This was a wild week in Las Vegas, from a free play promotion that went exactly how we all expected to a hotel catfishing customers. At least I got to have some tasty eggslut without waiting in a huge line!
Since we publish Vegas News every two weeks, there’s some older info to share. This is one of the busiest editions of Vegas News, so let’s get to it!
Treasure Island had a $200 free play promotion for new and existing reward club members. As you’d imagine, there was chaos. The casino was understaffed for new player sign-ups, and the kiosks went out for a few hours at least once. It was supposed to run through Sept. 7 but was cancelled after three days. Read about it here.
Oyo Las Vegas (formerly Hooters and San Remo) is using bad renderings and sloppy AI copy to sell hotel rooms using alias names. It was discovered on Wednesday night, and I still haven’t had time to process what the actual plan for this was as I write this on Thursday night. I did a little digging and found some information not found elsewhere. Get the details here.
I went to sleep on Wednesday thinking about a breakfast sandwich from Eggslut, so I hopped in Big Red and went to Rio. It was my first time at this location, and the sandwich was as good as the Cosmopolitan without the wait. That casino had a weird vibe and smell at 7:15 am but maybe that’s because it was humid today.
I left Rio and went to Palms to check out the new non-smoking space. They gutted Mabel’s BBQ and added more than 200 slots. They were finishing up the renovation, and the curtains were too tight for a decent pic, but you can read about it here.
I was wondering what happened with Carl Icahn’s bid for Caesars. I heard a bunch of rumors from unreliable sources that were wrong. His bid was higher than Feritta’s, but it was rejected. Get the scoop here.
Since Caesars are cowards and didn’t hold an earnings call, we had to get news from their real estate partner, VICI. The company said it’s in talks with Caesars about building an arena on the vacant land behind Horseshoe, Paris, and Planet Hollywood. Read more here.
Caesars Palace turned 60 this week. This AI video is a fun look at how a casino turned from a single tower to a ridiculous maze.
Durango and Red Rock flipped their poolside blackjack from 6:5 to 3:2. These are the only two casinos that offer the payout. Also, limits start at $10 or $15. Read more here.
Did you know the Venetian has an app? I was told this was coming last year at G2E when I met the person in charge of the loyalty program. It’s amazing how far behind the tech curve many casinos are. Welcome to 2011! Read about it here.
Single-day tickets for the Las Vegas Grand Prix are on sale. When they list “starting” prices, those are for practice – not the race. Tell a friend because MSM hates you. Read more here.
Some of the Las Vegas Grand Prix tickets give you access to concerts at no additional charge. This is a popular feature at many other F1 races in the US and around the world. See the daily lineups here.
Wynn reported earnings last week, and my only takeaway is that the Encore suite renovations are moving forward. You can read the financials here.
Bally’s is pausing construction on its Chicago casino. It still hasn’t started on its Las Vegas casino. Read about the former here.
Talking about Bally’s was just an excuse to show you the last 30 days of construction on the Las Vegas A’s stadium. What do you notice about the progress?
WSOP is over, and you can see all the winners here.
Red Rock Resorts reported earnings last week and had a ton of news. The biggest item is that they’re already planning another Durango expansion. You can see the financials here.
Sammy Hagar’s residency at Park MGM continues in September. Get more information and dates here.
Would you pay more money to ride in a Zoox without a human driver or pay less and deal with a person in a Lyft or Uber? See a rate comparison here.
Vinyl Room at Mandalay Bay is now open. If you don’t recognize the name, it’s what took over the Foundation Room. I’d share a video, but it looks generic and soulless, although pretty if you like 2023 HGTV shows. That said, I haven’t visited and will share real thoughts after I spend some time there. Read about it here.
This could be rad for guitar peeps. Gibson Garage is opening at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood next year. If I worked in marketing, I would have waited to open at the new Hard Rock, but maybe that isn’t possible. Anyway, read more here.
Another Stoney’s country music bar is open at Sunset Station. Read more here.
Elvis is coming back to the Westgate next year. Read more here.
Did you know Treasure Island is an Accor hotel and part of the Handwritten collection? Learn about it here.
Something called Arcade Orchestra is coming to Planet Hollywood next year. It sounds neat. Read about it here.
The Rio is updating its entertainment venue. Read more here.
The new taco shop at Durango is open. Read more here.
Boomer’s should be approved to take over sportsbook operations at Binion’s and Four Queen’s next week. See the NGC agenda items here.
Penn Entertainment, which sold Tropicana to be destroyed, wants back on the Vegas Strip. Read more here.
El Cortez is getting a new steakhouse to replace the restaurants that replaced the steakhouse. Got it? Read more here.
I found a couple of new Happy Hours on the Vegas Strip a few weeks ago and decided to look for more. Get the details here.
Big shock: the Backstreet Boys are playing the Sphere on New Year’s Eve. Read more here.
My first favorite coffee shop in Las Vegas, Sambalatte, is closing the location I used to visit on the regular. Read more here.
In case you missed it last week, I shared my current favorite local coffee shops when I asked: “What Would Make You Walk Away From a Rewards Program?”
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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.