The Sphere at Venetian has been testing its exterior screen for months, and it seems the venue will debut its first official exterior light show on July 4, 2023.

The Independence Day debut hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but give it a minute. For us, waiting for news releases is as pointless as, well, a sphere.

The $2.2 billion Sphere (no takers on naming rights yet) hasn’t officially opened yet, and to-date we’ve only seen test patterns, but a stunning exterior light show could garner great publicity for the new entertainment venue.

Publicity is the new revenue! Long story.

Early word is the July 4 Sphere show will attempt to generate maximum hoopla by complementing the fireworks displays on The Strip that evening. We don’t really understand how all that will work, as the people viewing the fireworks at Caesars Palace won’t be able to see the Sphere.

So, it seems like if you’re not specifically going to the Sphere for the show, it’s mainly for TV coverage.

There’s not a lot of parking around the Sphere, so we have no idea how all that will work, logistically. We’re confident the Sphere people have it all figured out because they have plenty of bandwidth due to not wasting precious time on creating a business plan.

So far, it’s basically been hiring someone to try and generate $100 million from advertising on the Sphere, booking U2 for 20-plus dates (while giving them 90 percent of the ticket revenue) and showing an original movie for $50 a pop.

We are not making this up.

MSG thinks it’s going to get “far beyond $100 million” a year in Sphere ad revenue. Related: Is The Onion writing LinkedIn job postings now? pic.twitter.com/ehucWsjdKQ

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) March 23, 2023

Still, U2 pops the Sphere’s cherry starting in September if all goes according to plan.

The content of the Independence Day Sphere exosphere show (the outside part of the Sphere, the inside is completely covered in video screens, too) is unknown, but we’ll take a wild guess: Fireworks, American flags, a nod to members of the armed services and possibly that imbecile Kid Rock shooting at Bud Light cans.

Other jingoistic symbols that may or may not be available royalty-free: Bald eagles, hot dogs, Lady Liberty, the genocide of indigenous peoples, cowboys (sorry, cowpersons), the Liberty Bell, coal products and deep-fried Mars bars. With almonds.

We honestly can’t wait to see what the Sphere has in store for Independence Day. Few nations have reveled in their victory over a foe for so many years. Why do we insist upon rubbing it in every year? That does not seem like great sportsmanship, but we are not a sports expert.

To make things even more awkward, July 4, 1776 wasn’t when American gained its independence. The war with the British dragged on for years. The Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed that day, either.

The Continental Congress vote in favor of independence was on July 2, 1776. Most members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 2, but it wasn’t signed by everyone until November 1776.

Anyway, this is all filler, because we don’t have many details about the Sphere’s rumored “premier.”

The time we hear is 8:00 p.m., but nothing has been confirmed. The Sphere’s call center has been alerting Las Vegas casinos about their plans for July 4. We aren’t asking the Sphere directly because we don’t want to draw attention to ourself because they’ll put us in their facial recognition system and we’ll never be able to visit the place if they ever schedule a showing of “Shaun of the Dead.”

Here’s something to watch when the Sphere comes online. Cue the sad trombone. This also means Wynn could reconsider its free parking. We are running out of trombones.

Rumblings about Venetian/Palazzo starting to charge for parking are founded, per employees. Sphere-related.

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) May 25, 2023

Stay tuned for more details. From the news release. That everyone will be copying and pasting from soon.

The post Sphere at Venetian to Debut Exterior Screen on July 4 appeared first on Vital Vegas.

Some longtime blight on the Las Vegas Strip has been demolished and a shiny new “high-profile, high-impact, all-day destination” is in the works.

Translation: The much-maligned Hawaiian Marketplace (a shopping mall) is out, “BLVD” (another shopping mall) is in.

We hate all caps and stylistic affectations, but we write in the first person plural, so we’ll just go with BLVD.

Here’s a look at what’s next for this former shitshow, all due respect.

Hawaiian Marketplace formerly resided in what should be a prime location on The Strip, across Las Vegas Blvd. from the Shops at Crystals and Aria, right in front of Polo Towers.

Here’s a sweet map to show where BVLD sits in relation to other things, including the F1 track. Yes, everything in Las Vegas is in the context of how it relates to F1. A three-day race in November 2023. And, yes, Las Vegas has lost its damn mind. Don’t get us started.

Hawaiian Marketplace, and its adjacent Cable Center Shops, closed in mid-2022.

How do we say this diplomatically? Hawaiian Marketplace and Cable Center were the white crusty stuff at the edge of someone’s mouth of The Strip.

Here’s a look at the site now, and it’s much better already.

A new BLVD Web site says the new mall will offer tenants “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with consumers from around the world.”

The sales deck for BLVD says the mall will have “700 feet of frontage on The Strip” and “400,000-square-feet of double-height premier street retail.”

Also, the “third-floor rooftop destination is unlike anything else on The Strip, with 110,000-square-feet designed for dynamic dining, engaging events and immersive experiences.”

What, you thought they were going to open a mall without immersive experiences? Have you been living in a cave? It’s the law!

Does The Strip need more retail? No! Do the developers of this project care? No!

What kicked this project into high gear?

Well, from the marketing material it seems to be F1, despite the fact this won’t be open in time for F1 2023.

More likely, all modesty aside, our scoop Tilman Fertitta plans to build a new resort next door was the impetus. Our story was confirmed a month later, and while the Fertitta project has been quiet in recent months, it was enough to perk up the ears and checkbooks of the developers of BLVD, Gindi Capital.

Gindi Capital is somewhat mysterious, and they never answer our e-mails, so we’re free to talk shit about them.

Specifically, are they nuts?

The company bought Hawaiian Marketplace and Cable Center for $172 million.

