The drought is over. It’s been more than two years since there’s been a new casino opening (Fontainebleau), which is a long stretch in Las Vegas time. Cadence Crossing got the ball rolling again when it debuted some three months ahead of schedule on March 25. Next will be North Las Vegas’ Club Fortune North, which is expected by the end of this month or soon after. 

Cadence Crossing isn’t fancy or particularly compelling in any way. The exterior is relatively nondescript and inside it’s essentially a bigger-than-normal slot house (see this issue’s cover). Then again, I doubt anyone expects to see another Sam’s Town or Boulder Station go up on Boulder Highway anytime soon. What is intriguing, though, is the casino’s stealth-like arrival. As you’ll read in news, Boyd waited until the last minute to announce it. And that turned out to be excessive notice compared to the announcement of the closing of neighboring Jokers Wild. Consequently, neither event got much media play, even locally. 

Cadence Crossing is what it is, a casino positioned to make money from the locals base in the area, which is growing by way of the nearby Cadence housing development, hence the casino’s name. Boyd has a lot of room for expansion, so it’s possible this is just the start. It’s been reported that all Jokers Wild employees were given positions at Cadence Crossing, so good on Boyd for that. A must-see it’s not, but it’s a new one to add to your seen-‘em-all Vegas casinos list. Read more about Cadence Crossing throughout this issue.

I almost missed two in a row. I make it a point to attend closing nights, but was aced out last year when Poker Palace pulled a fast one and closed at 8 am on what was announced as its final day. It wasn’t much different with Jokers Wild. While it was known that the casino would close at some point this year after the Cadence Crossing opening, it wasn’t expected to happen even before the new casino’s debut, without warning or remembrances. 

Word of the closing didn’t hit the street till the day of and I found out about it only when I got a text from a friend. I high-tailed it down to Boulder Highway to get a final beer and it was immediately obvious that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know. There might have been 20 others there to bid goodbye. As for those remembrances, as I walked the place I began remembering. After all, Jokers Wild opened in 1993, so yeah, I’d been there a few times.

Jokers Wild was a good low-stakes gambling joint. A look at LVA back issues shows that it dealt video poker games with 100%+ returns and, as recently as February of this year, had a Loose Deuces game returning 99.20%. The casino closed without table games, but when it dealt live blackjack, it was one of the best. In 2003, we published an article titled “Fifty-Two Singles,” which listed every single-deck game in the Las Vegas area. Of those, only 13 were the traditional game with naturals paying 3-2. Jokers Wild was one of them. There was even a poker room up till 2012.

For a time, the casino had one of the best Monday Night Football deals, where everyone got a free hot dog and a beer during the game.

The place also had its share of dining loss leaders. The Wild Card dinner buffet was $7.99 in 2006. A bacon & eggs breakfast was $1.89 in 2016. Most memorable, Jokers Wild crushed the Golden Gate in a 1999 weigh-off of their two 99¢ shrimp cocktails, coming in at 6.7 ounces to Golden Gate’s 2.9. The distraught Golden Gate F&B guy contacted us the following month to plead his case of quality over quantity. 

Of course, all of that was back in the days when Boyd was cool. 

At least I don’t have to deal anymore with that always-odd but correct lack of an apostrophe in “Jokers.” 

Another one gone. So it goes in Las Vegas.

Speaking of when casinos were cool, many of them had room packages that were great for budget travelers. The packages still show up—Plaza and STRAT have good ones—but it’s been a long time since there was one on the Strip worth mentioning. Here’s a good one from MGM: $330 for a two-night stay at either Luxor or Excalibur. These aren’t exactly the crown jewels in the MGM resort roster, but here’s what comes with it.

Three meals per day per guest, with options at MGM Grand, MBay, and NY-NY that include the MGM and Excalibur buffets

Two tickets to a choice of six shows, including Blue Man Group, Fantasy, and Mac King

Two rides on the NY-NY roller coaster

Free parking and no resort fee

There are several ways to break this down, but the extras easily exceed $330, which means you’re getting the room for free and then some. This package was only recently made available, so we can’t vouch for it completely. But if it’s what it looks like on its face, it’s a Top Ten value. Get more details here.

