I had a bit too much coffee today so we’re going to mess around with the Vegas News format a little this week. Consider this a Quick Hits sandwich. The bigger stories at the beginning and end will be the bread and the Quick Hits in the middle will be the filler of the sandwich. There was a lot of news this week but the transfer of SLS Las Vegas seems to be a great place to start.
SLS Las Vegas Sale Approved
It feels as though SLS Las Vegas opened 10 years ago. It’s only been open 3.5 years but who’s counting? It almost feels as though there’s been drama since the property once known as the Sahara reopened. Well, it’s time to close the book on this chapter and it’s time to move onto something new at Sahara/SLS.
This week the Nevada Gaming Commission approved the sale SLS Las Vegas to the Meruelo Group. The new owner of the SLS will take control before the month is over. The month ends in less than a week so this is happening soon. You can read their press release here.
The name of the casino will remain SLS for at least a little while. The Meruelo Group says they’ve decided to see if there’s any brand value with the name. You’d think this was already decided. Who are we to assume the SLS name will go away after the rest of the property is upgraded? Hmmm…anyway.
The Meruelo Group has a two year $100 million upgrade plan for SLS. Part of the initial renovations includes dumping the 32-foot tall blob of a statue in front of the casino. So Long Sam. Inside the casino-hotel, they will upgrade some of the rooms, redesign the pool deck, and most importantly make casino floor brighter. I expect they will shuffle the layout of the casino floor as well. You can read more about the sale and upgrade plan at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Details have not been released about the players club and gaming odds. Expect to hear about the players club shortly after the ownership transfer. Gaming odds and rules might take a bit longer. I look forward to seeing these and the other changes.
Quick Hits
I laid off twitter for much of the week so the quick hits today will read more like extended news tweets I like to share.
Steve Wynn sold all of his shares of Wynn Resorts. Read more here. I don’t follow the stock market (or like to read about it) but I believe this announcement with Galaxy Entertainment and Wynn Resorts is different. Read more here. Despite rumors on twitter, the Wynn name isn’t leaving the Vegas Strip. Read more here.
In #NewVegas an outdoor bar gets new TV’s 20 years before the sportsbook sees new TV’s. Beer Park at Paris Las Vegas is already getting new TV’s. The sportsbook screens look like they were last updated around 1995. The seating isn’t much newer. Read more about Beer Park here.
Scotch 80 Prime is replacing N9NE Steakhouse at Palms. Everyone’s favorite, chef Barry, will return. They’ll serve “actual Kobe beef” and have more than $1 million of scotch available. I like steak and I like scotch. Read more here.
Blink 182 announced a residency at the Pearl Theater inside Palms. This isn’t the original band since it’s only 2/3rds of the original lineup. Read more here.
Station Casinos wisely decided to stop offering the Bad Beat jackpot in their poker rooms. There was a lot of drama around this promotion. Read about the fiasco here.
In Las Vegas, we don’t have kosher restaurants. We have Jewish restaurants because restaurant operators have to cater to everyone. Starting December you’ll be able to get a salami, bacon and cheese sandwich at Sadelle’s inside Bellagio. It’s replacing the cafe. Read more here.
The Fremont Street Experience now has funding to move forward with planned upgrades. The biggest change will be upgrading the canopy. Beginning 2019, the Viva Vision screens will be so bright they can bang you with music all day and night. Read more here.
IGT Virtual Reality contests are now at the Orleans. The concept is pretty cool. Unfortunately, you’re not playing for real money. You can play virtual archery at the Orleans for slot dollars – sorry there’s no real money. Read more and watch news report here.
eSports Arena Opens At Luxor
The 30,000 square foot eSports Arena opened at Luxor this week. This place is massive. To give you an idea about the size, it’s more than 30 times the size of the new sportsbook at Monte Carlo/Park MGM which is just under 1,000 square feet. If the multi-level venue was on one floor it would be larger than the casino floor at Four Queens in downtown Las Vegas.
Everything from the 50-foot video wall to vintage video game cocktail bar sounds great in different ways. I can’t wait to check it out first hand. In the meantime, you can read and see more here.
Related: eSports in Vegas
Big Changes Ahead For The Stratosphere Players Club
Last week we told you that Golden Entertainment has a 3 year, $140 million plan to redevelop the Stratosphere. This week they announced that announced that all of their casinos will begin using the Konami Synkros player management system at all of their casinos.
Why does this matter?
This matters because it will link all Golden Entertainment casinos to one players club. A gambler can earn comps and points at all of their casinos in Nevada and use them at other properties. Moreover, this is the beginning of a Golden integration.
Before the year is over, players at PT’s Pub will be able to earn points at all taverns and redeem at the hotels. This is potentially a big deal for locals and tourists that don’t necessarily want to eat, drink and gamble in casinos all the time.
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