We’re looking at a week of new that didn’t have much of a theme. Topics are everywhere from Wall Street related news to weddings and mini-golf inside of a casino. I guess that’s why we love Las Vegas so much.
Boyd Gaming Buys Cannery Casinos
This week’s Sunday News in Las Vegas begins where last week left off. Actually, last week we kicked off the news of the week with confirmation that Boyd Gaming purchased Aliante Casino in North Las Vegas. That segment of news closed with a rumor that Boyd Gaming might purchase Cannery Casinos. Well, that news was confirmed earlier this week when Boyd Gaming announced on their quarterly earnings call that they added the two Cannery Casinos to their Las Vegas locals lineup (you can read more here).
I know that the majority of people visiting Las Vegas stay on the Vegas Strip so some excitement might be lost on most people reading this. However, Las Vegas locals and visitors who enjoy staying and playing away from the chaos of the Vegas Strip will be excited by the three new additions to Boyd Gaming’s Las Vegas properties. B-Connected is one of the few players clubs that offers excellent rewards for Las Vegas locals while having options to use and earn players club points outside of Las Vegas. Once the deal is done later this year I think there will be a good amount of excitement over Aliante and Eastside Cannery when they become a part of Boyd Gaming’s B-Connected player club.
The Possibility Of A New Stadium And The Las Vegas Raiders
The really big news this week surrounded the Oakland Raiders possibly moving to Las Vegas. There are a lot of angels to this story that are intriguing. ESPN’s David Purdum does a good job covering the football and gambling angle of this story while the Las Vegas Sun covers the stadium angle from a local Las Vegas point of view. Field of Schemes notes that while Raiders owner Mark Davis pledged $500m toward Vegas stadium it could actually ask taxpayers to pay entire $1.4B cost. I’d add my two cents but I don’t want to be sued and bankrupted by anyone associated with the stadium project.
Station Casinos Goes Public
One more piece of business news for the week. Station Casinos went public in a major way this week. The IPO raised more than $531 million. Not too shabby for a mostly Las Vegas locals casino chain. The brand name for the company will remain Station Casinos but the stock will trade under the name Red Rock Resorts Inc. In other words, there’s nothing to see here about the new name unless you trade stocks.
The Stratosphere Turns 20
The Stratosphere turned 20 years old on Saturday, April 30th. I’m not a nostalgist but thought it was much older than that. I didn’t realize that I’ve been visiting Las Vegas since before the tower was built. Get off my lawn!
#Wynntrigue?
Continuing the evolution of Wynn, Intrigue nightclub opened inside at Encore this weekend. The club takes over the space once occupied by Tryst nightclub and is being pitched as an entirely new concept in Las Vegas nightlife. The sounds I heard on snapchat from the grand opening sounded just like another nightclub. That said, I think it’s fair to give the club some time to develop an identity before jumping to any conclusions on what it is and what it will become.
Electric Daisy Carnival Trailer
If you’re into nightlife today then there’s a good chance that you enjoy EDM. Insomniac just released a sick trailer for Electric Daisy Carnival. The dance music festival will take place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from June 17-19. If you’re like me and enjoy bright lights then you’ll probably enjoy this.
Bye Zarkana, Hello Convention Space
Last night wasn’t only the final show for Cirque Du Soleil’s Zarkana at Aria. Last night was also the final night for the showroom which will be closed and destroyed. You may remember that in late 2015 MGM Resorts announced a $154 million expansion of the convention and meeting space at Aria. Construction on the new 200,000 square foot convention and meeting space is expected to be completed by February 2018.
Rock & Roll Wedding Chapel and Mini Golf At Rio
One of the complaints I hear about Las Vegas is that it’s losing the kitsch that people came to love in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Themed casinos seem to be a thing of the past. MGM Resorts CEO, Jim Murren, has said that his company won’t be theming any more casinos in the future. Well, fans of kitsch might be excited by the newest venture from KISS coming to the Rio.
The LOVE IT LOUD Rock & Roll Wedding Chapel at KISS By Monster Mini Golf will open at Rio on May 19th. Christina Vitagliano, CEO and Founder of Monster Mini Golf and KISS By Monster Mini Golf says “From concert ticket invitations and guitar picks lining the aisle instead of roses, to rock n’ roll impersonator ministers and the headlining act on stage, the LOVE IT LOUD Rock & Roll Wedding Chapel will be the ultimate place for couples to kickstart their happily ever after.”
VIVA LAS VEGAS!
Bourne Does Vegas
A trailer of the new Bourne movie was just released and features a some Las Vegas eye candy. It seems as though the Riviera implosion could have been great for the movie but we’ll just have to settle for a car chase down the Vegas Strip and through the casino at the Riv. The Vegas scenes aren’t until the second half of the trailer but you might want to set the video below to full screen before you hit play.