For the 35^th consecutive year, we’ve dug in to derive the average cost of a Las Vegas show ticket. This year’s survey resulted in an average price of $106.63, $3.41 higher than last year, a 3.3% increase. 

That’s not too big of a jump. But the bottom line is, assuming that all the shows are in play in your decision-making, you’re still paying an average of more than $200 for a couple’s show-night-out. Note that, same as last year, this number is inflated by the inclusion of Sphere shows, which qualified with an average of 11 shows per month in the sample period, combining Phish, Eagles, No Doubt, and Kenny Chesney. But even if you take out Sphere, the average is still just a whisker under $100.

A trend for sure is fewer shows to choose from. Last year’s total declined by eight and this year’s by seven more. It’s apparently becoming more difficult for the smaller productions to get tread, possibly because all other prices are increasing. Consequently, rather than seek out a budget show, the frugal crowd simply cuts it out of their itinerary. Most visitor-behavior surveys I’ve seen indicate that show attendance has dropped significantly over the years. 

The good news about fewer shows is those that make it are higher quality, including at the low end. Basic strategy is to be open to the second- and third-tier options, including almost any of several comedy clubs. Check as many discount avenues as you can, including the Tix4Tonight booths in Vegas and whatever discount option you happen to stumble upon. Finally, take advantage of the discounts we secure in Member Rewards, as even $20- and $30-offs add up.

Read more about the 2026 show-price survey in entertainment.

Cadence Crossing—After treating the debut of its new casino almost like a secret mission, Boyd Gaming finally announced the March 25 opening of Cadence Crossing on March 9. The machines-only casino came in three months ahead of schedule and without a hotel, which Boyd says it’s considering building on the adjoining Jokers Wild site. 

Jokers Wild—Even more secretive was the closing of Jokers Wild, which was announced out of the blue the day it closed on March 22. The Jokers Wild building is expected to be demolished, most likely with machinery rather than an implosion, given that there isn’t a tower involved.

Eastside Cannery—The Eastside Cannery, shuttered since the pandemic, was imploded early last month. The implosion of the 16-story tower took place early in the morning as planned, without any effort to turn it into a publicity event. Still, implosion faithfuls gathered nearby, including in the Longhorn parking lot across Boulder Hwy., to witness. You can see a three-minute video of the event here.

Vanderpump Hotel—Vanderpump Hotel, the rebranded Cromwell, is now taking reservations for overnight stays starting May 29. The 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 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’s extensive renovation and rebranding is in progress; the casino, Giada’s, and Drai’s will remain open through the transition.

Heat—Las Vegas broke temperature records in March. Lots of them. After registering only one March day between 1937 and 2004 with temperatures in the ’90s, then only 12 more from 2004 to present, Las Vegas tallied 12 straight days of 90 degrees or higher last month. The top temp was 97 degrees, which didn’t quite make it to set the earliest 100-degree mark, which isn’t in either March or even April, but May 1, 1947.

Super Bowl—The National Football League has announced that Las Vegas will be the host city for Super Bowl LXIII in 2029 at Allegiant Stadium. The assignment was confirmed by a vote of the owners based on the success of the 2024 Super Bowl held here. That game drew 330,000 fans and generated upwards of $1 billion worth of economic impact for the city.

NBA—Las Vegas has been approved as one of two cities, along with Seattle, to get an NBA franchise. The next step is to consider ownership bids and applicants, with the new teams likely starting play in the 2028-29 season.

Iowa—Bally’s Marquette has opened as a land-based casino. The casino had operated as a riverboat for 31 years under multiple companies and names, including Isle of Capri’s Lady Luck. The new casino has more than 400 slots and ETGs, live tables, and a sports book. 

Statistics—Nevada’s statewide gambling win was down 6.6% in January compared to the same month last year, taking in $1.35 billion. The Strip win was down 11.0% and downtown declined 5.1%. The Strip had a 44% decline in baccarat despite a 14% increase in drop due to the game’s hold plummeting from 26.7% last year to 13.0%. Since skill isn’t a determining factor in baccarat results, this demonstrates the huge role that variance can play, even for the casinos. The Laughlin win was down 3.3% at $40.9 million.

