Vegas News December 20, 2020

The Pause – Las Vegas

Last Sunday afternoon, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak extended the statewide pause (“The Pause”) for a month to help slow the spread of coronavirus. This means that nothing will change for anyone visiting casinos, bars, or restaurants.

Capacity Limited – Remember Bars

Capacity at all venues will remain limited. You’ll have to make reservations for a full-service restaurant. However, you can just slide up to a bar and eat without a reservation if you just want a quick bite inside of a restaurant. Quick-serve restaurants and food courts should still be open for anyone. 

Essentially, Las Vegas will be the same for the next month as it’s been for the past month and most of the year. Life around casinos is slower overall – especially during weekdays. Vegas will continue to be somewhat busier when visitors drive in for the weekend. 

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Be Sure To Also See:
[UPDATED] Vegas is open again, but is it worth the visit?

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Las Vegas – “Make Your Own Fun”

It seems as though Las Vegas will be fairly busy by 2020 standards from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day. Expect January to be a ghost town. If you like to make your own fun, this could be a good time to visit if you’re looking for a nice chill getaway.

The local ABC TV station has a list of things you can do on New Year’s Eve in Vegas. Sure, there won’t be as many people in Las Vegas as in previous years for New Year’s Eve but parts of the Vegas Strip will be closed to vehicular traffic as usual. 

The newspaper says hotel room rates are higher than in recent months due to higher than usual 2020 demand. The prices aren’t crazy as in previous years but they’re more than you’ve probably seen advertised most of the year.

Quick Hits: Show update

Not much to say here but I thought I’d group show notes together.

• Piff The Magic Dragon is back at Flamingo. Tape Face is back at Harrah’s. Read more here.
• Absinthe is closed for now. Read more here. 
• The Brad Garrett Comedy Club at MGM Grand will be back on December 26. See the tweet here for more info.

Las Vegas Quick Hits

Las Vegas “The Pause” Quick Hits

We’re entering what’s typically a slow news period while everyone gets into holiday and vacation mode. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening, but there’s less than usual (and “The Pause”). Funk that! We got the goods right here!

• The Vegas Strip continues to pander to the most common visitors. Construction on the Olive Garden near Park MGM is back on. This will be located near the new Target. There are plenty of people that love familiar brand names so this should do well. If you’re like me and don’t like this kind of chain restaurant, you don’t have to go. There are plenty of good Italian restaurants in Las Vegas.
• Wynn dropped a press release for the new Wynn Rewards program this week. According to the RJ says it will actually be operational this week. On a related note, the Venetian’s changeover to a new Grazie rewards program we shared last week is now official. 
• IGT released a new electronic table game called Dynasty Peak Terminal. The video below of the roulette game was shot at Circa. This is the first time I’ve seen a 000 roulette electronic table game. It appears as though all other roulette games at Circa are double zero. You can check out a preview of the machine below. 

• The Department of Hawaiian Homelands is proposing to build a casino in Kapolei. There could be a decision later this week. This would be bad news for Boyd Gaming and its downtown properties that depend on visitors from Hawaii.
• Construction on the Raiders restaurant and bar at M Resort is back on. It was supposed to open in time for the Las Vegas Raiders first season but that didn’t happen. You can read about it here. On a related note, there was supposed to be a Buffalo Wild Wings built at Mandalay Bay in time for the season. I’m told we should hear more about MGM Resorts’ partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings next year.
• Hey, want to blow up a casino? Head to New Jersey! Read more here.
• Here’s a strange deal but it actually makes sense with casinos looking for more regional guests who are driving to Las Vegas instead of flying. MGM Resorts has partnered with Fuelster to deliver gas directly to a guest’s car. The Fuelster website says “You pay the same as the lowest price of the nearest gas station.” It doesn’t appear as though the partnership offers a discount but the service seems useful for someone who’d rather get one last roll at the craps table instead of driving over to a gas station.
• Virgin Hotels Las Vegas doesn’t have an opening date but they have uniforms! Check em out. 

Our uniforms will make their own statement.

Our front-of-house uniforms were created to be relaxed, yet fashionable. Comfortable, yet chic. Unique, yet simply an extension of the #VirginHotelsLV vibe. https://t.co/zKooTVcjRd pic.twitter.com/qUmqSUFoKB

— Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (@VirginHotelsLV) December 14, 2020

• The Megabucks jackpot is currently greater than $15 million. This is its highest total since 2012. Read more here.
• HEYO! It’s time for another Boring update! Enjoy.
• The Fremont Street Experience is 25 years old! They’ll celebrate next year possibly before it’s been around 26 years. See the tweet here.
• Have $300 million laying around? You can buy a huge plot of land near McCarran Airport. Check out the real estate listing here.

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