The transformation of Monte Carlo to Park MGM continues in high gear. The casino-resort figures to be a heavy work zone for the foreseeable future. Eventually, Monte Carlo will become Park MGM and NoMad hotel in 2018. The renderings say the exterior will look something like this.

Last week we showed you a tour of a renovated hotel room at Monte Carlo. You can actually book your own Park MGM preview room now. Rates for these rooms are as low as $39 before fees. Again, this isn’t quite the luxury price point I was expecting. This could also be a “construction discount” because of all the work. I’m told NoMad will be the real luxury experience at Park MGM. I look forward to seeing those rooms.

More Restaurants Closing At Monte Carlo

The buffet is now closed at Monte Carlo and Eater Vegas says that 800 Degree Pizza will be moving to New York New York. These restaurants follow the closures of Yusho, Andre’s, BLVD Creamery, D.vino, Dragon Noodle Co., Brand Steakhouse, and The Pub. at Monte Carlo.

The dining options at Monte Carlo are very limited right now. If you’re taking advantage of the low-priced rooms during construction it appears as though Primrose will be open to the public at any minute. You can also walk across the street to New York-New York for a plethora of dining options.

New Flamingo Room Video

While the rooms at Park MGM are a little disappointing the new hotel rooms at Flamingo look surprisingly nice. We first told you about the Flamingo room renovations way back in May. Here’s a newly released video of the rooms.

The colors are what you’d expect from a room at the Flamingo. The main room looks much less boring than the renovated room at Planet Hollywood. The bathroom renovations for these rooms is much needed. The new Flamingo Las Vegas hotel rooms should be available before the year is over. I look forward to seeing the rooms first hand.

Fortune Cup Coming To The Venetian and MGM Grand

The newest horse racing game will be installed sometime this month at MGM Grand and The Venetian. Details on the placements are sparse but I hear the MGM Grand location will be near Whiskey Down. A demo version of Fortune Cup was on display at G2E last year. This video does a great job of showing all the bells and whistles.

Madonna Slot Machine Coming Soon(ish)

Aristocrat will debut a Madonna slot machine at G2E in early October. I’ll be at the expo to check it out and will have pictures and hopefully video. Details on the game are limited but you can see the press release here.

There’s one sentence from the release that has my curiosity peaked “Each Madonna Slot Game will be themed with its own unique gameplay…” I wasn’t able to find out specifics but I hope to at G2E.

There are usually more announcements by this time before G2E of new licensed slot machines. I’ll share the big names on twitter when I hear announcements. This tech dork hopes the gaming manufacturers are focusing on better gameplay than 30-year-old brands. G2E is always chock full of new games and information on the casino business. I’m sure there will be lots to share.

Quick Hits

Here are some news bites from all over Las Vegas.

• Stage Deli next to the sports book at MGM Grand has closed. There is no replacement yet. Read more here.
• The Caesars Blog has a list of Happy Hours at their bars around Las Vegas. Read more here.
• Life Is Beautiful is really unlike other major music festivals. Many streets will be closed during and before the festival on September 22-24. Read more here.
• Back in May we told you that Bally’s would be adding Monster Mini Golf. There isn’t an opening date yet but there is a theme. KTNV says it will be a “Twilight Zone” themed course. Read more here.
• Planet Dailies at Planet Hollywood is closing. Hopefully, they keep the same staff and recipes. They made a fantastic bacon omelet. Read more here.
• Piff The Magic Dragon extends residency at Flamingo again. I can understand why. He was the highlight when I saw Vegas Nocturne at Rose.Rabbit.Lie when the show first opened. Read more here.
• Here’s a peek at what you can expect from the room renovations at the Cosmopolitan.
• Station Casinos is upping their cocktail game. Expect this to be implemented around the great, but less fancy, locals specials. I’m still waiting on Station Casinos to expand their Banger Brewing beer selections beyond one casino. Read more about the new booze dudes here.

Full-Scale Promotion From MGM Resorts

MGM Resorts International is launching a new national promotional campaign this week called “Welcome To The Show.” You can see the 60-second version below.

I’m hear that the TV versions will edit the “Holy Sh*t Business” part of the ad. Evidently “sh*t” is a bad word. You can see the full 2-minute version of “Welcome To The Show here. As for as mainstream marketing goes this is pretty good.

The ad mirrors how people have seen Las Vegas over the years. The specifics may have changed over the years but partying, drinking, shows, fine dining, and gambling are what attract people to Las Vegas. This is a current take on that. As a gambler, I’m just happy to see some kind of gambling elements featured.

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