Vegas News April 5, 2020
It was April Fool’s Day last week and thankfully nobody was making bad jokes. Unfortunately, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak made another announcement. He extended the non-essential business closures through the month of April. As of now, the big Vegas News is that the soonest Las Vegas casinos may be able to re-open will be May 1. Of course, that could change again by the time this is posted on Sunday.
Don’t get too caught up with the date. This is still a fluid topic and the stay at home order and non-essential business opening dates can change at any time. Since our chat on Wednesday, I’ve seen a different people saying that locals casinos may be opening before some casinos on the Vegas Strip.
ZorkCast Live Webcast – 1 April 2020
Watch the replay on YouTube
MGM Resorts and Caesars staggering casino openings would make sense as the market tries to ramp up from ground zero. It seems likely that locals will likely head out to a casino just to get out of the house. I’m not sure enough tourists will be comfortable traveling right away to make opening all properties on the Vegas Strip to full capacity. Starting with just a few properties at a time might make the most sense.
There will be plenty of time to ponder this. Will you visit a casino when they’re open again? Similarly, are you ready to hop on an airplane again?
You may remember how much I enjoyed my flight to and from Los Angeles on JSX earlier this year. Some people may prefer to fly private or semi-private in the future. The smaller flights are a good way to avoid large crowds of people. Here’s a list of some new private and semi-private routes around the country.
Quarantine Vegasy Entertainment
Besides missing a few hours a day out at a casino, coffee shop, bar, or restaurant my life hasn’t changed all that much with the stay at home order. Knock on wood I can still work from anywhere. Sure, it’s boring not seeing people out but the bulk of my day remains the same.
I’m grateful for having lived this way for as long as I’ve been in Las Vegas. Not everyone is used to having so much time at home. Many people are searching for ways to fill the days with something to do. Thankfully, the entertainers are still finding ways to entertain. It’s taken a while but there’s Las Vegas entertainment making its way online.
A variety of DJ’s from Park MGM are spinning on Instagram Live every Wednesday. You can find more information and set times here.
Vegas Celebrity Chefs – Sharing Recipes
A slew of celebrity chefs with restaurants in Las Vegas are sharing recipes and tutorials on how to make some of their favorite dishes. You can find more information on specific chefs here. One of my favorite comedians, Iliza Shlesinger, started doing a nightly cooking show on Instagram if you’re looking for more cooking videos.
The Neon Museum is ramping up its online content. If you’re missing Las Vegas, definitely visit them online. I follow on Instagram where they’re very active with multiple posts and stories daily. You can find more specific info and links here.
Here’s a short video about Tim Burton’s “Lost Vegas”
Cirque du Soliel just started CirqueConnect. This is a new portal to share Cirque content. Last week they released an hourlong show that isn’t in Las Vegas. That should change in the future. You can read the press release here and see the first video below.
Earlier this year the Mob Museum released a new experiential mobile app. They’re now offering a three-part virtual tour:
- Birth of the Mob: Starting with the Museum’s historic postal boxes in the building’s lobby, make your way up to the third floor, where you’ll learn about the rise of organized crime, the history of Prohibition and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which took place in the north side of Chicago with seven members of George “Bugs” Moran’s bootlegging gang.
- The Mob and Las Vegas: From the Kefauver Committee hearings in our historic courtroom to the Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal car bombing, take a virtual tour of the Mob’s rise in Las Vegas and the responses of law enforcement to the scourge of organized crime in the Museum’s second-floor exhibits.
- The Mob in Politics and Culture: Journey through the Museum’s newest exhibits on the first floor covering wiretapping, modern organized crime and the Mob on TV, and end your virtual tour in The Underground, where you’ll learn more about Prohibition in our fully immersive speakeasy and distillery.
You can find more specifics on the three tours here.
Gambling.com put together a Spotify playlist of 18 songs about gambling. If you’re living correctly, every song is about gambling. Every time I hear “White Flag” by Dido I remember an amazing morning of gambling at Bellagio followed by a limo downtown to the El Cortez to gamble some more. Every time I hear “Airplanes” by B.o.B, I remember playing blackjack at the Margaritaville casino at Flamingo. I could do this for hours. Regardless, my gambling jams have nothing to do with the activity as much as they remind me of the experience.
Anyway, here’s the playlist. (Also, the direct link to Spotify.)
Quick Hits – Vegas News
We actually have some news around Las Vegas this week! Here’s some Vegas News reading material you can enjoy while you listen to some gambling jams or while you have the Cirque show in the background.
- How about a Tiger King attraction in downtown Las Vegas? That coulda been a thing. Read more here.
- Caesars Rewards Loyalty Program has lots of promotions this month: $100 Visa gift cards daily, weekly in-app Tier credit bonuses, and an NFL draft pick-em game. Find more information here.
- Nevada casinos closing for six weeks or more might cause enough of a tax revenue deficit for the government to consider legalizing the lottery. Read more here.
- The NBA has explored having its playoffs in Las Vegas. This would reduce travel since every player would live and play games in Las Vegas. Read more here.
- Construction on the Sphere has been suspended. Read more here.
- Marriott International had a data breach. A lot of people may have been affected. Read more here.
- The NFL Draft in Las Vegas was canceled for this month but could return in 2022. Read more here.
- EDC has been postponed until October. Read more here.
- While Cirque du Soliel is providing free content on YouTube, they’re also exploring bankruptcy. Read more here.
- Last week I missed that the Tropicana was sold for only five months of rent. Read more here.
- WSOP announced its spring online championship. Read more here.
