Vegas News October 20, 2022

The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) blew through Las Vegas this week. As always, it was a fun time seeing new casino games, meeting new people, and connecting with others I don’t see very often.

At times, the attendance at the expo and at panels felt a bit overwhelming. The first day is only panels and usually isn’t well attended. This year, almost every session was standing room only. Turns out, the attendance was just a little lower than in 2019. Read about that here. 

New Casino Games and Gaming Trends

If you’re curious about gaming trends, I shared some highlights from the expo here. You can see even more pictures from the week here.  

The game that was the talk of the show fits perfectly at Circa. This is the only casino with the new Rock Paper Scissors gambling game.

ROCK 👊 PAPER ✋ SCISSORS✌️

The game used to settle every childhood debate just hit our 21+ casino floor. 🎰

Don’t look elsewhere; #CircaLasVegas is the ONLY property in the world where you can play.

Tag a friend who would be all about this. 🙌 #DTLV #GamblingTwitter pic.twitter.com/qmOSiZBFkn

— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 12, 2022

I didn’t see all that much innovation at G2E this year. There were very few table games and the Electronic Table Games are all starting to look alike. 

There were a lot of old slot machine themes and game mechanics (like the new versions of Buffalo) that a being combined to make “new games.” That said, I’m a sucker for BUFFALOOOOOOOOOOO!

In addition to Rock Paper Scissors, Aruze rolled out new versions of Roll To Win and Shoot To Win craps.

The most interesting thing I saw at G2E this week wasn’t actually new. The Peak Bartop with sports betting machine from IGT is an updated version of the unit from last year. It sounds like this will be in casinos before the year is over. Somehow, IGT won a land-based casino gaming award for a game that isn’t in casinos yet. Read more here.

Circa Won the Property of the Year

Circa won the property of the year award during G2E. Read more here.

Overall, G2E was interesting and a fun work function, but it wasn’t mind-blowing for me as a casino customer. I’m already looking forward to next year. In the meantime, let’s get to the news in and around Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Quick Hits

• While at The Venetian for G2E I noticed the lunch special menu on the screen outside of Milo’s. The price is now $38 and there’s an upcharge for items like lamb. It’s still a bargain for this restaurant but it’s not “cheap.” I recommend having this as a heavy lunch and just grabbing a quick small bite for dinner at one of the food halls/courts. 
• The Venetian has been sharing information changes to the property individually over the past couple of months. You can see details about the changes here.
• There’s one update at The Venetian that hasn’t already been announced. The suites at The Palazzo and Venetian will all see a renovation. 
• One interesting note from The Venetian article is that entertainment will increase from around 100 shows per year to as many as 1,000 shows. Appolo mentioned this would be a priority when taking over operations of the property. In fact, the entire article is essentially the plans they announced after the purchase.
• The co-creator of the new show at The Venetian, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is making a special appearance to likely help boost interest in the show for two nights in November. Read more here.
• It looks like the Caesars property (Flamingo Las Vegas) sale is now on hold. Can’t wait to hear the spin during the quarterly earnings call coming up. Read more here.
• It looks like Garth Brooks might end up with a residency at Caesars Palace Las Vegas next year. Read more here.
• Virgin replaced the Money Baby sports bar with a generic version of the same concept. Read more here.
• Virgin/Mohegan Sun Casino still doesn’t have a sportsbook to wager on the games. You can sit in the small space to watch the games if you’d like but you’ll have to go elsewhere or use an app from another casino to wager on the games.

Mirage Plans/Update

• Vital Vegas shared a letter to employees at The Mirage about future plans. It looks like the property will largely remain the same when Hard Rock takes over operations. Read the letter here.  

Ice Rink Returning

• The Ice Rink is returning to The Cosmopolitan in November. See specifics (dates, times, prices, etc.) here.  
• You don’t have to skate to enjoy the gorgeous fall/winter night at the Cosmopolitan rink. See pics from my visit last year here.  
• Adam Sandler is doing two shows at The Cosmopolitan in December. Read more here.
• M Resort is adding a new hotel tower. See and read more here. 
• The Arcade at Bally’s/Horseshoe is now open. Read more here.  
• This is a reminder that Arcade at Bally’s/Horseshoe replaced the sportsbook. There’s a sports betting desk in the casino but there’s no longer a dedicated place to watch the games inside the casino.
• You can now buy a bottle of Sahara’s 70th Anniversary bourbon at Chickie’s & Pete’s. It’s available to drink elsewhere at the property as well. See the Twitter thread here.  
• The BrewDog rooftop bar across from Park MGM is opening in December. You can find more information and renderings here.
• I zoomed in on the construction of BrewDog when I stayed at Park MGM earlier this year. You can see the location above Target here.
• There’s going to be a Punk Rock Museum in downtown Las Vegas. Read more here. 
• The When We Were Young festival dropped the 2023 lineup already. Read more here.  
• Foreigner just announced dates for its 2023 limited engagement at The Venetian. Read more here.
• A show at PLANET HOLLYWOOD Las Vegas Resort nobody cared about is closed. Find out which show is closed here.  
• Plaza is hosting an art exhibition at the old bus station next door. Read more here.  
• The Bronx Wanderers show is moving to South Point. See the tweet here.  
• SkankFest looks like a fun comedy festival. See the list of performers here.   
• I don’t remember how long Jimmy Kimmel’s comedy club at The Linq was open but it looks like it will reopen next month. Read more here.
• MGM Resorts is renovating the Mandalay Bay convention center. Read more here.  
• The M&M’s Store on the Vegas Strip has been open for 25 years. Who knew?! Read more here.
• Palms is having a brunch where guests can talk to dead people. Read more here.