Visitation started the year as it ended the last, down 2.2% with 3.3 million coming to town to tally a 13^th consecutive decline. Hotel occupancy was up compared to December at 79.5%, with 83.1% weekends and 77.5% weekdays.

Airline traffic was down 7.9%, with 4.0 million travelers. International traffic continued to be a problem, down 19%. A recent study by Cirium indicates that airlines have cut their scheduled seats into Reid International by 7% in the first quarter. Canadian airlines have cut 30% from the available capacity.

The U.S. commercial 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, according to the American Gaming Association. Casino games earned $50.9 billion, up 2.3%, sports betting won just below $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. 

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 industry.

The chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association told a convention audience that the Golden State tribes are preparing to introduce a ballot measure in 2028 to legalize sports betting, with intent to propose both retail and remote wagering. That’s a switch from their stance in 2022, when the tribes battled the big sports books with a retail-only referendum. Meanwhile, an attempt to legalize online sports betting in South Dakota was voted down by a state House committee. 

Follow the progress of sports betting legalization across the country and track developments as they occur via our map at LasVegasAdvisor.com.

The two restaurants at Cadence Crossing are Tacos Los Gauchos and Tin Lizard Bar & Grill. Tacos Los Gauchos is a quick-bites place where you order from a counter. Tin Lizard is casual, but has a much more extensive menu, with soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees, including two steaks and prime rib. There’s also a $5.99 cheeseburger & fries that’s reviewed below. Tacos Los Gauchos is open 24/7.

In a true buffet rarity, prices for The Buffet at Bellagio have been reduced across the board and not by just a few dollars. Prices have been dropped by $5-$15, resulting in a range of $44.99 (weekday brunch) to $69.99 (Sat. seafood dinner). We’ve seen buffet prices yo-yo in the past, so who knows how long this will last. But for now, it puts Bellagio in line with prices at Cosmopolitan and Palms and well below Wynn and Caesars. Two good buffet instacomps are running this month that you can read about in gambling.

The Gospel Brunch at House of Blues runs April 5, 12, and 19. 

We update our casino buffet listing with a call-around every month and input the changes. Check the listing for current prices and see all of this month’s changes here.

Following is the list of the 11 operating buffets in order of overall pricing, from lowest to highest: South Point, Circus Circus, Main Street Station, Rampart, MGM Grand, Excalibur, Cosmopolitan, Palms, Bellagio, Wynn, Caesars Palace.

The new joint has a $5.99 cheeseburger & fries. Wonder where that idea came from? See how it stacks up against the Top Tenner at Stations.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/cadence-crossing-burger-special/

Going on 50 years old, Broken Yolk is an institution in California and a popular breakfast/lunch haunt in Las Vegas—and for good reason, as our meals there proved.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/broken-yolk/

Two different visits to the Aquarius Cafe to try their monthly specials didn’t disappoint and barely scratched the surface of the bargain food available in this throwback destination. 

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/meal-deals-in-laughlin/

In this month’s Neon Feast contribution, Al Mancini checks out a chef’s table (with 200 seats), where you can pull up a chair for just $55.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/echo-rigs-new-chefs-table-delivers-a-full-steakhouse-dinner-for-55/

This month Quick Reviews checks out a one-day-a-week-only prime rib special and turns you on to Las Vegas’ best potato skins.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blog/quick-reviews/

Wildfire Shrimp—The Station Casinos $2.99 shrimp cocktail special that’s served at Palace and Boulder Stations is also advertised as available 24/7 at Barley’s, Wildfire Casino & Lanes W. Sunset, and the Wildfires on Rancho, Boulder, Lake Mead, and E. Sunset.

RaS Food Hall—Tacos 1986 and For the Win (burgers) have opened in the Neighborhood Food Hall at The Resort at Summerlin. Both originated in Los Angeles.

