Lots of Vegas News for this one, but first let’s look at all the changes happening at Cosmopolitan. My Identity offers from The Cosmopolitan dried up last year since I stopped visiting so often. When I saw that Identity Gold would be downgraded and matched to MGM Rewards Platinum when the changeover happens I decided to spend my money elsewhere.
This week I visited for the first time in a few months and noticed a few changes on the casino floor that I’ve seen discussed but haven’t seen. You can see a few pics below.
Thanks to my friend always being late I was able to wander around to kill time. The first change I noticed was a new small stadium game installation in between the Chandelier Bar and the sportsbook.
Next to this installation, I saw a slew of Game King video poker/keno machines that used to be elsewhere on the casino floor. This is in the odd little walk towards the sportsbook.
The changes make this whole area look kind of sad and lonely. Having all slot machines wasn’t anything special but it felt like it made sense. It now feels like a place to dump old people.
While trying to play a little Pai Gow Poker, I saw that a few tabletop games had replaced video poker and slots just outside of Clique. This makes sense as this area started to become a place for people to sit, not gamble or pay for drinks, and look inside Clique to watch football games.
Most of my time was spent at Chandelier Bar playing video poker, catching up, and drinking. Some things never change.
Let’s get to the rest of the Vegas News!
The Sphere is celebrating July 4 with new programming. Read more here.
The Sphere keeps adding shows to the Eagles’ limited engagement. There are now 16 shows over eight weekends. Read more here.
While I’m sharing Sphere news, there’s a sponsor for the first UFC card at the venue. Read more here.
Breaking news: The tram from The Mirage to Treasure Island is done since one of the casinos is closing next month. Read more here.
Actual news about The Mirage – Shin Lim’s show at The Mirage is moving across the street to The Palazzo because The Mirage is closing. Read more here.
It appears as though the Caesars Palace Poker Room will become a high-limits slot room while the current one is renovated. Read more here.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix has new, less expensive, GA+ tickets. Read more here and see more here.
It looks like preparations to expand Durango are underway. Read more here.
I shared some information about Durango possibly expanding way back in 2023. Read it here.
David Guetta is taking his talents from Wynn to Fontainebleau (Las Vegas and Miami). Read more here.
Bert Kreischer is doing a couple of shows at Resorts World. They must pay well because he’s been loyal to MGM for the past few years, including this year during Super Bowl week. Anyway, read more here.
It took a while but I finally put together the list of outdoor gaming areas. Most are poolside, one in swim-up, and a couple are bar tops outside of the pool. Read about it here.
Here’s a sweet video of the Fontainebleau pool. There’s a quick shot of the blackjack area.
MGM Resorts will report second-quarter earnings on July 31. You can listen if you’re bored. I’ll share any relevant news.
This is a fun Vegas News one from MGM. The company will have live dealer games available online from Bellagio and MGM Grand. This will only be available in Europe. Read more here.
MGM purchased Tipico sportsbook for its technology. This might impact BetMGM apps in the future but there’s nothing meaningful today. File under: sharing is caring. Read more here.
The LVCVA released visitation data for May. Hotel room prices averaged $200/night for the month. The small report is chock full of nerdy info. Enjoy it here!
Penn Entertainment, operator of M Resort in Las Vegas and other casinos around the country, has a partnership with its rewards program and Ticketmaster. Read more here.
Unrelated, Boyd Gaming might be considering buying Penn. We should hear more about this when Boyd reports earnings. Read about the possible deal here.
Sneaker Con is at Mandalay Bay in July. Read and see more here.
The Noodle Shop at The Cal is open once again and has a new menu. Read more here.
Wynn has another year to start building Wynn West.
TravelZork had initial plans for Wynn West right after the company shared details during an earnings call in 2018. Read more here.
The plans for the Wynn Paradise Park expansion in 2017 were bananas and are even more bananas today. Read about it here.
NFR (National Finals Rodeo) is staying in Las Vegas until at least 2035. Read about the deal here.
IGT is finally rolling out the Whitney Houston slot machine it debuted at G2E last year. It’s not in Las Vegas yet and the first casino that will install the game is South Point. You can see where the game is here.
Vegas Advantage compiled a list of where you can play $5 blackjack in Las Vegas. Find more info here.
Life Is Beautiful is different this year and will take place in Sept. Read more here.
I happened upon Sin City Tow over the weekend and I might be hooked. I haven’t watched a show like this in years. It’s fun background TV while your playing a game or doing chores. You can watch the first two episodes on YouTube. See the promo below.
That’s it for the Vegas News, have a great weekend!