We haven’t seen what the company expects the new build to cost, but we’d put it in the metric ass-ton category, conservative estimate.

Here are the “Features and Amenities.” Features are very, every different than amenities, because marketing.

There are tons of new renderings on the BLVD Web site. Look for the “Download Flipbook” button.

There’s also lots of incredibly detailed and impressive video. The biggest takeaway from the video is Gindi Capital has really deep pockets and we have probably tanked our chances of working there because of the whole talking shit about them, oh, well.

One of our favorite parts of the video is where the mall materializes out of what appears to be a possibly-toxic cloud of smoke.

There are some undeniably cool features, or possibly amenities, planned for BLVD. For example, there’s a seating area overlooking another high-end shopping center very few people visit right across the street.

We kid, Gindi Capital! Thank you for eliminating an eyesore on The Strip, and we wish you all the best with your endeavor.

Shopping is the second most boring aspect of Las Vegas, after sports, but it says a lot about the confidence in visitation and buying power of those visitors.

We think demand is going to flatten out following an extended post-pandemic bump, and Las Vegas is going to get a rude awakening, but don’t listen to us. We are not the target demo for shopping malls with immersive experiences.

We’ll keep you in the loop as BLVD progresses, of course. Oh, and there’s a Vegas Loop station planned for BLVD, so there’s that.

The post Here’s What’s Next When Hawaiian Marketplace Becomes “BLVD” appeared first on Vital Vegas.

On June 26, 2023, it was reported Circa had been robbed of $1.2 million. Not old-school, strong-arm robbed, something much stranger.

A casino employee, it was reported, delivered the cash to the crooks, voluntarily. The reason: The con artist impersonated the owner of the casino and instructed the employee to do so.

There was an arrest and $850,000 of the pilfered cash was recovered.

Reactions to the story involved a lot of confusion, skepticism and more than a little “WTF?” The reactions were largely based on speculation. We’re here to help.

The story is much bigger and contains substantially more WTF than you can even imagine.

The fact is Circa was just the latest of a series of con jobs perpetuated on Las Vegas casinos, and beyond.

We’ve heard five casinos have been hit in Las Vegas, plus one in Mesquite, Nevada and another in Laughlin, Nevada.

There are some parts of this story we can’t share yet, including the names of the casinos that fell victim to this scam. The casinos are on The Strip, downtown and on the Boulder Strip (the theft at that casino is rumored to be in the $750,000 range). Some are part of big corporations, others are stand-alone casinos.

The M.O. is the same in each theft, and no, it’s not a case of someone being incompetent or stupid. Victims are meticulously targeted and the people perpetuating these crimes have committed them before in other parts of the country.

It’s believed another casino theft in Colorado fits the pattern of what’s happened in Nevada.

Specifically, casino employees (always women) are contacted by the con men (it’s not sexism, they’re men), and they impersonate casino owners or high-ranking executives. They make up a detailed story about why cash is needed.

The one that’s been confirmed, at Circa, had to do with paying for fire safety equipment.

Channel 8 (KLAS-TV) did a great job of breaking the story about the theft at Circa, but what’s been reported is just tip of the grift iceberg.

When the story first broke, and it was revealed one of the con artists impersonated “a Las Vegas hotel owner,” everyone assumed that owner was Derek Stevens. Everyone asked how a senior employee could not know what Stevens looks like as he’s at the casino all the time interacting with guests and employees.

Stevens co-owns Circa (and Golden Gate and The D) with his brother Greg Stevens. Derek Stevens owns 75 percent of the casinos, Greg owns 25 percent. The employee who removed the funds never interacted with the person pretending to be Greg Stevens.

She was told to deliver $320,000 “for an emergency payment to the fire department,” and did so, returning to the casino after the delivery was made. Again, the employee was a cage supervisor, and was not part of the scam. She believed she was protecting the interests of the casino and performing a task assigned to her by one of the owners.

Hindsight is 20/20, as is often the case of such scams.

The employee brought additional cash to the person she believed to be a lawyer representing the Stevens. The amounts were $314,000, $350,000 and $500,000.

Circa’s security team realized something was up and law enforcement got involved.

Metro apprehended the recipient of the cash and recovered $850,000.

Details of how the asshat, sorry, “alleged asshat” was caught are a little unclear.

Here’s what court documents say, “Detectives tracked the vehicle involved in the suspected theft, finding its registered owner. Police suspect the car belonged to Gutierrez’s aunt with whom he lives. Police also surveilled the home, seeing a different car arrive and then leave with Gutierrez and another man in it. Police searched the car, finding no money it it.”

Police got a search warrant for the home and found a metric hell-ton of cash with “Circa” on it.

Erik Gutierrez, 23, was arrested and has been presented as the person responsible for the crime. How do we know that’s a red herring? His bail was set at $25,000. For stealing $1.2 million. From just this one casino.

The term is “mule,” also known as a “patsy” or “fall guy.” The alleged criminal genius couldn’t even figure out how to bury $850,000 in his back yard to hide it from authorities.

The investigation is ongoing.

As we said, this wasn’t just a Circa thing. Circa’s incident was the first to be reported because it was the first casino theft to involve an arrest.

Since the Circa story broke, our friend Las Vegas Locally got his hands on a “Fraud Scam Alert” sent by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to casinos warning them about this scheme.

“PBX” stands for “private branch exchange.” A PBX operator transfers incoming calls to a company’s internal telephone system.

As mentioned in that caption you probably didn’t read, the Metro memo confirms these frauds have been attempted (or accomplished) for at least the last five months in Las Vegas, “but the frequency of calls has seen a large uptick in the past few weeks.”

