The MGM Cosmopolitan Las Vegas acquisition was a game-changer for the company. Not only did MGM solidify its position on the west side of the Strip but it also picked up one of the hottest properties with a higher ADR (average daily rate for a room). Its sale of Mirage will help finance the purchase. In the realty world, it’s pretty straightforward. MGM is now the owner of Cosmo-Vegas operations.

Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Golden Nugget, finally shared some plans for the six acres of land he purchased on the Vegas Strip near Harmon Ave. diagonally across from The Cosmopolitan.

Could the Oakland A’s, the home of Moneyball and Rollie Fingers’ mustache, soon be no more? According to several news sources, including the R-J, it’s becoming increasingly likely, as Las Vegas becomes a top contender to win the franchise, which would be its third major sports team since 2017.

The GOAT has finally met the GOAT. Wynn Las Vegas has just announced that it is partnering with Tom Brady’s fitness and nutrition company TB12, and really, the only question is “What took so long?”

The autumn display at the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is up. While beautiful, this is probably my least favorite every year. Tropicana has a new rewards program. This is not currently connected with Bally’s casinos around the country.

Caesars Palace just finished renovations that include a new lobby bar… The Nevada Gaming Commission approved the Tropicana sale to Bally’s this week…

As travelers continue to emerge from hibernation, casinos are once again starting to pour money into properties and renovations. This year seems to be the year of Caesars Entertainment, which has just completed a new entrance at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, ahead of an upcoming rebranding from Bally’s to Horseshoe.

This week we will get to a new construction update as well as some current renovations. We mentioned that MGM Resorts planned on renovating a portion of the rooms at MGM Grand after the company’s recent earnings call. Some of the rooms in the newly named Studio Tower (former West Wing) will be available in late October. The rest should be completed before the end of the year.

It’s football season and Las Vegas sportsbooks will be packed every Saturday and Sunday for the next few months. This is a great atmosphere for someone that’s a football fan and/or bettor.

I haven’t been visiting downtown Las Vegas nearly as much in the past couple of years as I used to. It’s strange but that’s a story for another day.

I made two visits to the Cosmopolitan in the past week. The first visit was to grab a cup of coffee with someone stopping by for a quick visit. Who am I to say no to 8 am coffee?!

It is very real that we are seeing MGM taking small steps at Cosmopolitan. Last week we mentioned Silk Sonic performing at the Barbershop inside the Cosmopolitan as the first marker that MGM Resorts is taking over operations at the property. Typically performers at Park MGM make aftershow appearances at the same property. This was a change of pace to have an aftershow at a different MGM Resorts property.