I don’t know about you, but one of the best feelings I’ve had in Las Vegas was seeing all of the slot machines as soon as I walked off the airplane at McCarran Airport. Most of the slot machines just sat there quietly. However, there was one slot machine that would actually greet the visitors. The chants of “Wheel. Of. Fortune” would be ingrained in my head before even getting to the baggage carousel.
Wheel Of Fortune Slot Machines
Wheel of Fortune slot machines are as popular in Las Vegas today as they were the day I first stepped off the airplane to visit. Coinciding with the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) next week Vanna White will receive the key to the city of Las Vegas. To celebrate the occasion, IGT released some random facts about the iconic slot machine. Here are some that struck me as interesting.
- IGT has created more than 230 versions of the slot themes. – I feel like I see 10 or so themes in every casino I visit.
- In June IGT released its first 3D Wheel of Fortune slots game. – This is the best 3D slot machine I’ve played.
- Wheel of Fortune Slots have made more than 1,000 millionaires. – Not me. Yet. Think positive.
- Wheel of Fortune Slots have paid out more than $3 billion in jackpots. – I’d like some of this! Still thinking positive.
- More players have won $1 million+ jackpots in Nevada, than in any other state. – Vegas Baby! Continuing to think positive.
More New Slot Machines
G2E is next week and information about products to be on display continues to be leaked. Last week, in Sunday News, I shared about 10 different slot machine titles that would make their debut at the expo. I have a few more for you today:
Seinfeld (with Soup Nazi bonus)
The Goonies
The Big Lebowski
X-Files
Zorro
Mariah Carey
Baywatch 3D
New versions of Ellen, Game of Thrones and Top Dollar (my favorite slot machine) and more…
Technology is usually what drives my excitement for new slot machines. However, I cannot wait to see what The Goonies, The Big Lebowski and Seinfeld slot machines have to offer. I can think of a hundred bonus rounds that would be great. Follow me on twitter for live updates and reveals of the newest casino games at G2E next week.
New Form Of Football Betting In Casinos
US Fantasy Sports isn’t traditional sports betting and it isn’t traditional fantasy sports betting. The concept is a combination of proposition wagering (prop bets) and horse racing (pari-mutuel wagering). Your wager is placed by selecting a player to finish in the top 3 (win, place or show) of his position category for the day. So, today you might pick Eli Manning to have the most passing yards in the NFL. You might select Ryan Fitzpatrick to “show” and have the 3rd most passing yards in the league. You’d be paid based on the prize pool from everyone who places wagers.
I haven’t tried it yet but it seems like an interesting way to wager on football. I’ll give it a shot in a few weeks when I visit one of the Caesars sports books. Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is currently available in the Race & Sports Books at Caesars Palace, The LINQ Hotel & Casino, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Bally’s Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Paris Las Vegas and Harrah’s Las Vegas.
Palms And Aliante Casinos – On The Move
As expected the Nevada Gaming Commission has approved licenses to both Red Rock Resorts for the Palms and to Boyd Gaming for the Aliante Hotel. Expect to see the new casinos quickly moved into the Boarding Pass (Palms) and B-Connected (Aliante) players clubs quickly.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal quietly mentioned that Station Casinos would not operate the sports book at Palms. CG Technology will continue to manage the sports book at Palms. This will be the only sports book at a Station Casino that they don’t operate. I suspect that breaking the lease wasn’t worth it for Red Rock Resorts. There’s no public information about the length of the lease, but I wouldn’t expect to see CG remain at Palms beyond its expiration.
Drink System Update
Last week I shared some thoughts on the drink ticketing system at The Mirage in the post titled Free Drinks Were Flowing At The Mirage Lobby Bar. I failed to mention a comparison that’s important for the serious boozers. While the system spits out drink tickets regularly, you receive short pours (1.5 ounces of liquor instead of 2 ounces) of middle and bottom shelf liquor at The Mirage.
The lesser drink options wasn’t a big deal for that experience, but if you’re looking for better pours and better drink options head to the Cosmopolitan. They have a similar drink ticketing system at their video poker bar but they will offer signature cocktails and a better variety of liquor with your complimentary drinks.
Someone in one of the Las Vegas facebook groups I follow said that bars at Bally’s have switched to a red light/green like drink system. You’ll find a similar system at the Caesars Palace sports book bar. I haven’t been able to verify this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. These drink monitoring systems will continue to spread at the casinos.
Backstreet Boys Residency Is Official
Yes, this is happening. After months of rumors Caesars and the Backstreet Boys announced that the group will have a residency at Planet Hollywood next year. The Backstreet Boys will join Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Lionel Richie as regular performers at Planet Hollywood.
“BACKSTREET BOYS: LARGER THAN LIFE” will take place at the Axis Theater at Planet Hollywood on the following dates:
- March 2017: 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18
- June 2017: 14, 16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28, 30
- July 2017: 1
Prices start at $39 and there are at least four upgrade options to choose from.
“Absinthe” Staying At Caesars Palace For Now
About a month ago Absinthe and the Cosmopolitan released a joint statement that the show would be moving from Caesars Palace and be reopening at the Cosmopolitan (see Sunday News from August 14). Not so fast, my friend. The co-producers of the show have blocked the move and Absinthe will remain at Caesars Palace. The current contract with Caesars Palace runs through October 28, 2018. The Las Vegas Review-Journal has more information. I’m sure ticketing information will be released shortly.
Rumor Of The Week: Deadmau5 Show Coming To Paris
Robin Leach is reporting that a show involving Deadmau5 will be replacing the recently departed Jersey Boys at Paris Las Vegas. He has no details on what the show might actually become. If it happens this probably won’t be a DJ residency. It appears as though Base Entertainment will be involved if this happens. They are a production company and were involved with producing Jersey Boys and are currently the party trying to keep Absinthe at Caesars Palace.
This is an exclusive rumor and I think it has a good chance at being true. Deadmau5 has been hinting that he’d like to move beyond being just a DJ. This could be a good way to combine his music and visual creativity. I’m curious.
The Marriott/Starwood Merger Is Official
Last but not least is that confirmation that the Marriott/Starwood deal is finally official. I haven’t had a chance to read the final points but according to USA Today you should be able to merge your points from Marriott and Starwood Preferred Guest accounts. You can read more at USA Today or visit Members.marriott.com for more information. (Also see : Experiments With Linked Marriott-Starwood Accounts, Transfer Times and Points Expiration.)
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