We’ve been told the evil-doers have made a significant number of attempts to pull this scam in Las Vegas even in the period since the Circa theft occurred (June 17, 2023).

The cojones on these guys.

The “Fraud Scam Alert” also confirms “Scammers have been successful, resulting in millions of dollars being taken.” Please note “millions” is plural.

Authorities have not shared which other Las Vegas casinos have fallen victim to this well-planned and skillfully executed confidence game.

We would love to share more details about these con jobs, but many specifics are locked down tighter than the slot machines at Resorts World. Some for good reason, as they could muck with the investigation or inspire copycats by other alleged asshats.

Circa isn’t talking. Derek Stevens released this statement: “Although I love a good PR story, this isn’t one of them. Circa Resort & Casino is cooperating with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in this investigation. We greatly appreciate their efforts to date and cannot comment further due to an ongoing investigation.”

Stevens is a master marketer, and he’s referring to unfortunate incidents at his casinos he later turned into P.R. gold. For example, when his Manneken Pis statue at The D was vandalized, he turned the repair and return of the statue into an event.

When a drunk oaf stole the Blarney Stone from The D, again, Stevens flipped the script and made the most of the shenanigans.

At one point, during the building of Circa, an exterior panel was installed upside down by an engineer, Mo Pierce. When the mistake was pointed out, Stevens made it into a thing. He even gave it a name: MoDot.

Now you know! We’re sharing what we can share, but we honestly aren’t sure we’re allowed to share that we aren’t allowed to share certain things.

If you’re curious about the status of the Circa cage manager, it’s safe to assume she was let go. It’s definitely better than being arrested, as the casino employee was in Colorado (she’s since been released on bond).

Just be careful out there, question everything and never take phone calls from your boss.

“Sorry, boss, I can’t take your calls, it could be an alleged asshat trying to bilk us out of money,” you can say. Yes, your boss will be confused by the word “bilk” as it hasn’t been used since 1974, but that’s beside the point. The bottom line is you won’t have to take calls from your boss, for legitimate loss prevention reasons.

You’re welcome.

Update (6/29/23): We got to chat with Contessa Brewer on CNBC about this story.

The post Multiple Las Vegas Casinos Ripped Off By Sophisticated Scammers appeared first on Vital Vegas.

The sister restaurant of Crossroads Kitchen at Resorts World, dubbed Crossroads Burgers, has closed.

The casual restaurant featured plant-based cuisine, as does Crossroads Kitchen.

While Crossroads Kitchen, considered fine dining, remains in operation, the more casual option is pushing up daisies. Because plants. Please try and keep up.

Crossroads Burgers opened in 2022, with its own menu and seating area.

Crossroads restaurant sits in the space where Marigold was. That restaurant closed after five months of operation.

All traces of Crossroads Burgers are gone, and we can only assume that has to do with the fact burgers made from plants are abominations and possibly violate the Geneva Conventions. Yes, it’s “conventions,” plural.

The Geneva Conventions are made up of four conventions, three protocols and 159 articles. Why are you learning this from some idiotic Las Vegas blog? Our education system has clearly failed us.

The burgers weren’t bad, they just were a far cry from real burgers, as are all veggie burgers. It’s a mouth feel thing, mostly.

Cows, however, are adorable, and we have become vegan several times, then remembered cakes and cookies made without eggs taste like feet, and we’re out.

Crossroads Burgers is not a huge loss, as it was more a casual food counter than a stand-alone restaurant.

We don’t get to Resorts World all that often, so sorry if Crossroads Burgers closed during our absence. If something is new to us, it’s news to somebody.

We should probably trademark that line, but we are very busy and important and also have no clue how to even do that.

The post Crossroads Burgers Discreetly Closes at Resorts World appeared first on Vital Vegas.

We aren’t good at much, but we always bring you Las Vegas things you won’t see anywhere else. This is that.

This is sort of an Easter egg at one of our favorite Strip lounges, Rhumbar Tropical Ultra Lounge at Mirage.

It’s a $250,000 staircase built for superstar Bruno Mars, but which he’s unlikely to ever use. Long story, but we’ll give you the short version because we are extremely busy and important and need to feed our hummingbirds.

Awhile back, we exclusively shared news Mirage was getting a Bruno Mars lounge.

The rumor was confirmed later, but the story took an unexpected twist.

Mirage was supposed to get a Bruno Mars lounge, called the Pinky Ring, but during construction of the lounge, Mirage was sold by MGM Resorts to Hard Rock International.

Bruno Mars has an ongoing partnership with MGM Resorts, so plans for the lounge were nixed.

Then we shared the Bruno Mars collaboration was headed to Bellagio instead.

Remember the Bruno Mars lounge going to Rhumbar space at Mirage? Mirage sale put the kibosh on that plan, apparently. Now hear it’ll take over the Lily Lounge at Bellagio.

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) March 2, 2022

The renovation at what would become Rhumbar had already happened, including a special entrance for Bruno Mars.

The Rhumbar lounge became the loftier Rhumbar Tropical Ultra Lounge, the rest is history.

Bellagio, an MGM Resort casino, recently confirmed its Lily lounge has closed and the resort plans to open The Pinky Ring lounge in partnership with, wait for it, Bruno Mars.

Bruno Mars isn’t just a star, he’s also a really good casino customer (and by that we mean terrible gambler), so keeping Mars in the MGM Resorts family was a high priority. Bummer for Mirage.

On the bright side, Rhumbar is a great lounge with whimsical cocktails and possibly the best food we have ever had in our life, cheesy monkey bread.

When you’re at Rhumbar, you can see the exit to the Bruno Mars stairway in the VIP area.

