In all my years visiting and living in Las Vegas, I’ve only seen a handful of shows. When I think of Las Vegas it’s usually eating, drinking or gambling. Shows don’t fit into that equation. That’s just me, there are plenty of people who come to Las Vegas specifically for the shows. My preference is probably in the minority but I keep an eye on shows for other people. In a perfect world, maybe there will be a show like “Absinthe” that offers a unique show experience and blows me away.
Show News
Speaking of “Absinthe”, Johnny Kats from the Las Vegas Sun is reporting that the show will be closing at Caesars Palace after the October 21 show. After “Absinthe” leaves Caesars Palace Las Vegas it will reopen at another Vegas Strip hotel.
The new venue for “Absinthe” hasn’t been revealed but Kats speculates the new venue could be Rose. Rabbit. Lie. at the Cosmopolitan. I’m not sure that the performance space is large enough for “Absinthe,” which takes place in the 1,900 seat tent at Roman Plaza. I believe the current Rose. Rabbit. Lie. space is approximately half the size.
However, the match of “Absinthe” and the Cosmopolitan makes sense. This show isn’t a perfect fit for many Las Vegas casinos but it certainly fits the Cosmopolitan. We’ll probably find out more information shortly after the show ends at Caesars Palace.
Exactly a week ago I found out that “Raiding The Rock Vault” would be ending its residency at the Tropicana. Shortly after finishing Sunday News, Wynn revealed that Showstoppers would come to an end after the show on September 30. Future plans for the Encore Theater at Wynn haven’t been announced yet.
Caesars Entertainment announced that Jennifer Lopez residency at the Axis Theater inside Planet Hollywood was extended into 2017. The J-Lo show has a soft spot in my heart since we’re both from the same hood in the Bronx. The new show dates are listed below.
December 2016: 14
February 2017: 8, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 21, 24, 25
May 2017: 24, 26, 27, 28, 31
June 2017: 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11
Here’s one last bit of show news. Puppet Up! Uncensored opened this week at Sands Showroom inside The Venetian. I don’t know much about this show but 60 puppets cursing is potentially a recipe for fun. I’ll let other people see the show before making any decisions to see it. You can find more information at Venetian.com.
Casino News
The big blue eyesore on the north end of the Vegas Strip that was close finding to a buyer in February still stands without a buyer. The real estate company looking to sell Fontainebleau has been floating rumors about different potential buyers all year. The latest rumor is that the owner of Mohegan Sun is interested in purchasing Fontainbleau. You can read more about Mohegan Sun’s interest in Fontainebleau here. With the current track record, it seems safe to expect another rumor about a buyer for Fontainebleau in 5 or 6 weeks.
Lots of casinos have celebrated significant anniversaries this year. I try to catch them all but there was very little news about the Hard Rock turning 21 this year. Maybe a business turning 20 is more of a milestone than turning 21. There may still be some promotions happening to celebrate the anniversary if you happen to be at the hotel.
You may have heard that Caesars Entertainment has had some financial problems over the past couple of years. According to Reuters, Caesars Acquisition Company (CAC) is in discussing the sale of their online games business, Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE), to a group of Chinese investors. The group includes Giant Interactive Group Inc. (GIG) who operate and develop online games.
The purchase price for Caesars Interactive Entertainment is estimated to be slightly more than $4 billion. After digging through the numbers, Online Poker Report says that “$4 billion for CIE means the rest of CAC is worthless.” Poor Caesars. Read the article on OPR for a serious look at the financial problems at Caesars Entertainment.
Gaming News
If the Chinese investors decide to purchase Caesars Interactive, they likely wouldn’t take the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Giant Interactive Group in interested in the rapidly growing social gaming part of Caesars Interactive. They wouldn’t need the brick and mortar WSOP tournament or the real money cash websites. If this sale goes through Caesars Entertainment will probably keep the WSOP. If nothing else, it drives hotel room sales for their casinos wherever the WSOP tour stops around the country.
It’s amazing to see and hear the sounds of slot machines the first time you land in Las Vegas and step off the airplane at McCarran Airport. Nothing says “Welcome To Vegas” like the chant of “WHEEL OF FORTUNE.” When leaving Las Vegas it’s easy to drop one last $20 bill into a Wheel of Fortune machine after hearing the machine. The slot machines typically have a larger hold than many casinos but there are winners every now and again. Last week someone from Ohio won nearly $500,000. Back in March, someone grabbed nearly $1 million. Big wins at the airport don’t happen often but they exist.
Last week in Sunday News I mentioned that the CG Technology sports book at the Tropicana would be closed and demolished to make way for more dining. I think I understand why CG Technology didn’t respond to my request for a comment on the future of the Tropicana sports book. They have bigger problems.
Last week CG Technology agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This was a settlement for charges that they underpaid parlay bettors over 20,000 times from August 2011 to March 2015. They actually overpaid bettors 11,000 times in that same period.
In addition to the fine, the CG Technology agreed that president and CEO, Lee Amaitis, would resign. He’ll stay on until August 31 so the company can find a suitable replacement. This isn’t the first time that CG Technology has had problems with the Nevada Gaming Control Board. I’m expecting more fallout from this.
Vital Vegas has a foolproof plan to find the loosest slot machines in any casino. The simplicity of this advice may shock you. Check it out. (Also, at TravelZork : Slot Machine Play | How To Get The Most Out Of Your Game. )
Heads Up
On Friday, T-Mobile Arena was a house of chaos. There were multiple problems for the pre-Olympics basketball warm up game between the USA vs. Argentina. There were lines as long as 2 hours for hundreds of people because of a problem with ticketing at Will Call. The problem was exacerbated because it was about 110 degrees in the shade on Friday. There were also reports of parking and traffic problems all night.
This Will Call problem hasn’t happened at T-Mobile Arena for any other events. The issue could stem from the venue to giving away too free many tickets. Complimentary tickets and giveaways happen often for events in Las Vegas. Let’s hope this problem gets solved soon. The parking and traffic issues are another story.
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