts, merchandise, licensing, album sales, and streaming revenue, according to Billboard. They'll appear at Allegiant Stadium, where they last played four dates in April 2022, on May 23, 24, and 27; early access to tickets is underway and general-public tickets will go on sale Saturday January 24.
As part of a 29-date tour, legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor will appear for two shows at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan on May 9 and 10. Taylor will be accompanied by his long-time All-Star Band, featuring six musicians and three backup singers. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
The new display, celebrating the Lunar New Year, is open at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This is the Year of the Horse, which signifies courage, opportunity, and passion, and the Conservatory highlights the horse, of course, along with giant pandas, dancing children, jumping koi, and the King of Fortune. You can see photos at VegasChanges.com, which always posts them as soon as the new display is unveiled. It runs through February.
In today’s NFL Wild Card Playoff game, the Houston Texans are -3 favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The total is 38.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul will play a 10-date residency (so far) at Dolby Live at Park MGM in May and July. Fifty-five-year-old Mary J. Blige is one of the most influential and acclaimed R&B artists of all time, known for blending hip-hop and soul in a way that revolutionized both genres and inspired generations of artists. Her breakthrough album was What's the 411? way back in 1992, featuring the enduring hits "Real Love" and "You Remind Me." In her career, she's earned nine Grammys, four American Music awards, and 12 Billboard Music awards, among numerous other honors, and has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. Also an actress, Blige received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress in the 2017 film Mudbound. "Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story The Las Vegas Residency" will take place May 1, 2, 6, 8, and 9 and July 10, 11, 15, 17, and 18. Tickets to the public, which are sure to sell out fast, will be available on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.