The plan was for Mars to be driven up and dropped into the VIP area which was going to have its own DJ booth so he could party the night away with his posse or whatever the kids are calling groups of friends now. Squads? Gaggles? Hangers-on? Sycophants?

Yes, we are obviously jealous we don’t have a squad or sycophants. Moving on.

Now you know!

There are big plans ahead for Mirage as it transitions into Hard Rock Las Vegas.

The Bare pool is no longer topless, for example.

We also shared that Chef Tom Colicchio is parting ways with Mirage. His Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steak will be rebranded to simply Heritage Steak and will carry on, pretty much seamlessly, but with a five percent bump in gross revenue for Hard Rock International (because that’s the typical cut for celebrity chefs when they do licensing deals).

Soon, Mirage will get a massive and glorious hotel tower shaped like a guitar, at which point the resort will be renamed Hard Rock Las Vegas. That’s probably happening in 2025.

Walking through Mirage, it feels like it’s been refreshed. There’s a new loyalty club, Unity.

Parking is free for Las Vegas locals (on weekdays), so there’s that. The Mirage Web site says locals who are new loyalty club sign-ups get $25 in free play, but that didn’t happen for us for some reason. We trust it’s because they are intimidated by our girthy mojo.

Happily, the resort’s dolphins have been relocated to Sea World and a sea sanctuary. No recent word on where the big cats will end up (word is it won’t be the Lion Habitat Ranch near M Resort), but they’re working on it.

In addition, Cirque’s “Love” has been extended through 2024.

Mirage feels cleaner overall and the friendliness of the staff seems to be elevated for some reason. We trust that’s attributable to the management change. To a person, every executive we’ve met at Mirage seems shockingly normal. If you’ve been around casino people much, you’ll understand how rare and refreshing that is, all due respect.

There’s more live music in lounges and bars around the resort, but nobody’s perfect. (Just a personal preference.)

If you haven’t been in awhile, Mirage is worth a visit. If you hit Rhumbar, check out Bruno Mars’ quarter-million-dollar staircase. You can sort of see the volcano show from there. Enjoy it while you can.

The post Behold Bruno Mars’ $250,000 Abandoned Staircase at Mirage appeared first on Vital Vegas.

Tao Group is going through some changes, but it seems the company is still committed to bringing the deliciousness to Las Vegas.

Luchini plans to open at MGM Grand this fall. The restaurant will serve pizza-by-the-slice at an adjacent counter.

Luchini will take over the now-closed Ambra Italian Kitchen + Bar space. The fact you haven’t heard of Ambra is among the reasons Ambra closed.

The Internet says “luchini” is slang for money or having wealth.

Today’s random-ass and utterly useless trivia: The surname Luchini is most common in Brazil.

The brand started as a delivery-only “virtual restaurant” during the pandemic.

The announcement of Luchini has flown under the radar, but we think it’s worth a look.

Because Italian, that’s why. Also known as our personal culinary sweet spot.

Madison Square Garden recently sold its majority stake in Tao Group to help pay for the Sphere at Venetian. In layperson’s terms: Perhaps the most bone-headed business decision, ever.

The sale doesn’t appear to have interfered with any plans on the part of Tao Group. In May 2023, Tao Group was acquired by Mohari Hospitality. We have no idea what that is, but press on.

The plan is for Tao Group to have a multi-year agreement with Sphere Entertainment for “consulting, marketing and support services.”

Sphere is going to need all the help it can get. The business model is $50 movies. ‘Nuff said.

Tao Group is a respected brand, with other offerings at MGM Grand including Hakkasan Restaurant, Hakkasan Nightclub and Wet  Republic, a dayclub. Tao Group also operates Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace, Marquee Nightclub and Beauty & Essex at Cosmo, Lavo restaurant at Palazzo, Jewel Nightclub and Cathedrale at Aria, along with Tao Asian Bistro and Tao Nightclub at Venetian.

Anyway, back to what we actually care about, Italian food.

Here’s a blurb from the official announcement of Luchini: “A refreshing take on a classic Italian-American restaurant inspired by the flavors of New York, the Luchini menu will highlight handmade pasta, pizzas, salads and timeless dishes served in a welcoming and lively space. The adjacent pizza-by-the-slice shop echoes classic tri-state pizza parlors with a counter up front serving a variety of pizza offerings for those seeking a quick snack on-the-go or to satisfy a post-concert craving.”

Yes, we removed the Oxford commas. They’re weird.

Construction walls are up at MGM Grand.

Coming to MGM Grand. We’re in. Related: https://t.co/Jd8eCaKimq (h/t @JamesInLasVegas) pic.twitter.com/y5DboqmkTH

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) June 17, 2023

No, really, “nice’a.” Otherwise known as “cultural appropriation.” Bonus points for the porn ‘stache, though.

This location has been challenging for MGM Grand. Before Ambra, it was Fiamma. If Luchini doesn’t work, MGM Grand is going to have a giant surplus of vowels.

Ambra never had a fighting chance, pandemicwise.

Ambra @MGMGrand looks great. Sadly, after millions in renovations, hasn’t been able to open as a restaurant (currently bar only). Told by staff it could open fully in 2022. pic.twitter.com/9J1DGyi2gZ

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) July 30, 2021

We can’t wait to try Luchini. In our ever-humble opinion, you can never have too much Italian.

There’s a ton of great pizza downtown (Pizza Rock, Evel Pie, Pop-Up at Plaza, Whiskey Licker Up at Binion’s), but it’s lacking on the Las Vegas Strip (Superfrico at Cosmo is probably the strongest).

Let’s get to proofing and slapping out some skins and cheese-pulling and mutzing and upskirting and leopard-spotting and lots of other pizza terms we didn’t realize were a thing until we wrote this blog post.

