The big Vegas News from the past couple of weeks is probably Caesars Rewards introducing a new highest tier, Olympus. Hurdy Gurdy Justin broke it down last week.
Caesars had my go-to properties when I lived on the East Coast because they took care of me in Atlantic City. I had a great host at Planet Hollywood but eventually stopped playing at Caesars properties shortly after moving to Las Vegas.
I’ve never been one to play for status or points, but I’ll always enjoy them when they fit in my budget and existing plans. It seems that most Caesars Rewards players are treating this new tier status the same way, because the initial benefits of spending twice as much are lackluster.
In other Caesars news, shareholders will vote on the Fertitta takeover on Sept. 22. This seems like a done deal, since they didn’t accept Carl Icahn’s offer. Get the details here.
The LVCVA put together a list of Labor Day Weekend events. If you plan to be in town, you can see the overview of events here.
The Las Vegas Michelin Star awards were announced this week. Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast is the same as fine dining restaurants at Wynn, Aria, and other Strip casinos. You can see the Las Vegas Michelin Star winners here.
You can get free food samples at the Cosmopolitan Block Party at the Block 16 Food Hall on Sept. 5, from noon to 4 p.m. Get the details here.
Bally’s is such a cluster. I’ve been trying to see this through before diving into it, but there’s so much happening regularly that it’s impossible to avoid. Here’s the latest rendering.
There’s no hotel or casino, and there’s a parking lot out to the Strip. The edible is about to kick in, so I’m going to leave my comments for another day. Also, I want more coffee, but that seems wrong.
Bally’s hasn’t started construction on anything and could bail on the Las Vegas project so it can fund its half-finished Chicago casino and/or the casino in the Bronx, NY, near where I went to High School. Read more here.
Did you know that Cordish, the company behind PA Live, MD Live, and other properties, was approved to operate a Las Vegas casino in 2009? Read more here.
Cordish is partnered with GLPI, the owner of Bally’s Las Vegas real estate, for its Live projects. I’m not saying they’ll buy the rights from Bally’s, but it’s a name I haven’t heard much about lately and thought this was interesting enough to share.
We can’t talk about Bally’s without checking out the last 30 days of construction on the Las Vegas A’s stadium. Please enjoy.
You can now redeem Fontainebleau Rewards points for off-property experiences like tickets to the Neon Museum. The catch is a 2:1 redemption rate. Read more here.
The Palms non-smoking slot room just opened and is replacing Mabel’s BBQ. There’s also bartop video poker, and it sells bourbon flights for $10. Read more here.
Boring update: They’re now approved for 123 stations. Nine stations have opened since construction started in 2021.
At this pace, all 123 stations will be open by 2083!!!!!!!
Read more here.
The Steakhouse at Circus Circus has a new Happy Hour.
An 8-ounce filet is normally $80, so the Happy Hour deal is a $20 savings if you go by ounces. The 24-ounce ribeye is $99, so the price of the 10-ounce ribeye isn’t much of a deal. As for the chicken…if you order chicken at a steakhouse, you should be forced to spend the rest of your life at Circus Circus.
If you’re not familiar with The Steakhouse, the price for steak includes a side and salad. See the full menu with prices here.
The table games supervisor book from Station Casinos is a fun read, although there’s not much new for experienced gamblers. One thing I wasn’t aware of is craps ratings increasing on hot tables. It’s been forever since I had a hot table. Coincidentally, the first hot craps table I had after moving to Las Vegas was at Red Rock. Get the book highlights here.
New York-New York changed its 24-hour restaurant. Read more here.
Speaking of NYNY, Mad Apple is closing. Read more here.
The free Neon City Music fest in November named its headliners. Hey, it’s free! Read more here.
XS at Wynn is reopening in November after a major renovation. Read more here.
The new taco spot is open in the Durango food hall. Read more here.
I never noticed that Fontainebleau has benefits for military peeps. Get the details here.
The new high-limit slot room at Plaza is now open. Get the scoop here.
Boomer’s sportsbook is taking over operations at Binion’s and Four Queens next month.
G2E is almost here, and new games like Buffalo Blocks are already popping up in casinos. I’ll share interesting info as it comes in. The first thing on my list to see is this 11’ tall slot machine.
Golden Nugget joined the All-inclusive party. Get the details here.
Speaking of the Golden Nugget, the casino added the Yahtzee table game. Read about it here.
Proper food hall at Aria has $60 All-you-can-eat during football game sessions on Sat. and Sun. There’s also $5 beer for some night games. Get the details here.
Tailgate Beach Club (AKA Stadium Swim on the Strip) at Mandalay Bay has free entry for football games, but a chair comes with a $ 75-or-more minimum spend per person. See the tweet here.
You may have noticed I’ve been on an off-Strip renovation binge with Boyd and Station. There’s even more happening. See the bigger overview here.
On the topic, here’s a look at the new Aliante sportsbook. Not bad!
Guy Fieri’s cheap brunch at Horseshoe is over. See the tweet here.
Downtown Grand finally has a buyer. The deal could be approved soon. Read more here.
Debbie Gibson is doing Christmas Shows at The Strat. You read that correctly. Read more here.
When Vegas people get bored, they become Disney Adults. If you’re one of them, you might be into the Disney 5 K cosplay run next year. Read more here.
I was watching the Las Vegas TV show last week and decided to ask Gemini what would have happened if the show wasn’t cancelled. See the results here.
Last but not least, Dolly Parton passed away this week. I’ve enjoyed seeing how much people loved her this week. Anyway, here’s a pic of her with the Dolly slot machine.
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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.