All good things eventually come to an end. The Vegas Golden Knights had a miraculous season but lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final. There will be movies and/books to detail how inconceivable this season was. In the meantime…
After the game at T-Mobile Arena, the Washington Capitals went back to Mandarin Oriental to change and celebrate. Rumor is that they downed 10 bottles of champagne before taking the Stanley Cup for a victory lap at MGM Grand where they partied at Hakkasan with Tiesto.
Citywide Strike Avoided
Last week Caesars Entertainment settled on a tentative deal with the culinary union. This week MGM Resorts International came to an agreement with the union. There still may be a strike but it won’t be at any of these Vegas Strip properties.
The union is still looking to make a deal with another 15 properties around Las Vegas. NBC News says workers at The D, Downtown Grand, Golden Nugget, Tropicana, Treasure Island and more could strike at any time since the strike has already been approved.
The NBC article closed with interesting information that I wasn’t aware of: “The average worker on the Las Vegas Strip makes about $23 an hour, including benefits such as premium-free health care, a pension and a 401(k) retirement savings plan.”
Rumor of the week: “MGM mulls more Strip buys”
The Stiffs and Georges blog notes that MGM Growth Properties (MGM’s REIT) is snooping around a couple of stalled projects on the Vegas Strip.
“MGP believes that for a Strip property to be viable, it needs scale (4,000+ rooms), and while The Drew and Genting’s Resorts World would certainly be large enough, there has yet to be much progress on either project.”
Work hasn’t started at Resorts World despite their crane show and staged construction photos. I drove by The Drew too many times this week and there wasn’t a person to be found on site. During their last earnings call, Wynn CEO Matt Maddox noted that he hasn’t seen progress on either property. There’s a whole lotta nothing happening on the north end of the Vegas Strip.
I’m not sure why MGM would want to bother with these properties but it’s interesting to think about. Unless either owner has a fire sale and dumps the projects on the cheap, I don’t see MGM buying into this depressing part of the Vegas Strip.
Wynn News
Wynn Sorta Dumps Parking Fees
Beginning July 1, self-parking and valet parking will be included in the existing resort fee for hotel guests at Wynn and Encore. However, parking isn’t free for everyone. Locals and non-guests will still have to pay for self-parking and valet parking unless they spend some cash on site.
Parking can be validated once per day, per vehicle, upon receipt of any $50 spend within Wynn or Encore. KTNV says the spend includes all retail stores, restaurants, theaters, nightclubs, lounges, “and all game play.”
A round of drinks for 3 people or a meal for two should cover the $50 needed for validation. While not perfect, this is a step in the right direction for anyone that hates paying to park. Coincidentally, I drove to Wynn for the first time since they started the parking fees. The cost was $7 for lunch. Parking for the same meal in Manhattan would have been twice that.
Keep up to date on the Wynn parking policy here.
Wynn Plaza Almost Ready
When I entered the casino from the parking garage I noticed a giant bear to my left. He’s guarding the entry to Wynn Plaza. Eater Vegas says the shopping plaza that extends west towards the Vegas Strip should be open early summer. Wynn Plaza is closed off to the public but the mall itself looks close to being done. Next up will probably be the stores putting up signs and adding the product for shoppers.
Wynn Goes Solar
The Wynn Solar Facility is now online. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the new solar array provided 80% of the daytime power demand at Wynn and Encore during its first weekend of operation.
Quick Hits
I think Vegas news is taking a break now that the hockey season is over and ZorkFest and 360 Vegas Vacation have blown through town. Here are a few more bits of new around town.
- Want to be the first couple married in a driverless bus? In Vegas. For free. Read more here.
- Derek Stevens, owner of The D and Golden Gate, has added another downtown Las Vegas building to his real estate holdings. Read more here.
- Blue Moon Bar coming to Planet Hollywood. The bar looks like it will replace the circular bar in front of Zappos Theater. The big difference, besides the beer branding, is that this bar will have video poker. Read more here.
- Madame Tussauds at The Venetian opened The Hangover Bar. Yep, a bar in a wax museum. Read more here.
- KÀ by Cirque du Soleil is offering a free open house called KÀ 360 every Saturday and Tuesday at 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. The show takes place at MGM Grand. Read more here.
- Last but not least, you can now bet on sports legally in Delaware. Eric checked out the scene earlier this week. A bill was passed in New Jersey to legalize sports betting. It’s waiting on the Governor to sign it into law. If the bill in New Jersey passes the Golden Nugget won’t be able to take bets on any NBA games since the owner, Tilman Fertitta also owns the Houston Rockets. You can read about it here.
- One thing to keep an eye on as sports betting is legalized around the country are the odds available in each state. Each state will have different odds. In the end, Las Vegas may up having the fairest odds. Time will tell. You can read more here. Also see: [On Location] DELAWARE Sports Betting – Gambling with Training Wheels.
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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.