Before you cancel us, “upskirting” is when a pizza chef lifts the pizza and looks underneath to see if it’s done. Your cancellation is canceled. Boom!

The post Tao Group Brings Luchini Restaurant to MGM Grand appeared first on Vital Vegas.

It seems like everyone has a gripe about casinos lately, and many are valid given recent increases in prices, fees and changes to games that give the house an even bigger advantage.

Recently, MGM Resorts, one of the biggest casino companies in the world, tweaked the roulette policies at some of its Las Vegas casinos. In these Strip casinos, players can no longer buy in for $1 roulette chips, the minimum is $2.

Double up to catch up, as they say.

This is the chip denomination, not the table minimum. Two different things. Most roulette table minimums (the minimum total bet on “inside” or “outside” bets) are $10-25. A few high limit rooms have $100-200 per spin minimums (for single zero roulette, the sweetest kind of roulette).

Some inside baseball: Roulette chips, unlike other chips in a casino, don’t have any intrinsic value. The player decides what denomination the chips will represent, and the chips have to be exchanged at the end of the roulette session for regular casino chips to get money at the cashier’s cage. A common newbie mistake is taking roulette chips away from the table to cash them in (usually before a dealer can tell them the lowdown). The cage can’t accept the chips because they don’t know what the value is.

So, when you buy in at a roulette table, you may be informed you can’t get chips at the $1 denom anymore.

It’s not news table minimums have been creeping up at Las Vegas casinos.

Nevada casinos have enjoyed a stunning 26-month run of billion-dollar-plus gambling revenue.

This post-pandemic hot streak has not exactly inspired casinos to give players better games or more perks.

But while much of the attention of gamblers has been on slot holds and table minimums, MGM Resorts was quietly testing the idea of raising the minimum chip value from $1 to $2.

We’re pretty sure the policy was put in place at Mandalay Bay first, but it’s expanding to other casinos in the MGM Resorts family. We went to see “Mad Apple” at New York-New York and were told roulette players can no longer use $1 chips. We’ve also been told Park MGM is giving the $2 chip policy a try.

As with so many things in casinos, if operators don’t see pushback, they tend to roll out such changes companywide. Chatter in the industry is MGM Resorts hasn’t seen much pushback.

That’s probably because recreational gamblers tend not to care too much about such adjustments to games. For example, triple zero roulette is common everywhere in Las Vegas. Often double zero tables and triple zero tables are side-by-side, with the triple zero game (about two percent worse than double zero for players, 5.3% vs. 7.7%) full and double zero tables empty. The lure? Triple zero tables often have lower minimums than double zero.

Las Vegas visitors are here to have fun, not hunt for better pay tables or game rules. We’re with them. We play where it’s convenient (for many visitors, it’s the casino in the hotel where they’re staying) and where we’re having the most fun.

Still, we can’t let the looming demise of $1 roulette chips pass without noting this unfortunate trend.

No individual change to a game is going to ruin Las Vegas or cause players to go elsewhere, but the issue for several years has been how the perception of Las Vegas is evolving due to a growing number of these irksome policies sacrificing long-term goodwill for short-term profit. Once, value was king. Now, you have to seek it out.

The list of gripes from visitors has gotten longer. The turning point was probably paid parking (a trend that MGM Resorts gets the blame for starting), but games continue to evolve and rarely to the benefit of players.

Ask a blackjack player about 6-to-5 versus 3-to-2 blackjack.

On the bright side, the $2 minimum roulette chip rule hasn’t spread too far. Caesars Entertainment, the other biggest casino company in Las Vegas, still lets players use $1 chips. But if Caesars sees an opportunity to increase revenue, it could follow suit, as long as it doesn’t drive away players.

In more “good news,” moving from a $1 chip to a $2 chip doesn’t change the odds of the game. Over an infinite number of spins, the house edge will catch up with you twice as fast, though.

If you have OCD like we do, $2 chips make the pay-out on a straight-up number even. It’s $70. We love round numbers!

Yes, that’s reaching for some good news, but we can put a happy face on just about anything, because we aren’t going to let bad news interfere with our enjoyment of gambling.

A glass-half-full person would say a player can lose twice as fast with a $2 chip, but we prefer to focus on the fact one can win twice as fast.

Most recreational roulette players aren’t going to play for hours on end, so an extra zero on the table, or a bumped up chip value, aren’t going to make much difference. Mojo is more important than math.

Oh, and it should be mentioned, there are no professional roulette players. Anyone who says different is lying. It’s one of the worst games in a casino. The only people who make a long-term profit at roulette are those who bet a lot all at once, win a lot all at once and immediately leave the building.

That said, the end of $1 roulette chips is a little sad for those who like to slow their roll and enjoy the casino experience and comped drinks  over a longer period of time.

Downtown and off-Strip casinos are unlikely to follow the $2 chip trend anytime soon, there would be a riot.

This is one to watch, and on a related note, expect to see more electronic versions of your favorite games. The labor costs are lower and the profit margins are higher.

For now, margins are everything. It shows.

Casinos have said out loud it’s not about attracting the most customers, it’s about attracting the most valuable customers. You know, Capitalism.

Another twist? There are companies that help casinos track the players who gamble the worst (those better for the bottom line). We are not making this up.

The billion-dollar winning streak can’t last forever, though.

Las Vegas casinos need to remember the customer relationships they sour now might not be recoverable, especially with the proliferation of legal gambling across the country.

The post Some Vegas Casinos Are Quietly Eliminating $1 Roulette Chips appeared first on Vital Vegas.

Fleur restaurant at Mandalay Bay is set to close on June 30, 2023.