Steakhouse Discount—Get $25-off a bill of $100 or more on Wednesdays in Twin Creeks Steakhouse at Silverton. No play is necessary, but you’ll need a coupon that you can print from a kiosk between 3 and 8 pm. The deal runs throughout April.

Binion’s Dougnuts—A Krispy Kreme Doughnuts counter has opened at Binion’s.

Scoundrels Steak—The new Scoundrels Tavern & Eatery at 6945 S. Rainbow has “Steak Night” every Wednesday starting at 5 pm. It’s the same excellent $19.99 deal that runs on Tuesdays at the Scoundrels on Lamb.

Timbers Parlay—The seven Timbers bars around the city are currently running a special Mon.-Fri. from 7 am to noon for BOGO breakfast. The bacon & eggs is $13, $6.50 each on the special. What makes it really good is that you can combine the breakfast special with the video poker bonus described in gambling, given that the two promotions overlap by one hour. Get there (with a friend) between 7 and 8 am on a weekday to cash the parlay.

BLVD—Two more eateries have been announced for BLVD, the giant shopping center on the south Strip. The first is Tenshou, a Japanese fine-dining restaurant designed specifically for BLVD. The second is 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. Tenshou should open by September and Silverlake by the end of the year.

Beard Finalists—Two Las Vegas chefs and one restaurant were named finalists for a James Beard Award. Sarah Thompson of Casa Playa at Wynn Las Vegas and Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf are both finalists for Best Chef Southwest. Tamba, an Indian restaurant in Town Square, is a finalist for Best New Restaurant. The winners will be named at the James Beard Award ceremony on June 15 in Chicago.

Yelp List Seafood—In this year’s Yelp listing of the best seafood in every state, the Nevada entry was Bajamar Seafood & Tacos. It’s the second year in a row that Bajamar has been the Nevada selection on the list.

LV to NY—One year after Golden Steer announced that it was taking its Vegas act to New York City, Resorts World’s Carversteak is doing the same. Carversteak Manhattan opens this month, joining Golden Steer, which opened in Manhattan in January.

Sartiano’s Italian Steakhouse has opened at Wynn Las Vegas. This is another New York City transplant, hailing from Prince Street in the SoHo district of Lower Manhattan..

Cantina Contramar has opened at Fontainebleau.

Tacos Del Rio has opened at the Rio.

The Brazilian steakhouse Fogo De Chão has opened at the Venetian. It’s Las Vegas’ second Fogo; the original has operated on E. Flamingo since 2011.

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. 

Touted as an “authentic Italian café,” Pappalecco opens April 9 at 4700 S. Maryland Pkwy., with 50% off food and non-alcoholic drinks on opening day.

After operating as a temporary pop-up at Resorts World, NADC (Not a Damn Chance) Burger will open in a permanent location downtown (124 S. Sixth St.) this month.

Siegel’s 1941 will close at El Cortez on April 5. It’s expected to be replaced by a steakhouse.

It’s been announced that Tony Roma’s will close at the Fremont in May. It will be the end of an era for this chain in Nevada, as the Fremont’s is the last location in the state. The long-closed Tony Roma’s that was on E. Sahara is infamous for being the site of mobster Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal’s car bombing in 1982, later to become a scene in the movie Casino. There was also a Tony Roma’s at the Stardust in the early 2000s.

The White Castles at Casino Royale and in Henderson have closed. The Casino Royale location was the original in Las Vegas and was big news when it opened in 2015. Three White Castles remain in Southern Nevada—one downtown, one on Paradise at Harmon, and the third out in Jean.

The Sourdough Café at Arizona Charlie’s Boulder has been replaced by a Denny’s. The Sourdough Café at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur is closed for “renovations,” but might also be facing a Denny’s conversion.

In our annual show-price survey, we go with the lowest prices available without using coupons, half-price-booth discounts, or other cut-rate options. The survey includes every ongoing production playing in a casino, including afternoon shows, comedy clubs, and permanent headliners, along with some non-casino showrooms. In cases (many) where a range of prices is offered, we take the mean of the range. Tax is included. This year’s average comes in at $106.63, $3.41 more than last year and the highest in the history of the survey. The number of shows with $100 ticket prices was 34, down from 40. This year’s survey had 73 shows in the sample, down from 80 in 2025. 

