Vegas News 02.02.2020
or is it 2020.02.02
(February 2nd 2020)
There’s always something new to enjoy in Las Vegas. There’s so much to do that even old things can be new in Las Vegas. On Friday I made my first trip close to the top of The Strat. GASP!
A friend and I enjoyed some half-priced drinks and snacks at 107 Sky Lounge. This lounge is one level above the Top of the World restaurant. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing. The half-priced deal doesn’t offer the best value in Las Vegas but the drinks and food were tasty and well worth a visit.
This week I also said goodbye to the Hard Rock. It’s always sad to see a casino just before the property is about to close. The vibe at the Hard Rock was similar to visiting the SAHARA Las Vegas and O’Sheas just before they closed for good. We’ll share some pictures and more memories from the Hard Rock soon.
This week we’ll break the news down into small segments built with a Quick Hits style presentation.
It’s Earnings Season
Quarterly earnings reports and calls are a great way to learn about businesses. Casino earnings are particularly useful since we learn about previous performance and future plans. The action is already underway as Las Vegas Sands (The Venetian and The Palazzo) reported its fourth quarter earnings last week.
Sands is pretty boring since most of the company does business outside of America. Since we’re typically looking for Las Vegas news there isn’t much besides room prices. However, there are plenty of casino corporations about to report earnings that do much more business in Las Vegas. Here’s a partial list of company earnings dates:
- Boyd Gaming: Reports earnings on February 20
- Red Rock Resorts (Station Casinos): Reports earnings on February 4
- Penn National Gaming (M Resort and Tropicana): Reports earnings on February 6 (more on this later)
- MGM Resorts: Reports earnings on February 12
- MGM Growth Partners: Reports earnings on February 14
- Eldorado Resorts: Reports earnings on February 26 (Related, Caesars is TBA)
Of course, I’ll listen to the calls and read the reports but you should feel free to enjoy the calls yourself. Some are boring and some can be very interesting. Listening to these calls is a great way to learn about the casino business.
I’m looking forward to hearing calls from MGM Resorts (sports and more real estate deals), Penn National (Tropicana sale), Eldorado (Caesars future), and Red Rock Resorts (Palms drama).
On A Related Note – Penn National Gaming
On a related note, this week Penn National Gaming announced that they purchased 36% of Barstool Sports. You can read the press release and see the investor deck here.
Also, Eldorado Resorts received approval from the Louisiana Racing Commission, Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, and Illinois Gaming Board to move forward with the Caesars acquisition. Read more here.
Entertainment Quick Hits
This week there was a bunch of entertainment news and information that range from new residency announcements to performer income.
- The Jonas Brothers will have their first Las Vegas residency at the Park Theater inside Park MGM. Read more here.
- The Plaza announced more comedians performing at The Comedy Works. Read more here.
- Psycho announced its 2020 lineup for the music festival that’s about 80% metal at Mandalay Bay. There are non-metal bands that some older punks might enjoy so look past Mercyful Fate. Read more here.
- Say it ain’t so! The city might make the existing strip clubs move away from Allegiant Stadium. Read more here.
- The Encore Theater was just named in the Top 10 highest grossing venues under a 5,000 seat capacity in 2019 by Billboard magazine. This is kind of a big deal for the business side as the venue has fewer than 1,500 seats. Read more here.
- It always fascinates me that anyone cares how much Las Vegas DJ’s earn per show. I’m one of those people. Read this article from Billboard about how 2 dudes that make awful music make $300,000 per night at Wynn.
- Now I know the real reason Mr. TravelZork (baccarat_guy) was in the US. He was purchasing Sinatra’s gold toilets! Read more here.
- There’s a new show coming to Bally’s Las Vegas. Read more here.
- The tourism board of every state has a slogan. Las Vegas just happens to market itself more than most other tourist destinations. You can see the new Las Vegas slogan and commercial here.
Dining Quick Hits – Vegas News
There’s not much to add but these Vegas News – Quick Hits are newsworthy.
- Chick Fil A at PLANET HOLLYWOOD Las Vegas Resort is open. Read more here.
- Food Network has a show that will produce a chef for the new steakhouse at Flamingo Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan has a new brunch. Read more here.
- Herringbone is out at Aria. Salt & Ivy Cafe is in. Read more here.
Travel and Tourism Quick Hits
- Atari announced it was planning to open video game-themed hotels. The first hotel is slated for Phoenix, AZ. There are plans to open one in Las Vegas sometime in the future. Read more here.
- McCarran Airport set a new record with 51.5 million passengers in 2019. Read more here.
- One again, Airbnb stays in Clark County increased last year. This time stays at non-hotels were 19% more than the previous year. Read more here.
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Miscellaneous Quick Hits – Vegas News
- The D Las Vegas, Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, Palms Casino Resort, and The Strat are offering cashless gaming. Read about it from the newspaper here and read Vital Vegas for commentary about ATM Machines here.
- Casino win/loss and tax statements are available from Boyd Gaming. Other casinos should be available soon. Who’s stoked for tax season?!
- There’s some land across the street from Mandalay Bay up for auction. Read more here. Read about the mascot for the previously planned ferris wheel on the land here.
- You can see the Nevada gaming revenue report for 2019 here.
- Tom Brady may have purchased a home in Las Vegas and is possibly planning on playing for the Las Vegas Raiders next year. Read the alleged news here.
- Last but not least – info about the Potato Expo in Las Vegas on Potato News dot com should be your #1 takeaway from this week’s edition of Vegas News. Read more here.
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.