The Strip resort announced the planned closure, without specifying what venue will open in its place.

Fleur was originally Fleur de Lys (French for “flowers cannot be trusted”), then later Fleur by Hubert Keller. Keller didn’t “step away” from the restaurant, as has been reported by some Las Vegas news outlets. The rumor is he was pushed. That’s the drama part. Otherwise, this story would be incredibly boring.

Fleur de Lys opened in 2005. That means the restaurant has been in existence in one form or another for nearly two decades, impressive given the competitive nature of the market.

Yes, when Fleur de Lys became Fleur, the restaurant served a $5,000 burger. Doesn’t everyone?

Chef Hubert Keller also operated Burger Bar, a beloved burger joint in Mandalay Place.

We were the first to share news Burger Bar would close, along with the associated head-butting.

MGM Resorts took management of Burger Bar in-house and it promptly tanked.

Now, the space is a Wahlburgers Burger Restaurant. If you follow this blog at all, this is where we humblebrag about the fact we also broke the news the Burger Bar space would become a Wahlburgers.

Anyway, a kerfuffle between Keller and MGM Resorts Food & Beverage executives is what lead to the chef pulling up stakes and bailing on both operations.

We heard MGM Resorts basically told Keller, “Our way or the highway.”

Not the optimal strategy for dealing with a world-class chef.

We’re sure Wahlburgers will deliver the culinary prestige Mandalay Bay so richly deserves. On the bright side, the burgers are proficient and the service has to be better than it was previously.

Again, there’s been no mention of what’s taking over the Fleur space, but the new concept is expected to open this winter.

Despite the mishandling of the relationship with Hubert Keller, Mandalay Bay remains a great place to stay and dine and gamble.

Of special interest is Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar. The new restaurant and bar opened June 10, 2023 and we look forward to checking it out soon, despite the sports.

It can’t hurt to shake things up a bit every now and then, and it appears Mandalay Bay is doing just that.

The post Fleur to Close at Mandalay Bay Following History of Drama appeared first on Vital Vegas.

Downtown Grand has heard the ongoing kvetching about nickel-and-diming at Las Vegas casinos and is doing some counter-programming aimed at value-seekers.

Bonus: They just unveiled a new roulette side bet, and it’s oddly enjoyable. The Birthday Bet. Fun fact: Nobody doesn’t have a birthday.

Let’s see what’s going on at this downtown resort and figure out if it’s worth a visit.

Let’s start with the deals, because we know how you are.

Some of these offerings have been at Downtown Grand for some time, but collectively they’re worth discussing, as such values are increasingly rare.

Probably the most notable deal is an old-school loss-leader, $2 for a Nathan’s hot dog and draft Pabst Blue Ribbon. We have never had a beer, but we tried the dogs and they’re great.

Here’s how they look naked, but there are lots of fixings for the weirdos.

The dogs and beer are sold from a cart in the middle of the casino, so it’s easy to find.

Top tip: When we’re not in the mood for a hot dog, we hit Freedom Beat for the pot roast sandwich, quite possibly the best sandwich in Las Vegas at any price. (It’s cheap. Everything is at Downtown Grand, comparatively.)

The pot roast sandwich at Freedom Beat is so amazing, even cows aren’t mad. @Downtown_Grand pic.twitter.com/1UTSQX0VUt

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) June 7, 2023

The dog and beer deal is a throwback to a time when casinos understood you don’t have to make money on everything in the casino if it gets people into the building and they play or eat or drink before and after.

Downtown Grand is also touting some low, player-friendly table minimums.

The casino offers $5 minimum dice with 10 times odds.

There’s also $1 blackjack with $1 progressive jackpots.

Downtown Grand also has $5 roulette with $1 chips. It’s hard to believe, but some Strip casinos won’t let customers use $1 chips anymore, they have to use $2 chips or greater. In the vernacular of the street, “Have you lost your damn mind, Vegas?”

Guests can also get a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and a shot of Evan Williams bourbon for $3.50. Not each, total.

As always, there’s no resort fee for locals and parking is free for hotel guests, casino and dining customers.

Downtown Grand’s plucky General Manager Andrew Economon seems determined to shake things up and get people into the sometimes overlooked casino.

Economon started a popular blackjack tournament. The entry fee is just $25 and prizes start at $250 (but can be much higher depending upon the number of participants). We actually entered and we know absolutely nothing about blackjack tournaments.

The blackjack tournament was a good time, but some of the players were way too serious. Chill, it’s not the WSOP Final Table. On the day we played, three women took the top three spots, so sort of the opposite of the WSOP, actually.

Another Economon plan is in the works, and we’re not entirely sure we’re allowed to share it, but unless somebody says “off the record,” it’s on the record.

It seems Economon has discussed with Gaming the idea of offering what amounts to “do-overs” for casino guests. Say a roulette table is full of bets and nobody hits the number. Economon and presumably his management team would have the option of instructing the dealer to not collect the losing bets and to spin the wheel again.

We should probably say that again: The casino could nullify a losing outcome and give players another shot at winning. In real time. Ditto blackjack and other games.

We’ve never heard of a casino offering this, and there are no specifics about how or when the “do-overs” might start, but if you want to create buzz in the gambling community, that’s a fantastic way to do it.

Las Vegas has gotten in the habit of stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime. This is the opposite, and it’s just what Downtown Grand needs. Something buzzworthy to make it a destination, other than for hotel rooms (the most successful part of its business t0-date).

The refreshed pedestrian walkway between Fremont Street and Downtown Grand will definitely help with foot traffic. Due to construction, the sight lines from Fremont to Downtown Grand have been terrible for a year, and visitation was hurt badly.

