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. With that in mind, let’s dive into the news from the week.

Las Vegas Raiders Buy Land For Football Stadium

Last week the Raiders purchased 62 acres of land west of Mandalay Bay on the other side of I-15 in between Russell and Hacienda. You may remember this plot of land from the most recent rendering video of the Las Vegas stadium that we shared a few weeks ago. This is probably the best location of the different options since it should be easily accessible for tourists and locals alike.

Tourists will be able to access the stadium by crossing the freeway after exiting the monorail at Mandalay Bay. Locals should be able to access the stadium quickly from the freeway or local streets. Construction on the stadium might hinder my backdoor route to Mandalay Bay on Hacienda, but that’s a minor problem.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has a map and more information on the stadium. There’s still a lot of work to be done before the Raiders are really set to become the Las Vegas Raiders but this is another step forward.

Major League Baseball Winter Meetings Returning To Las Vegas

Speaking of Mandalay Bay, they will host Major League Baseball executives and players for MLB’s Winter Meetings in 2018. Additionally, Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay will be part of the host city rotation for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Mandalay Bay will host those meetings in 2020 and 2022.

MLB Winter Meetings are a great place for baseball fans to do some people watching. Major League Baseball executives and players typically roam the grounds of the host hotel and can be seen by guests. TV stations will broadcast remotely from Mandalay Bay while the meetings are being held so you’ll see some baseball media at the hotel too. There’s a very good chance I’ll be visiting Mandalay Bay for the week. If you’re planning vacations well in advance, the 2018 MLB meetings will be the week of Dec. 9, 2018.

More Renovations Coming To Caesars Properties

When a casino-hotel operator doesn’t renovate their property for years the guests tend to go crazy for renovations. That’s been the case with Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas. Caesars has realized that they generate more revenue as they improve their hotel rooms and casinos. Since it’s working, you should expect to see more upgrades. You can read their earnings press release here.

Caesars renovated a slew of hotel rooms in Las Vegas and around the country in 2016. That will continue in 2017 and beyond. Details are sparse but Caesars Entertainment is planning on renovating 7,000 more rooms. They’ve already started renovating the Palace Tower at Caesars Palace. These rooms were out of date when I stayed in that tower in 2009 (Coincidentally, it was Kentucky Derby weekend).

Caesars won’t stop with hotel room renovations. They own plenty of land in Las Vegas and will look to monetize it. Here’s a quote from CFO, Eric Hession from Vegas Inc.:

“We have sizable land holdings on the east side, some 80-90 acres,” Hession said. “And we also own 7 acres of undeveloped land in front of Caesars Palace, all of which is prime for potential development, from additional convention space to retail to other offerings our customers would desire.”

Some early thoughts have been that Caesars could create a Caesars Palace Las Vegas version of Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops in front of the casino. That might be a bit too tacky – even for Caesars.

Much of the acreage they own is behind The Linq. Maybe the shopping promenade will be extended past the High Roller with parking pushed back to the other side of Koval. It seems as though Caesars is working on a plan. Unfortunately, they aren’t releasing information to the public yet.

Monster Mini Golf And Bowling Coming To Bally’s

You may be most familiar with the glow in the dark mini-golf company because of the KISS Monster Mini Golf complex at the Rio. Monster Mini Golf is actually a large company with games and attractions all over the country.

Monster Mini will be opening a new complex at Bally’s with a brand that doesn’t appear to be KISS. In a press release, Christina Vitagliano, creator/founder of Monster Mini Golf says “Our new co-brand has not been revealed yet as we are still in deep negotiations with a wide variety of entertainment brands that will fit perfectly into our space,” “We are entertaining high-profile brands, movies, television shows and other themed entities that scream out creativity to be a part of our next exciting themed entertainment complex.”

The 10,000-square-foot attraction will be located in the lower level near the Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops. The Monster Mini Golf attraction will include indoor mini-golf, arcade, themed bowling, and more. The attraction is slated to open this fall.

Quick Restaurant Hits

• Therapy, one of my favorite restaurants, just introduced their own beer and whiskey. Read more here.
• The new Blue Ribbon restaurant at the Cosmopolitan will open in June. This won’t be sushi. Read more here.
• White Castle confirms what Vital Vegas reported last year. They’re opening a restaurant on Fremont Street. Read more here.
• Monte Carlo/Park MGM is getting a huge, 10,000 square foot steakhouse. Read more here.

$20 Show Tickets In Las Vegas And Around The US

Live Nation has a slew of tickets available for $20 until May 9. Only a dozen of the shows available for this discounted price are in Las Vegas. This Ticketmaster deal has tickets available all over the country so you can check for your hometown. You can see a list of shows here. Heads up that fees may apply.

NCAA Hockey Coming To T-Mobile Arena In 2018

Boston College, Michigan Tech, Arizona State and Northern Michigan will participate in a two-day hockey tournament at T-Mobile Arena on January 5 and 6, 2018. An on-sale date hasn’t been announced yet but you might want to set an alert for this. Tickets for a North Dakota vs. Minnesota game at MGM Grand earlier this year sold out in minutes.

Final Quick Hits

• Gamblit games expanding to MGM Resorts properties, starting at MGM Grand. Read the press release here.
• You can now book hotel rooms at The Venetian with Facebook Messenger. Read more here.
• Flying drones over the Vegas Strip. What could go wrong? Read more here.

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