The highest average for a production show was O at Bellagio, coming in at $231.40.

This year’s lowest ticket price was $12.50 at Wiseguys Comedy Club. After that, the lowest-priced tickets were for The Magic of Jen Kramer at Westgate ($25.73), Farrell Dillon at LINQ ($26.56), Late Night Magic at Orleans ($26.56) Nathan Burton Comedy Magic at Flyover Vegas ($27.39) Popovich Comedy Pet Theater and Lioz Show both in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood ($29.99).

Good deals on shows at the bigger casinos include Gordie Brown at Golden Nugget ($34.36); The Magic of Jen Kramer at Westgate ($40.11); “Comedy Cellar” at Rio ($44.90); Fantasy at Luxor ($48.21); “L.A. Comedy Club” at The STRAT ($49); Mac King Comedy Magic at Excalibur ($53.64); WOW at Rio ($59.47); the Miracle Mile Shops shows Zombie Burlesque, V—The Ultimate Variety Show, and Vegas! The Show (all $59.98); Carrot Top at Luxor ($57.72), Tape Face at Harrah’s ($61.83); The Empire Strips Back at Rio ($70.84); Shin Lim at Venetian ($72.02). These aren’t averages, they’re the lowest prices available through the respective box offices (incl. taxes).

Our Member Rewards offers will at least equal the box-office prices and any other discounts available in the market—check them out. 

The results of all the show surveys we’ve conducted for the past 33 years are presented here.

What’s the best show value of all? There’s a case to be made for the lowest price at Wiseguys Comedy Club; it hosts some big-name comics and it’s just $25 for two tickets. But Wiseguys isn’t a casino show and you can find a comedy club in any big city. Inside a casino showroom, the best value for everyone is The Magic of Jen Kramer at Westgate. This used to be a Member Rewards play, where our deal got a BOGO that others didn’t get. But now the listed price isn’t real, because everyone who orders online gets that discount, so two tickets are $51.46 total. Add in the $10 parking fee at Westgate and it’s $61.46 for two. Darned good. But that’s not the best deal for LVA members. How do you feel about two free tickets for a show on the Strip? That’s the Member Rewards deal for “Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club” in the LINQ Promenade. The price range for the public on this show is $26.08-$80.64. But with the MRB you get two tickets free, and 20%-off food and drink during the show.

Treasure Island’s Breeze, Golden Circle, and Gilley’s bars have a happy hour daily from 10 am to 6 pm, with $5 beer.

Todd’s Unique Dining in Henderson has a happy hour Tues.-Fri. from 4:30 to 6 pm, with $4 beer, $6 wine and well drinks, and $5-$10 appetizers.

Agave Y Sal (1108 E. Lake Mead Blvd.) has a happy hour daily from 4 to 7 pm, with 2-for-1 margaritas, pina coladas, and mimosas. Go on a Monday or Tuesday to parlay with 2-for-1 shrimp cocktail.

In its monthly contribution for LVA, Happy Hour Vegas lists five happy hours on the Strip where you can get out for $20 or less.

Cadence Crossing has $3 draft beer and cocktails.

M Resort is advertising premium drinks 24/7 at all bars for $5. Listed premiums include 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.  

Completing its move from LINQ Promenade, ameriCAN Beer & Cocktails has opened at Treasure Island.

A second Bert’s Gaming bar has opened at 2799 E. Tropicana Ave. in the space that was formerly Noreen’s.

The Japanese restaurant Tenshou that’s just been announced for BLVD (see DINING) will include an outpost of Tokyo’s acclaimed Bar Centifolia.

Sapphire topless club has opened a new bar area called The Continental Lounge.

Club Platinum topless club has closed.

Legends bar has closed on Boulder Highway.

More Metallica—Predictably, several dates have been added to the Metallica residency at Sphere. The original eight-show residency has now reached 24, with dates stretching out to a year from now. We hear tickets are starting at $1,000 on the secondary markets.