Now, the walkway is well lit and patrolled more frequently by law enforcement. There are still panhandlers occasionally, but it’s much better and feels quite a bit safer than the previous “no-man’s land.”

Props to Downtown Grand for shaking things up and making an effort to bring value back, along with some “surprise and delight.”

Not everything they’re trying has worked. Downtown Grand installed an Interblock Stadium Live Craps table that went away after a couple of weeks. We thought the issue was lack of play (it wasn’t) or cheating (it wasn’t). It sounds like the removal was software system incapability-related, but at least they tried.

Speaking of new things they’re trying, Downtown Grand is the only casino with a new roulette side bet, called Birthday Bet.

When we first saw the bet, we didn’t care for it, mostly because we tend to hate everything.

But after playing awhile, it was actually fun.

By sheer coincidence, our blackjack tournament happened on the same day as the launch of Birthday Bet, so we got to chat with the game’s inventor, Ryan Chinn, who was on-site to help train staff to deal the new variation. We’ll have an interview with Chinn on our next podcast.

The Birthday Bet gives players a new way to bet “street” bets in roulette. There are 12 zodiac symbols on the table, and a bet on those covers three numbers in a row.

The first time a Birthday Bet hits, it pays 6-to-1, which is terrible. The bet usually pays 11-to-1. Players can bet between $1 and $5 on these side bets. But we’re not done yet.

So, the casino gets its juice up front, but the magic happens if the same row hits twice or more in succession. The original bet stays up after a win (pays $6 for a $1 bet) and if it hits again, it pays 50-to-1 ($50 for the same $1 bet). The original bet stays live, so can hit 50-to-1 again and again. It’s not likely to hit that many times in a row, but it happens. That’s $250 for a $5 wager if the street bet (not the same number, any of the numbers in that row) hits twice in a row. Three times, it’s $500 (plus the original win of $30).

Chinn says street bets hit twice in a row about one in every 13 spins. (Which makes sense given there are 12 Birthday Bets, zero and double zero are losers.) We hit the 50-to-1 within a few spins. It was enjoyable. Street bets hit twice fairly regularly, but players weren’t always on them, so there wasn’t as much hoopla.

Like most side bets, the initial odds aren’t great with the Birthday Bet, but that’s not really the point. Gambling can get boring and repetitive, so it’s fun to have a new betting option on the table.

Roulette players bet their birthdays, as well as birthdays of loved ones, all the time. An odd aspect of this side bet happened frequently as we watched the game. People often came up to the table and bet on the astrological signs before they even asked what they were. They had no idea what the odds were, that this was a new side bet, or what would happen if they won or lost.

Remember, recreational gambling isn’t about doing math. It’s about mojo and having a blast.

Also, remember, most side bets are optional. This is that. The game is the same otherwise (you can still make an old-fashioned street bet, weirdo), it’s just a fun diversion and at the moment is exclusively at Downtown Grand. (Chinn was about to roll out his roulette variation at Station Casinos when the pandemic hit and that plan was derailed.)

One of our first questions was whether there’s a version of the Birthday Bet that features Asian astrological symbols. The answer is yes, and we got an exclusive first look at the super secret layout. It’s not actually super secret, but that makes it sound cooler, so just play along.

That’s the latest from Downtown Grand. We find ourselves visiting more often recently, as do sports bettors. The resort has a new Caesars Sportsbook, located in the casino’s former high limit slot area.

As we were the first to share, Downtown Grand is getting a jazz and blues venue, Fat Cat. An official announcement has yet to be made, but give it a minute.

A new Hot N Juicy Crawfish has opened in the former Commissary space at Downtown Grand. Prognosis, awkward.

Also in the neighborhood (Downtown Grand is the landlord) are Triple George, Pizza Rock and Hogs & Heifers. Downtown Grand lost its legal battle to boot Hogs & Heifers, so it appears the boisterous biker bar is here to stay.

If you’re up for a deal and like your casinos a smidge on the quiet side (as we do), Downtown Grand is definitely worth the stroll from Fremont Street. Even the piped-in music seems to be improving, so there’s hope for the former Lady Luck yet.

The post Downtown Grand Offers Cheap Eats, Low Minimums and Roulette Birthday Bet appeared first on Vital Vegas.

Just in case the cast or crew of “Hyprov” stumble upon this story, we’re going to start out by saying this new show at Harrah’s takes on an impossible task: Mix hypnosis with improvisation.

We were impressed by the creativity of the concept, and ads for the show feature its creator, the incredibly talented Colin Mochrie of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” fame.

If you’re in the cast or crew, please stop reading here. Putting on a show is hard, and it’s a great accomplishment to have done so. We are begging you to not read anything after the photo, below. Don’t worry, most people won’t, people skim on the Internet! Just keep doing what you do and remember, the person writing this is probably just jealous of your talent and success. In the words of Babe Ruth, “The loudest boos come from the cheapest seats.”

So, yeah, we really miss comedy-hypnotists Anthony Cools and Marc Savard.

Las Vegas has been home to some of the best comedy-hypnosis shows in the world. “Hyprov” isn’t that.

First, the name is terrible. It’s pronounced “hip-rawv.” How bad is the show name? The folks at “Hyprov” know the name is confusing, so they spell is phonetically on their Web site. Why would you name a show something you know everyone is going to mispronounce?

Next, using Colin Mochrie in promoting this show is a shady bait-and-switch. Mochrie is one of the most gifted short-form improvisers around, but he’s not in the show at Harrah’s. That, friends, is what’s known as a scam.

Or possibly sham. Pick one.

Here’s the lowdown.

