I understand why businesses don’t like to make news heading into a long holiday weekend, but I don’t like it. This was barely a thing when I was younger, and it’s seemingly grown every year as the news cycle gets shorter.
If a company shares anything it wants people to be aware of 48 hours before the weekend, it will be published and forgotten five days later. This week is especially slow with July 3rd being a bank holiday.
On the bright side, I was able to file this a few hours early, so you’ll have something to read over the weekend.
Enjoy the long weekend and Happy Independence Day to those who celebrate.
Las Vegas started celebrating America 250 last month. Stay up to date here.
Of course, Las Vegas is the centerpiece of Grucci’s nationwide fireworks shows for America 250. Read more here.
Holiday news dump: BFA Law is investigating Barry Diller’s $48.30 per share offer to acquire MGM Resorts International. See the press release here.
Tailgate Social at Mandalay Bay (AKA Stadium Swim on the Strip) has an all-day $100 all-you-can-drink deal for dudes. It’s less for women. Read more here.
Hard Rock is proposing a 2,000-capacity theater to go along with the 5,000-capacity theater already planned. Read more here.
I expect one of the 20 or so bars or restaurants will have a smaller entertainment venue like Barbershop at Cosmopolitan or other similar concepts around town.
This is the first major addition I’ve seen since plans were first presented to the Nevada Gaming Control Board a few years ago. You can read about that here.
Breaking News: The Bellagio Conservatory display is beautiful! See below and read about it here.
MGM Rewards Gold members and higher can get free booze at Golden Hour. This is normally $500 for four people (see the press release). See the tweet here.
MGM Resorts will report earnings on July 29. Maybe we’ll hear some info about the People deal by then. If you’re not familiar, read about it here.
Earlier this week, I joked that I’ve become a real estate guy covering all the vacant plots of land on the Vegas Strip. Developers purchased land for an arena across the street from Mandalay Bay that would include private jet parking for Mr. TravelZork and his pals. Read more here.
On the topic, Bob Iger (former Disney CEO) is one of the interested parties in owning the Las Vegas NBA team. Read more here.
Bill Foley, owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, is officially in the running to own the team. This has always made the most sense to me because he and MGM own T-Mobile Arena, and this would give them an excuse to upgrade the venue. Also, nobody would have to build a new arena that will likely be empty for half the year. Read more here.
Wynn’s 3-day Revelry food event is back. Read more here.
Caesars already announced it will take over operations of the Westgate SuperBook. Based on this month’s Nevada Gaming Control Board agenda, it looks like it will technically be operated by William Hill. See the agenda item here.
In the last Vegas News, I mentioned how Bally’s has to poo or get off the pot about building their portion on the old Tropicana site. I dove a little deeper into the topic, and the plan to do nothing is still in effect. If they ever start the hotel towers and casino, neither will open until well past 2028, when the A’s are supposed to open the stadium. See the past seven days of construction below and read about it here.
I got word that my credentials for G2E were approved. I’ve been going for 15 years but still get excited when I see the message. Drop me a message on the socials if there’s anything you’re curious about.
Boyd Gaming will report earnings on July 23. I look forward to 10 minutes about the company and 50 minutes of them deflecting questions about purchasing Caesars casinos.
Celine has a new residency in Paris! France. She also recorded music in Las Vegas. Read more here.
You may remember that when Palms opened under current management, we reviewed the property twice. The regular Ivory Tower room review was the low-rolling visit and the Ivory Tower suite review was for the high(er)-rollers. I recently spoke with the GM about how San Manuel’s tribal culture has made the experiences, then and now, great. Read more here.
The sportsbook at Rio is finally getting a facelift. See the tweet here.
More breaking news: Las Vegas is the best city for conferences. Read more here.
Gold Spike was sold to real estate developers. There’s no word on plans or if $5 Sexy Blackjack will return. Read more here.
Caesars has deals! Read more here.
The LVCVA and Las Vegas nightclubs have a deal for people turning 21. Pass this deal along if you know anyone hitting the milestone.
When I turned 21, I was “forced” to drink a bottle of Thunderbird, Mad Dog, Boone’s, and a 6-pack of Labatte’s Ice before we went out to celebrate. Never forget.
There are only two casinos left with coin-operated slot machines. Read more here.
Five Guys at the Plaza won’t open until at least the fourth quarter. See the tweet here.
Red Rock Resorts is reporting earnings on Aug. 4. There are a few news items that should come from this call but I can’t talk about it right now.
Station Casinos turns 50 this month. Read a little bit about it here and here.
Boxing and Mike Tyson are coming to the Sahara later this month. Read more here.
Dating in Las Vegas is expensive. Read more here.
The new Pac-12 will hold its basketball tournament in Las Vegas. Read more here.
Avelo Airlines is now flying to Las Vegas from McKinney Airport in TX. Get info on the low-cost airline here.
Before filing this, I received a press release with some info about Circa’s At Par promotion. “Circa, the D and Golden Gate’s Currency Parity Program Generates More Than 75,000 Canadian Visits, $15 Million in Slot Coin-In and 7,500 Hotel Room Nights Since Debuting in January 2026.”
I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but nearly 1 million people have flown Air Canada and WestJet to Las Vegas so far this year, according to LAS data. You can read that here.
Outside of Vegas: Ember Entertainment is a rewards program for online casinos and others outside of Las Vegas, but there’s some connection with Palms. Read more here.
Lastly, wish Mr. TravelZork a Happy Birthday. He and the boss celebrated in Las Vegas last weekend!
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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.