Disappearing—Magician David Copperfield has announced that he’ll retire after his show on April 30. Copperfield has performed at MGM Grand for more than 25 years, half of that in the theater that was named for him.

Bellagio Display—The Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens’ spring display features a carousel, Easter eggs, stained glass, birds, a boat, a ballerina, and flowers galore. The display runs through May 16. 

Banana Ball—The Savannah Bananas, known as the “Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball,” will play three games at Las Vegas Ballpark on April 30 and May 1 & 2. Celebrating their 10^th 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. But it’s not cheap; tickets start at $256. 

Wrestlemania—With noticeably less hype than last year, Wrestlemania 42 takes place at Allegiant Stadium April 18-19. It will be the third time the event has been held in Las Vegas and the second year in a row at Allegiant.

We cover Las Vegas happenings daily in “Vegas News” on the LasVegasAdvisor.com home page. Following are links to entertainment-related stories that ran in March.

Luke Combs Sets Allegiant—and Nevada —Records

“Casino” Returns to Netflix

Southern Nevada Art Museum Opens

Third Eye Blind at Palms June 6  Death Cab for Cutie at Virgin Aug. 6  The Guess Who at Fontainebleau Aug. 15  Guns N’ Roses at Allegiant Aug. 22  Billy Idol at Fontainebleau (five dates) Aug. 28-Sept. 5  Deep Purple/Kansas at Planet Hollywood Sept. 10  America at Resorts World Sept. 18  TLC/Salt-N-Pepa/En Vogue at Fontainebleau Oct. 9

If you were dropped at the front door without knowing where you were, you could easily assume you were at one of the newer Wildfires. Cadence Crossing is all machines, predominantly the latest slots. Video poker is mixed in on the floor and at the two bars, along with a few electronic table games for blackjack, crapless craps, and roulette. See “VPL&F” for a rundown on video poker schedules. There’s no sports book, but you can bet at kiosks on the floor and a lounge has several screens for watching the games. No poker or live keno. Boyd Rewards is the club card.

It hung on for several years, but $1 blackjack at Downtown Grand is no more. When the live game was pulled, the $1 minimum was offered on an ETG. However, word is the ETG is being removed and the lowest minimum on the live games will be $5. That leaves only OYO dealing live blackjack with a $1 minimum.

Both South Point and The Resort at Summerlin are running instacomps in April. Both are good deals.

Every Mon.-Thurs. at South Point, play $1,000 through in video poker or $600 in slots to get a comped lunch buffet. Play another $1,000/$600 and you’ll also get a comped dinner buffet. The ads for this promo specifically state “coin-in,” so these are the required play amounts. The best video poker game at SP is NSU Deuces Wild returning 99.73%, so the expected loss with perfect play is as low as $2.70 per buffet and you keep the points. 

The Resort at Summerlin deal runs on April 7 and 21 only. Earn 100 points ($200 coin-in) and get a 2-for-1 lunch or dinner buffet or $25-off a bill of $50 or more in any other restaurant. On Summerlin’s 8/5 Bonus Poker games returning 99.17%, that’s an expected loss of under $2.

Rio Tier Match—The Rio is offering a tier match deal on Thursdays in April. The match applies to Boyd Rewards cards only and comes with up to $250 in free-play. 

Reduced Juice—As it does every year, South Point dealt -105 on NCAA tournament games starting in the Sweet 16 round and will continue to do so through to the championship game. It’s offered for bets on pointspreads only and must be made at the sports book (not available on the app). 

Poker Room Closes—Scratch another poker room off the list. Two months after the closing of the Planet Hollywood room, live poker is a thing of the past at Resorts World. The 29-table room never picked up steam and closed last month. There are now only eight poker rooms remaining on the Strip: Aria, Bellagio, Horseshoe, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace, Venetian, and Encore.

Cashless Exodus—Resorts World has indicated that it’s discontinuing its cashless-gaming edict. This was a big point of emphasis for the casino when it opened, but it’s now going the way of the RW poker room. Other casinos have, to this point, steered clear of the once-ballyhooed cashless model.

