Drink monitoring systems may not affect you if you’re visiting a video poker bar in a casino specifically to play video poker. It’s a different story if you’re passively playing video poker expecting complimentary drinks. The systems aren’t ubiquitous…yet.

Angeline, Michael Symon’s new Italian restaurant at the Borgata is named after his mother and inspired by her Sicilian cooking. I had dinner there with my own mother, on the third day it was open.

Folks, I’ll cut to the chase – while Summer doesn’t officially start until June 20 or 21, Vegas is already heating up literally and welcomes back my favorite time of year. People complain about the heat in Vegas (it’s a dry heat), the unbearable scorch hitting you from every direction, and the dehydration that can never be quenched. Whatever! Drink more and use the sunscreen!

One of the best weekend’s of the year in Las Vegas will be coming to an end by the time you read this. The first Saturday in May brings gorgeous weather, the Kentucky Derby, a big fight, Cinco de Mayo parties, MLB games, NBA & NHL playoffs and more.

In February 2016, BA announced the end of its Unaccompanied Minor (UM) program for children 12 and under, citing costs. So for UMs under the age of 12 booked on multi-city itineraries on Oneworld alliance tickets, this can a problem. For example, a UM under the age of 12 traveling from Miami to Boston to London Heathrow can fly alone on the American Airlines segment from Miami to Boston, but cannot fly as a UM on BA’s Boston-London segment.

I’m a big fan of loyalty programs. I generally belong to just about any that will have me, whether it’s a frequent flyer scheme or a punch card at a local sandwich shop. There is, however, one thing about loyalty programs that tends to aggravate me: Their name.

First quarter earnings were great for the largest Las Vegas casino operators. New Year’s Eve bled into the first quarter. The extra day of revenue was helpful for casino operators. The year always starts with a bang. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the largest convention and expo of the year with well over 100,000 attendees.

British Airways new parents who are flying less due to maternity, paternity or adoption leave can put their account on hold for a year, protecting elite (BAEC Bronze-Silver-Gold) status.

The transition of Borgata Black to Mlife Gold is of particular interest to me, since Borgata Rewards has three tiers in their loyalty program (Red – Black – Titanium) while Mlife has five tiers (Sapphire – Pearl – Gold – Platinum – Noir).

I usually go into the weekend with one or two pages of notes with the Las Vegas news. There are three pages of fun today. There’s a lot of information this week, so buckle up! I’ll try to keep everything short, sweet and easy to read.

With May, Atlantic City casinos make way for the unofficial start of the summer season on Memorial Day, but there are plenty of other events leading up to that last weekend.

I recently visited the newest restaurant in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, Mercato della Pescheria. The restaurant is located in St. Mark’s square replacing upscale Italian restaurant Postrio. The layout of Mercato della Pescheria is similar to Postrio with an indoor and “outdoor” table configuration. The outdoor seats are inside the casino under the painted sky ceiling.