Sheldon: “No money for you!”; Newton manse for sale (again)

When The Venetian opened, Adelson infamously refused to pay his subcontractors, causing much rancor and financial havoc. Sheldon talks a good game about the benefits of the free market but allegedly welshing on his contractors tells a far different story. Meanwhile, Mr. & Mrs. Adelson managed to find $25 million under the sofa cushions to finance various senatorial campaigns. What’s paying a few subs compared to buying yourself a Congress?

If Sheldon can’t pony up $3 million, I doubt he could afford the $30 million being asked for Casa de Shenandoah, former domicile of Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton. Guess that tourist-attraction reinvention didn’t work out as planned. At 39 acres, you could get all that Newtonian splendor for a bargain $769,230.76/acre. For reasons known only to the realtor, the property is being hawked as “Sunset Springs Ranch” and comes with “seven additional homes” (talk about a bargain!), a car museum—cars not included—and even a horse hospital. Something for the man who thought he had everything. Hugh M. Hefner would be green with envy, were he still alive. Even the infamous F28 jet is part of the deal. We’re talking a real estate bonanza, folks. The advertising video (found on Vital Vegas) also implies that some swans and peacocks are part of the package. Writes Scott Roeben, “Beyond the monkey, the estate was once home to flamingos, penguins and a sloth, among other exotic animals.” What’s $151,822 a month compared to living the Las Vegas Dream? Damn, we’re going to get pre-qualified for a mortgage.

On a serious (but upbeat) note, Colorado sports books impressed last month, as handle grows at an exponential rate. With the NBA, NHL and pro baseball back in the swing of things, Coloradans plunked down $59 million at the wickets. Of that, casinos kept $2.5 million. Baseball was tops, with handle of $9 million, followed by soccer ($7.5 million), table tennis ($5 million) and basketball ($3 million). Of course, all those NBA bettors won’t be so happy now that the Milwaukee Bucks have walked out of the NBA finals, threatening to take other teams with them. Said analyst Dustin Gouker—before LeBron James called for an NBA strike—“In just three months, Colorado has established itself as the fifth-largest sports betting market in the U.S, and the number of sportsbook operators in the state is growing rapidly. And with a robust August schedule that includes playoff runs by the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, the short-term outlook for the state is excellent.” He added, “As robust as August looks right now, though, the future remains tenuous. College football will likely not be played this fall in Colorado, though perhaps elsewhere in the U.S. And the NFL is still working out its plans. So while the news is good, sports betting is still at the mercy of the pandemic.” Ain’t that the truth?

Jottings: Encore Boston Harbor is in trouble with Massachusetts regulators after a big bash was held in a “crowded” suite. Wynn Resorts says it is implementing stringent new measures to prevent a repetition of the Covid-friendly bacchanalia … There’s a seamy saga behind the cancellation of the James Beard Awards this year. Racial bias is perhaps the mildest of the allegations, which include sexual harassment and “serving moldy jam, allegedly taking credit for employees’ recipes, and hiding an illegal and potentially unsafe kitchen from the health department.” Laura mercy! … Due to being “unable to host attendees,” Sin City is losing out on Cowboy Christmas, originally slated for Dec. 3-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The negative economic impact is projected at $200 million … Speaking of the Convention Center, how is finding the scratch to buy the Las Vegas Monorail? By cannibalizing its renovation budget. The Monorail will file Chapter 11 as part of the deal … Ahern Hotel (aka Lucky Dragon) is suing the State of Nevada over the $250 it was fined for an above-capacity “Evangelicals for Trump” event. Even if Ahern wins, the cost of the suit will far exceed the fine … Plaza Hotel is vaguely promising “something new.” That’d be a welcome change.