This turned out to be a PACKED edition of Vegas News. Enjoy!
MGM reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings last week. Evidently, the numbers were good because the stock jumped after hours and during the next day. You can get the details here.
Based on the call it sounds like room rates will increase modestly in the mid-single digits. That seems to be the consensus from the casino corporations that reported earnings.
One way to get higher room rates is to upgrade rooms. 600 of the newly renovated rooms at MGM Grand are now available with more coming online throughout the year.
Fontainebleau is bringing back its tier match promotion for new members only. Get all the information here.
The Capital One Lounge at LAS opens soon and it looks rad. See lots of pics and get more info here.
Cirque Du Soliel shared information about its exhibition at the Neon Museum. This was first slipped into an announcement last year but now we have details. Find more info and dates here.
WSOP released its full schedule of events this week. Get the details here.
MGM properties increased the poker rake to $6. Read more here.
Netflix Bites is now open at MGM Grand. Reviews of the LA were that it’s fun but the food was meh. Curious to see how people feel about this one. Read more here.
Everybody! The Backstreet Boys are playing a bunch of shows at Sphere this summer. Read more here.
Backstreet Boys at Sphere are up to 15 shows after initially announcing just nine. Read more here.
Disappointed that I haven’t seen more written about the Plaza donating proceeds from rooms to St. Judes Ranch For Children. Get the specifics here.
Wynn reported fourth quarter and full-year earnings this week. The call was uneventful besides confirming Encore rooms will be renovated this summer. See the financials here.
Durango Casino will have poolside concerts this summer. Get the lowdown here.
The Flamingo pool is getting a major overhaul. See the rendering below and read more here.
It looks like Las Vegas will be hosting the Super Bowl in 2029. Read more here.
It’s interesting to note that every casino operator is warning that February room rates are taking a hit because the Super Bowl wasn’t played in Las Vegas this year.
Speaking of room rates, I learned that Caesars’ cancellation window is four days before the reservation. I’m old enough to remember when it was two days! You can see the Caesars Super Bowl weekend rate plunge here.
Nevada sportsbooks won a record $22.1 million from Super Bowl betting. Read more here.
Related (you’ll have to read the document to see why), the Nevada Gaming Abstract was released. There’s a tonnnnnnnn of info here. I’ll have more on this report in the coming days. Just waiting for the publisher to publish. Not everyone is as quick as Movestro!
Wynn gets all the awards and they deserve each and every one. Read about inclusion in the Forbes Travel Guide here.
This is a new one. A blackjack table at Green Valley Ranch. Players wagering over $25 will get 3:2 blackjack while those risking less will get paid 6:5 for a natural.
Unrelated, Palms is all 3:2 blackjack now. Coincidentally, the last time I saw 6:5 blackjack there was when Station Casinos owned the property (Station owns GVR above). Read more here
TV and Movie stuff: The Last episode of the TV show Las Vegas aired on Feb. 15, 2008. Vegas Vacation hit movie theaters 28 days ago on Feb. 14.
Caesars is fun. The company saw how much publicity The Venetian has been getting for its planned $1 billion property-wide upgrade and decided to add up its spending from the past 5 years at all of its Las Vegas properties to come up with a post-capital expenditure announcement for eight properties over the past five years. Read more here.
Seriously though, it’s nice to see all the info in one article.
Boyd Gaming was the first casino corporation to report fourth-quarter and full-year earnings. Read the financials here and get the lowdown on Las Vegas plans at the Orleans, Suncoast and more here.
Bazaar Meat is moving to The Venetian after it closes at Sahara on June 30. Read more here.
Former NV Governor Brian Sandoval is now on the Resorts World Las Vegas board of directors. Read more here.
This isn’t new but I don’t follow the executive shuffle because most of these people have no impact on my casino experience. Read about the new CEO of Resorts World from Dec. here and more recent moves here.
I asked if anyone has had their Las Vegas trips impacted by a casino executive from the Vegas Strip over at BlueSky and the only answer was Jim Murren because he started charging for parking.
As I mentioned last week here “One hour of parking in Manhattan 15 years ago cost more than a full day of parking in Las Vegas today. It’s difficult for me to get too worked up about paid parking.”
UK Steve shared some info on the new drink Caesars Diamond drink policy. See below
Boyz 2 Men is returning to Cosmopolitan. Get the dates and more info here.
I’m having deja vu because I can swear Wynn announced Zero Bond was opening this year already. Anyway, get the up-to-date info here.
Wynn is opening a seafood restaurant in the old Lakeside space. Read more here.
Palms has March Madness parties! Read more here.
Get the details on Circa March Madness viewing here.
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace received a Billboard award. Read more here.
MGM added an event to its tennis showcase at Mandalay Bay in March. Read more here.
EDC dropped an easy-to-read lineup. Check it out!
Red Rock Resorts reported earnings and shared little news last week. Get the highlights here
If there was anything interesting it’s that the two standalone taverns are performing above expectations and six more will open this year. There’s no info on where…yet.
Universal Horror Unleashed is opening in August. If you like scary stuff see below get more info here.
The American Gaming Association has some financial news that might be interesting. Read more here.
Fontainebleau is part of Virtuoso. Mr. TravelZork can explain what that means to you or read more here.
Last but not least, Mark from 360 Vegas wrote a book. Major props for getting this done. See more below.
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.