WSOP Main Event—The World Series of Poker has announced that the Main Event final table will take place starting on August 3, four weeks after the nine players are determined. It’s a return to the premise of a pause before play of the final table creating a bigger buzz, though not the extreme delay until November that occurred from 2008 to 2016. The WSOP is referring to it as a “Cliffhanger” break. Also, the tournament is returning to ESPN, which was the WSOP’s broadcast partner from 1988 to 2021, when it moved to CBS.

Gambling Streamed—Park MGM has been approved for a new high-limit salon that will allow broadcasts of the play within. MGM is heralding it as a “first,” but it doesn’t sound that different to us from the livestreamed gambling area already in use at the Plaza, except that the amounts wagered are likely to be higher in the Park MGM salon.

Trailer Casino—We use the term “trailer casino” to describe a space that offers temporary gambling to preserve a company’s gaming license, as that space is usually a tent or trailer. Bally’s ran a trailer casino on the site of the former Tropicana April 1 & 2.

MLB Odds—With the Major League Baseball season underway, the Seattle Mariners are the favorite to win in the American League at +420 and the Los Angeles Dodgers are favored in the National League at +100. The Dodgers are a +200 favorite to win the World Series.

Vegas Matt Docuseries—“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. 

The video poker schedules at Cadence Crossing are a notch below what they were at Jokers Wild, at least for lower-denom play. The best game is 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54%), but only at $2 and above. There’s 8/5 Bonus Poker for quarters, but mostly in multi-hand games and some Spin Poker. The best games at the bar are 7/5 BP (98.01%) with progressives on the 25¢ and $1 games that hit breakeven at $1,900 and $7,600, respectively. The games improve at the $2 level, with 9/6 JoB and 8/5 BP.

Someone finally got the memo at Virgin Las Vegas. We’ve been saying since it opened that the casino had to offer a more competitive gambling product, especially with video poker schedules, if it wanted to compete and it’s finally made the move. According to the online database
vpFREE2.com, Virgin now offers 10/6 Double Double Bonus (100.07%), NSU Deuces Wild (99.73%), 9/6 JoB, and 8/5 BP, all in denoms from 25¢ to $1. These games are present on only four machines on the floor and require $10 coin-in to earn one club point (normally $3), but it’s a big step in the right direction. 

Earn 500 points ($4,000 coin-in) at Four Queens or Binion’s in April and May and get $50 in free-play. You can do it at both casinos in both months for a total bonus of $200. This is a positive play worth $30 to $50 per cycle (depending on game selection), plus good comp dollars, but with a lot of risk.

The Timbers bars (seven in town) are running a strong play-$100-get-$50 promo. Daily! But there are conditions. First, it runs from midnight to 8 am only. Second, this is a Gambler’s Bonus deal, so you can cash only $25 of the bonus per day, although it can be cashed at any Timbers bar and you don’t have to play it through once it’s redeemed. Check for Timbers locations here. See dining for a good parlay.

The recently opened Scoundrels on S. Rainbow has a 250/50 sign-up bonus, but if you have a card from Scoundrels Lamb, you aren’t eligible as a new player. It’s also running a 10% bonus on taxables up to $400 in free-play. If you get one, call ahead to confirm the promo is running.

Bert’s on E. Tropicana (see entertainment) has a 250/50 sign-up bonus. If you have a Bert’s Gaming Rewards card from the original Bert’s on Desert Inn, you’re not eligible.

Casa Di Amore at 2850 E. Tropicana has a 20/20 sign-up bonus. The best game is 6/5 BP (96.87%), but all quads get a wheel spin, raising the return on this game above 98%. Casa is across the street from Bert’s, so you can easily play both on the same trip.

The new Seventy Six Taverns have a 20/20 sign-up bonus. The Seventy Six Taverns cards are linked, so you can get the bonus only once.

Jackpot Bar and Grille has discontinued its 250/20 bonus. You now get a wheel spin after earning 200 points, a weak premium of less than 5%.

Check out Bob Dancer’s Tuesday blog at LasVegasAdvisor.com.

These promotions change frequently, check for updated information here.