Vegas News July 18, 2021
“It’s deja vu all over again”
“It’s deja vu all over again,” said one of my favorite baseball players. I never actually saw Yogi Berra play a game but some of his ridiculous and amazing Yogi-isms will always stay with me. Maybe Huey Lewis & The News is more relevant (closer but not really) to 2021. This may be entirely relevant, but we’re going back in time! Don’t worry; after we “go back in time,” we will explore the fabulous Bootlegger Bistro.
We were this close to enjoying Vegas News without too much COVID-19 talk. During the week, I was wondering if there would be anything to write about. Well, last week there was an inkling that COVID-19 cases were spiking a little in Nevada. This week it turns out the new COVID-19 variant is spreading across the country.
SN Health District – Recommends Masks
The Southern Health District of Nevada is now recommending everyone (not just unvaccinated people) wear a mask at crowded indoor spaces like casinos.
The Health District is recommending both unvaccinated and vaccinated people wear masks in crowded indoor public places, including grocery stores, malls, large events, and casinos to help stop the spread of #Covid_19. The full recommendation is available at https://t.co/orgcQl0AwN pic.twitter.com/nWfrolYMIA
— SN Health District (@SNHDinfo) July 16, 2021
No Mask Mandate For Casino Guests – Yet
As of the writing of this article, there is no mask mandate for casino guests. Right now, this is only a recommendation. This is a fast-moving situation and could change by the time you read this. I expect the recommendation to become a mandate once again.
Venetian Employees To Wear Masks
For the time being, The Venetian Resort is requiring employees to wear masks. The Westgate is requiring employees to wear a mask as well. MGM Resorts is asking employees to socially distance themselves at all times. Here’s some more information about what MGM is doing as of this weekend.
The first convention at Caesars Forum (behind The Linq) will be requiring masks for a gaming convention this week.
That’s enough COVID information for the weekend. I’m not going to get too in the weeds on the topic right now. Expect to see more updates throughout the week. For now, let’s get to the news and rumors in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Quick Hits
Las Vegas Quick Hits
Bootlegger Bistro
Last year I wasn’t as bothered by not visiting casinos regularly. Then I started to miss the experience and started dipping my toes into casinos again. This year I dove headfirst back into casino life and visited casinos almost as frequently as 2019. This was the first week in about a month without a visit to casinos. I liked it similar to the way I used to enjoy time away from running around. That doesn’t mean my life was five days of work.
Last week a friend was visiting Las Vegas for non-casino-related work just south of Mandalay Bay. It turns out he was staying at a hotel behind Bootlegger Bistro. This is a locals favorite that I’ve never visited because I don’t go to this part of town.
The Italian food was fantastic and the atmosphere was fantastic. It was great to catch up with an old pal but it was also fun to enjoy something new (to me) in Las Vegas. Bootlegger Bistro is a gem of a restaurant. If you plan on going, just have a reservation. The place was packed when I visited on a Thursday night with very little happening in town.
Okay, let’s really get to the news and rumors in and around Las Vegas for the week.
- Did you check out the armored truck with $3.1 million at the Freemont Street Experience this weekend?
- Rumor of the week #1. The World Series of Poker is moving to Bally’s next year. This hasn’t been confirmed yet but this isn’t exactly new. The WSOP to Bally’s rumor has been around for a couple of years.
- Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas are connected and have a ton of conference space. This would be a good way for Caesars to promote a rebranded Bally’s Las Vegas if that’s still in the mix. There are a lot of moving parts to this whole story. At this point, I’m 60/40 on the WSOP moving to Bally’s.
- If there is a Christmas this year, the Backstreet Boys will have a party at PLANET HOLLYWOOD Las Vegas Resort. Read about the holiday residency here.
- The Sands Expo Center at The Venetian is getting a new name. Read more here.
- It looks like MGM Resorts sold the naming rights to another venue. You may remember that MGM sold the naming rights to the concert venue inside Mandalay Bay earlier this year. The Park Theater at Park MGM is supposedly becoming the Dolby Theater. There’s a theater with this name in LA so make sure to choose the right location when requesting rideshare. Read more here.
- It seems like there’s always something happening at the Plaza. The latest news is that The Sand Dollar will open inside the Plaza later this year. Read and hear more here.
- I saw this video for the Go Go Claw Cash Grab machine at The D and immediately sent it to my friend who likes the worst casino games.
- As expected, we’ll now be visiting The D to play this awful looking game. Wizard of Odds has some info on the game here. The discussion on the Wizard of Vegas board is interesting. You can see that here.
- Costa di Mare at Wynn is closing. Read more here.
- The spa at Virgin has a happy hour now. Instead of making jokes like a 13-year-old boy, I’ll just say read more here.
- It looks like Lady Gaga shows might be returning to Park MGM. Read more here.
- Terry Bradshaw is back at Luxor with a slew of shows from September through December. Read more here.
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp has big names and dates for next year in Las Vegas. This could be fun for fans of 80’s metal. Read more here.