The hypnotist in the show is Asad Mecci. He seems to know hypnotism, but he’s not a comedy-hypnotist. He hypnotizes audience members (starting with 20 volunteers and narrowing it down to four) and sort of hands them off to the main improviser.

About 45 minutes of the 90-minute “Hyprov” show is watching people be hypnotized. It’s sort of like watching paint dry, except after paint dries, something has actually being accomplished.

The show did accomplish its task of lulling people into a deep state of sleep, but we’re pretty sure that isn’t supposed to happen to both the audience and volunteers.

The “Hyprov” Web site lists Colin Mochrie, Stephanie Courtney, Jonathan Mangum, Barrett Foa and Jeff Hiller as the show’s featured improvisers. Exactly none of those people were in the show.

Amber Nash was the improviser, and she was likeable and charming and a good talker, an important quality for an improviser. She’s best known for her voice work as Pam Poovey in “Archer,” an animated comedy series on FX. Important detail: “Archer” is a scripted animated series.

Nash wasn’t particularly funny, though, which begs the question: Who’s in charge of the comedy in a comedy-hypnosis-improv show if it’s not the hypnotist or improviser?

The answer: Audience members. Risky business.

Anthony Cools and Marc Savard are the stars of their shows. They’re talented comedians who use hypnosis to loosen people up so they do silly things the stars can amplify or ridicule in a good-natured way.

“Hyprov” is a Hail Mary, hoping against hope regular people will magically become entertaining because hypnosis will lower their inhibitions and somehow help them tap into some hidden improvisational talent.

Actual improv performers should be fairly insulted by the whole concept.

“Hyprov” is a hybrid of two different kinds of entertainment, but it brings together the most cringeworthy elements of each.

“Hyprov” is not only the worst hypnosis show we’ve ever seen, it’s also the worst improv show we’ve ever seen. And there’s quite a bit of bad improv out there.

We should know, we performed improv at Bourbon Street. The former casino-slash-dive. You know the one. The one that was demolished after we performed improv there. Coincidence! We know the difficulty of performing improv from our experience of sucking at it. Our fellow improvisers were incredible, by the way, because they, too, could stumble upon this story.

“Hyprov” swings for the fences, but double the risk, double the potential for failure. You don’t get extra points for degree of difficulty, unfortunately.

The improv in “Hyprov” isn’t even as good as the improv in an improv class. The difference is this is a ticketed show unsuspecting tourists are actually paying for.

This wasn’t a matter of a good show or bad show. Everyone has those, both in the comedy-hypnosis world and improv world.

Professional improvisers, performing with other professional improvisers, have about a 50 percent success rate. A great improviser performing with novices brings that down to ten percent. One trained performer can only do so much heavy lifting. Novices who are hypnotized? The chances of a great improv show are slim to none.

The concept, it turns out, isn’t bold, it’s misguided and sets the performers and show up to fail.

Could Colin Mochrie make “Hyprov” better? Probably, but again, he’s not in it.

All that said, we aren’t saying you definitely won’t enjoy this show. We just recommend you drink a lot prior to attending. Drinking can make anything better. Especially a show where the audience is encouraged to shout things out.

Here’s the thing. Despite having performed it, we don’t really get improv as an overall form of entertainment. The sole purpose of improv seems to be to showcase how clever the performers are. Otherwise, they’d just write a script and the show would be predictably entertaining (best case scenario). There’s a reason scripts exist. It’s because you have more time to think about what the performers will say. The first joke you think of is often not the best joke. Scripts allow for rewrites, improv shows mostly don’t.

Improv is a first draft.

There’s a reason people pay to see trained, talented performers rather than random people off the street. Think karaoke. There are hits and misses, but way more misses.

There’s a reason trained musicians play on the stages at Fremont Street, while dimwits bang on pickle tubs nearby.

We’d love to hear your thoughts if you see “Hyprov.” As always, this is one person’s opinion, and it’s hard to judge a show with so many variables by one performance.

Ticket prices aren’t bad for a Strip show (they start at $39 plus the usual irksome Ticketmaster fees), so it may be worth a shot if you’ve seen all the other shows in town and want to give this one a try.

For what it’s worth, the show is billed as being family-friendly, which probably isn’t helping. Anthony Cools’ show was very sexually explicit, which is one of the reasons it was awesome. (He occasionally used plants, though, “Hyprov” claims it does not. Opinions vary. We have heard from a number of audience members they’re convinced the show uses obvious plants. If so, they need to find better ones and acknowledge that’s the case.)

The reality is there’s a reason there aren’t a ton of improv shows on the Las Vegas Strip. Second City had a seven-year run at Flamingo. (The group is still looking for a new theater, apparently. It closed in 2008.)

Improv shows can be enjoyable, but often they aren’t. In the entertainment capital of the world, you can’t produce a successful show that’s a crapshoot. You don’t have the luxury of a show that’s hit-and-miss, because there are so many shows killing it every single night.

If you’re craving comedy-hypnosis, try “Hypnosis Unleased” at Four Queens.

Sorry, “Hyprov” cast and crew. We knew you’d keep reading, but don’t take it personally. There’s a reason comedy-hypnosis has a formula, because it works. You knew you were in trouble when our frenemy Johnny Kats, who never hates anything, said in his Las Vegas Review-Journal story, “When improv or hypnosis work, they are hysterical. When they don’t, the result is disastrous.” He was being diplomatic. The Review-Journal relies on advertising dollars, we don’t.

See “Hyprov” while you can, as its run at Harrah’s is expected to be short. Not voluntarily.

Oh, and if you’re still reading it as “hi-prov,” join the club.

The post “Hyprov” at Harrah’s Does the Impossible, Sadly Not Well appeared first on Vital Vegas.