Sh*t You May Have Missed While Burning Your Ryan Lochte Poster

It’s Sh*t You May Have Missed for the week ending August 19th, 2016

Hey, all…BigAZMarty with this week’s Vegas news and rumors amid the Olympics:

1. The Riviera is rubble now. Covered by us here…with full footage of the last two towers going BOOM!!! VitalVegas has unique drone footage and article on what looks to be the “afternoon after” the boom happened.

2. Caesars division CEOC bankruptcy still going on. They have settled with another second-tier bondholder (still not Appaloosa). The judge in the bankruptcy is asking CEOC lawyers why they aren’t looking to Apollo/TPG for some kick-in to cancel out the lawsuits. Read here and here. It looks like the talks are at least happening now, where they weren’t speaking at all before. It’s a unique case and has a lot of elements that may set legal precedents for years to come.

3. Harrah’s Race and Sports Book has received what may be the quickest makeover ever…thanks to VitalVegas Twitter feed here. Looks more like a sports bar with comfy seating than a classic sports book. But hey, Harrah’s space is fairly small, so it’s being put to better use by adding bartenders (maybe some flair from Carnaval Court?) and video poker. A triple win for revenue grab!!!!

4. VitalVegas Twitter feed also reveals the new Lucky Dragon logo, which has been mounted on the hotel tower. Check it out here. Good to see something going up rather than coming down…a real casino and not shops, drugstores, parks or arenas. Yup, talking to you, Resorts World and Alon.

5. Speaking of arenas, the latest “favorite” spot for a Raiders stadium now seems to be Bali Hai Golf Club between Mandalay Bay and Town Square (I saw this last week but forgot to post it). Can’t figure out how that location is better than the one off Tropicana Avenue, east of MGM Grand. It seems it would be a pilot distraction so close to the McCarran airport.

6. Fantasy topless revue at Luxor is almost legal in age….17 years is a fairly long time for a show in the same location…LVRJ (via Robin’s Niche) has a write-up here. Be aware the gallery is risque, so perhaps NSFW.

7. Binion’s celebrated it’s 65th year on Aug. 14. LVRJ has a good article on it here. Since they’ve made it through the “Great Recession” and new gut/remodels are successful in the Fremont Street area (Plaza, The D, Golden Gate..something where old Vegas Club stands)…announce it already, Derek! Maybe they will finally renovate the Mint Tower guest rooms and reopen the hotel.

8. Wynn Palace in Macau is opening…LVRJ has an article here. Read all the way through and you’ll see where the idea for Paradise Park Lagoon at Wynn/Encore Vegas probably came from. Sounds amazing if that same concept could be brought stateside.

9. Red Rock Resorts reported 2nd quarter results recently, and LVRJ has a good article on it here.

10. American Casino and Entertainment Properties reported as well…LVRJ has it here. They own Stratosphere along with Arizona Charlie’s in LV and Aquarius (former Flamingo Hilton) in Laughlin.

11. Not sure this is a good thing – Affinity Gaming reporting better “cash flow” in an article in LVRJ as seen here. I think I’ve heard that before from Caesars…the kicker is the details (better yield in revenue from upgraded – read “more expensive” – rooms and improved food offerings). Notice how YOY revenue has dropped? Yup, they are following the Caesars model…and how successful is that?

12. Ummmm…MGM, now wait a minute. Stiff and Georges is reporting here that Pansy Ho and MGM are doing some interesting stock movement (purchases and sales of stock in different divisions). You can read it all here. If you remember, Pansy was the reason that MGM didn’t own the Borgata Hotel Casino in New Jersey. I wonder if this is the flip-side of the deal that got them back into the Borgata. Now that they own it outright, are they backside-rewarding Pansy? Something that makes you go hmmm. Hopefully, New Jersey/Maryland isn’t reading up on this, as the wife and I wanted to visit Borgata or the new MGM National Harbor soon.

13. EATER Vegas has a great cheap-eats article…read here. The nice thing about Planet Dailies inside PH is that they used to serve breakfast 24 hours. Not sure if they still do (Editor’s note – they do…), but it is one of the nicer breakfast selections around…especially when you get to town at 1 am. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a big wait line. DuPar’s in Downtown’s Golden Gate Casino is always good. Casino Royal is where you go when you’ve dumped all that money on bottle service or on red (for you roulette players) and need cheap greasy eats for that hangover.

14. Articles and photos from EATER Vegas and VitalVegas for the Nacho Daddy opening on Harmon Avenue. It’s a nice improvement over what was a slab of stucco at the back of Miracle Mile Shops (see Sammasseur’s Hidden Vegas article on that little tidbit next week). EATER Vegas piece is here, VitalVegas one here. They should pick up some walk-by customers from Top Golf, Signature at MGM Grand and the nearby Marriott, as well as Elara. I hated that south side of Miracle Mile – so glad they are making it more pedestrian-friendly. Now if someone could bring back the Shark Club on Harmon….please? Has to be two stories with multiple dance floors…no freaking bottle service or VIP seating. Just good music, cool air-conditioning, big dance floors and open until 5 AM. And have that shot girl with the barber chair.

15. Creepy news (or fascinating, depending on your point of view): Bally’s has a new Real Bodies exhibit as reported here. It opened August 1st and is on the lower level. I am hoping it’s not between the pool and the food court….ewwwww. With the history of the hotel (Bally’s is the old MGM Grand that caught fire, killing 87), I’m not so sure this isn’t something absolutely creepy and horror-movie worthy.

“Real Bodies.” Only at Bally’s (and Luxor, ahem)…

Anyway, that’s it for this week’s news….and now for our editor-in-chief Michael Movestro.

Thanks, Marty! I’m going to vote with “creepy” for the bodies thing. Hey, folks! Here’s a look at the stories we brought you this week:

16. Blonde4ever visits the Lion Habitat Ranch, where MGM Grand’s lions enjoy retirement.

17. On the Eve of Implosion, Greg C gets some final photos of the Riviera’s demolition prep.

18. Implosion Video: The Final Two Towers of the Riviera came down in spectacular fashion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83U3I1Tq55s

19. Sailordude puts you in the driver’s seat at Fast Lap Indoor Kart Racing…

20. Sammasseur reviews “Magical Dream” At Planet Hollywood

21. Chad Rodick wonders what ever happened to Durango Station.

22. I shared a Youtube find of a Night Walk on the strip.

23. Greg C shares pics of the Lucky Dragon progress.

24. And of, course the ‘Sh*t You May Have Missed’ article you’re reading now.

We’ll be back (possibly Sunday with a podcast if I have time) Monday with new stories. Have a good one!

[Photos: Resorts World, Bally’s Real Bodies Exhibit, Lucky Dragon]

BigAzMarty

A computer professional who has worked at several types of positions with several different businesses and still learning and changing.
Introduced properly to Las Vegas and Laughlin by the spouse and have been going ever since 1990.
A frequent visitor from not to far away where it’s almost always 10 degrees warmer than Vegas.