The Finest Vegas News
Sometimes we have an action-packed week of news. That didn’t happen this week. I like slower news weeks like this. The lack of “must cover” news allows me to look at some of the Las Vegas news and rumors that you may not have seen all week long.
SLS Las Vegas Optimizing Revenue
SLS Las Vegas is now a client of the Rainmaker Group. The company has cloud-based solutions to help increase customer revenue for businesses. That’s not too exciting but it should lead to new targeted offers to previous guests so SLS can increase profit.
You can see the product demo here. Customers should see “the right room at the right price for the right person.” The new program will look to see exactly where guests at SLS Las Vegas are spending money. If you’re there to eat, you should see offers that suit those needs. The same with gambling, shows, etc. If you don’t spend money with SLS or you stay off the grid you probably won’t see offers.
Frankly, this is something that should have started years ago. Caesars Entertainment has been teasing a similar solution for guests using another company for a couple of years. I believe they finally started using Salesforce this year. The real news might be that Grand Sierra in Reno also uses this system. In time, don’t be surprised to see the players clubs merge.
Bye Bye Lucky Dragon
I’m sad to say that Lucky Dragon was sold to the CEO of Ahern Rentals this week for $36 Million. Why am I sad about this? Because he plans to close the casino. When the property re-opens it will have a new name, no casino (that tower will become a conference/convention space), and a hotel.
Even though Lucky Dragon wasn’t the right casino for me (no craps or sports book), it’s always sad to see one less place to gamble. I spent a very intense night at Lucky Dragon before it opened and have some sort of attachment to the place.
Looking Back at Lucky Dragon
- First Impressions of Lucky Dragon Las Vegas
- Everything You Want To Know About The Casino At Lucky Dragon Las Vegas
- Hotel Review | Lucky Dragon Las Vegas
- An American Casually Dining at Lucky Dragon Las Vegas
I’m not sure a hotel will do well in that area but the low price of $36 million seems to be worth a gamble. The location could allow the owner to offer decent deals for people visiting Las Vegas for work at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Time will tell but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the new owner bring in some slots/video poker for a day so he can keep the gaming license.
Circa Sports and New Sportsbook At Golden Gate (and The D)
Circa Sports will launch when the new sports book opens at Golden Gate on June 1. The new Las Vegas Sports Book will be located in the expanded area on the east side of the casino. Circa Sports will replace William Hill at Golden Gate and The D.
The sports book operator will obviously be ready in time for the opening of Circa in December 2020. The second floor at The D will be renovated in June. The way it sounds to me is that Vue Bar and the current sports book space will become one. The new sports book at The D will open in late June.
I’m curious to see what they have in mind. I’ve always enjoyed Vue Bar and hope it’s still a nice relaxing respite from the rest of the casino. I wrote about Circa Sports here so I won’t repeat myself too much. Independent sports book operators have been closing lately. The most recent sports book operators to leave Las Vegas were at The Strat and Jerry’s Nugget. Both were replaced with William Hill.
Bettors like to have options on different odds and point spreads and Circa Sports could be another solid option. I expect to be one of the first people in line to sign up for a Circa Sports betting account on June 1.
Rumor Of The Week: Treasure Island Might Be Sold
Rumors abound about Vegas hotels being bought and sold at the moment, but here’s one that hasn’t been in the mix until now: T.I. Lots of chatter about this at the resort, apparently.
Vital Vegas is tweeting that there’s “lots of chatter” about Treasure Island being sold. I haven’t heard this before but this would be bad news for anyone looking for a good value on the Vegas Strip.
Before ZorkFest 2018 last year I spent the night at Treasure Island eating, drinking, and gambling. I had a fun time learning the in’s and out’s of a place I only visit when people want to check out Gilley’s. If someone buys Treasure Island it would make sense they’re going to pay a relatively hefty price.
The new owner probably won’t pay the $4 billion that is estimated for the sale of the Cosmopolitan or the $3.1 billion estimated to purchase and build Drew Las Vegas. However, if Phil Ruffin is considering a sale he’s going to look for a big return on the property.
If Treasure Island is sold, I don’t expect much to remain the same. It could be difficult to get a return on a billion dollar plus investment with a budget-friendly property. For comparison, Macallan is $11.50 at Treasure Island. The same drink is $15-$20 elsewhere on the Vegas Strip.
Modest Prices – Optional Resort Fee
The optional resort fee is great for guests but a new owner would be leaving money on the table if they didn’t make it mandatory. At the same time, the modest prices could also be a point of differentiation for a casino on the Vegas Strip. While most properties seem to be upscaling for a high-end customer, Treasure Island could be doing solid business offering 3:2 blackjack, fair priced rooms, and different restaurants than other casinos in the area.
Maybe this is why Treasure Island finally fixed the tram that connects to The Mirage.
I’m not sure how to rate the reality of this rumor is because I haven’t heard this or seen this anywhere else. This is definitely something to keep an eye on as value continues to leave the Vegas Strip.
Quick Hits
- I’m not addressing one big piece of news this week because it’s still not entirely complete. Employee cutbacks from MGM 2020 are starting to reach management and supervisors. White collar employees don’t change much of what you experience first hand when visiting. The next couple of rounds could impact the experience in the hotel and on the casino floor. I’ll wait to see how this gets sorted before forming a solid opinion. You can read more here.
- There’s a new resident artist at Bellagio. Read more here.
- A dude from Game Of Thrones is DJing at the NoMad pool. I know people like this show. Read more here.
- Sting has a residency at Caesars Palace Las Vegas next year. Read more here.
- Hello Kitty Cafe is opening on the Vegas Strip. Read more here.
- American Coney Island at The D will have nickel hot dogs from 11am-noon on May 9.
- Boyd Gaming reported first-quarter earnings this week. Once again, Las Vegas locals crushed. Depending on the news next week, I might dive deeper into this. Read more here.
- Hoover Dam bus trips for $25. Read more here.
- Las Vegas has a lot of Starbucks. Read more here.
- We now have a location for the Able Baker Taphouse in downtown Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Mabel’s BBQ at Palms has an all you can eat brunch for $30 on Sunday’s. Add another $20 for booze. See menu and info here.
- What do you think about the lineup for Life Is Beautiful this year?
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Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He's the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. He learned about gambling at a young age working down the street from a bookie who took action on anything from the mainstream sports to the last three digits of the purse for certain horse races. Yeah, that's a thing. Today Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant which allows him to work anywhere there's a wifi signal. This allows him to work from the sportsbook at Red Rock Resort or the food court at The Venetian where you’ll find fast and free wifi. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.
