Vegas News April 24, 2022

NFL Draft In Vegas

This will be one of the busiest weeks in Las Vegas in a while. In addition to Palms opening off the Strip, the NFL Draft will take place on the Vegas Strip. Attendance for the NFL Draft in Vegas is estimated between 500,000 and 600,000 people. Navigating the Vegas Strip will be a wild ride and we’re all here for it!

The attendance estimates are over three days. That means somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 people will be on the Vegas Strip each day of the NFL Draft.

For reference, that’s like three nights of New Year’s Eve crowds. This many people visiting Las Vegas isn’t unprecedented for one day but over three days it might be a bit much.

Entry to the NFL Draft Stages and Draft Experience is free but you must sign up for NFL OnePass to enter. You can register here.

There are already some lane closures and there will be more during the actual event. This will make getting to the draft kind of a headache. 

I recommend parking at the Las Vegas Convention Center or Sahara and taking the monorail to The Linq if you’re driving. Try taking a rideshare to and from the Draft by stopping at Wynn, The Venetian, Treasure Island, or Tuscany then walking to the event. These might be the fastest ways to get to and from the area. 

I wrote about the traffic mess here if you need more info.

NFL Draft – Concert Series

The NFL released its concert series and entertainment for the draft stages on Friday. See the specifics here. I was expecting some Las Vegas-related headliners but that’s not the case. At least there will be acts like Absinthe performing throughout the event for a little Vegas fun.

NFL Draft – A Major Event

The NFL Draft in Las Vegas will certainly be a major event. I expect that I’ll check out the NFL Experience and stages one morning or afternoon before the draft takes place. I feel like I’ll need to be alone when the Jets make their two top 10 picks.

You can find all of the official information on the NFL Draft here.

Palms Opening

The NFL Draft isn’t the only big thing happening this week. Palms is opening its casino on Wednesday and hotel on Thursday. I should be on hand to preview the property the night it opens. If there’s an issue on Wednesday, I’ll be there on Thursday.

Last week we gave a heads up about the players club. Now that Palms is closer to opening, the casino updated the website with all the information that’s fit to print. You can see full details on Club Serrano here.

Palms released its restaurant information when the new website launched. No surprises with what’s opening. The only minor surprise to me is that the AYCE buffet doesn’t open until 9 am on weekends.

That seems a little late. I’m halfway to lunch by then since I rarely sleep until 6 am. You can read more about Palms dining here.

As expected, William Hill received approval to operate the Palms sportsbook. The new operators have been secretive about the changes to this part of the casino. I should be on hand for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting this week. Read more here.

While there won’t’ be many changes to Palms but I noticed one new thing that should make a lot of people happy. There will be entertainment everywhere. 

Some of the restaurants will have quiet live music. The sportsbook will have music, including dueling pianos, after the games. There will be DJs at various bars in the casino. The website says one part of the casino will be a party pit. I’m curious.

Those are the big events of the week. Let’s get to the news!

Las Vegas Quick Hits

• Vital Vegas has some insight on Fremont Casino renovations. On a related note, the Boyd Gaming earnings call is on Tuesday. Read more here.
• I know some people have been waiting for this moment for a while. Raiding The Rock Vault is back. The show will be inside a new venue in RIO All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel and Casino beginning June 17. Read more here.
• Caesars Rewards Loyalty Program won some awards that mean very little to you or me. Read more here.
• I didn’t realize the group Crystal Method was from Nevada. The group has a new video and NFT from the video. Read and see more here.
• I’m so over the Adele story but the news is news! Here’s something about Adele firing people and maybe doing the Las Vegas residency. Read more here. 
• Dive in Movies is back at The Cosmopolitan this summer. Read more here.
• Wynn recently opened the AFT Cocktail Deck. It looks great and menu prices aren’t insane. Can’t wait to check this out. Read more here.
• The (golf) Match will take place at Wynn Golf Club for the second time. This year will have Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers playing Pat Mahomes and Josh Allen. Read more here.
• Circa Sports is opening a sportsbook at a new casino in Sparks, NV later this year. Read more here.
• Free wifi is coming to JSX. Read the tweet here.
• Hotel operators sometimes hire outside companies to help them maximize revenue. Caesars just hired one of those companies. Read more here.
• There’s some serious drama at Resorts World. Read more here.
• There’s a Dart Bar coming to The Palazzo. See information about Flight Club here. 
• Resorts World is hosting a slew of random and unrelated events over the next year. The latest announcement is the Wine Spectator’s Grand Tour in June. Read more here.
• Resorts World will also be home to Journey playing shows with a symphony orchestra. Read more here.
• Speaking of partying at Resorts World. There’s a property-wide party happening on Memorial Day Weekend. Read more here.
• Somehow there are still questions about Marijuana Lounges. These will eventually open. Read more here.
• The Peppermint Hippo is now open on the Vegas Strip where Olympic Gardens used to be. While the hippo and rhino establishments are the same type of business, Peppermint and Spearmint are not related. Read more here.
• Circa has sweepstakes for the ladies. Read more here.
• Something I’ve been thinking about over the past year with some casinos not lowering minimum bets and increasing room rates as much as possible is the reality that this might be the new normal. Axios has an article about price increases in the real world not going away. Read more here.

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