Sh*t You May Have Missed While Getting Your Brunch On

Hi, folks! Michael Movestro here as BigAZMarty is out and about this week. So let’s get to the news stories that happened this week in everyone’s favorite adult playground…Las Vegas! *cracks knuckles*

1. Kats at LVRJ has news that Wynn’s Sportsbook will be getting a renovation which will expand into the space currently occupied by Zozacrackers Deli. Zozacrackers will be no more. During the renovation, the sports book will be moved to Encore, temporarily. The new sports book at Wynn will open at the beginning of August, on the 1st. Read here.

2. From Eater Vegas, a new Minus 5 Ice experience is coming to the Venetian. It will be Minus 5’s third location in Las Vegas. See the story here.

3. Also from Eater Vegas, PapyaKing will debut Tropical Fishbowls at their second Las Vegas location at Hawaiian Marketplace, just steps away from Rock and Reilly’s which was once the very short-timed home of Heart Attack Grill (on the strip) and Pete Rose Bar and Grill before that. Tropical Fish Bowls are boozy drinks that cost about $25 bucks, but you get to keep the fishbowl. Now, see here.

4. MarC™ at EdgeVegas has news via TravelZork that the Betty White Slot Machine is headed to Vegas. It’ll land at Suncoast first, and soon you’ll see it all over Las Vegas. Also, he has news of Million Dollar Bingo coming to South Point. For that and his other news gatherings, read here.

5. CDC Gaming Resorts has news that MGM Resorts International won a bid to build a resort in Dubai. Now before we say “Looks like 6:5 blackjack is headed to Dubai” it is important to mention that there will be no casino in the new resort to keep in line with Dubai’s culture. MGM will build an MGM Hotel and Bellagio Hotel. Read here.

6. From Vegas News, The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art presents “I Am The Greatest.” The exhibit, Celebrating the life and legacy of the world’s greatest heavyweight boxer, Muhammad Ali, opens March 31st. Read all about it.

7. From Eater Vegas, New York’s Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken is headed to Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops, just outside of Starbucks. Hailing from NYC, this is Nevada’s second Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken location, the first being in downtown Summerlin. Would have been great if Anchor Bar could have opened on the strip instead *sighs*. No, I’m not over that yet. Back to Blue Ribbon…read here.

8. From the Las Vegas Sun: Palace Station is about to lose its Station. The ongoing multi-million dollar renovation of Palace Station means the removal of the locomotive motifs and most of it’s railroad theming. The new design calls for “mid-century modern design,” with “very clean lines and a very contemporary look.” In addition to adding landscaping and removing the trains, a new main entrance and porte cochère will be constructed. Read here.

9. Kats From the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Pitbull is extending his residency and hopes to extend his residencies even further. Pitbull says “This is our third set (of shows) at Planet Hollywood, and to me, it’s short steps, but a long vision. Little by little, I’ll be moving in. I would say within the next two or three years; we’re going to be talking about a very long residency in Las Vegas. But for now, you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in the next couple of years.” Read here.

10. MarC™ Meltzer (of EdgeVegas fame, and just about every other Vegas website fame) has an article on FrontDeskTip called “Don’t Get Crazy About Rising Hotel Room Prices in Las Vegas.” In the article he does a comparison of Hotel room prices from other cities, even including the resort fees. Las Vegas is still a pretty sweet deal compared to 8 of the 10 cities on the list. Read here.

11. Vital Vegas has an article about three new/newish places at Bally’s Grand Bazaar: Redneck Riviera, Born and Raised CRAFT PUB, and, Giordano’s. Craft Pub is not a separate place; it really is called Born and Raised CRAFT PUB. That’s a shame, not because of craft beers, just in the branding sense. Giordano’s deep dish pizza is the absolute saddest excuse of a pizza I have ever seen in my whole pizza-eating life. That pizza should be the Redneck Riviera’s urinal, not a beer keg. Read here.

12. From the Las Vegas Review-Journal: The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved a gaming license for Siegel Slots and Suites. The property is a tavern on East Craig Road and Nellis Boulevard, close to Nellis Airforce Base. The licensee for the property is Fifth Street Gaming, the operators of the Downtown Grand. Read here.

13. From Eater Vegas: The Pool at Circus Circus wants you to eat, so they’re getting food trucks along with a four million dollar renovation. The renovations will include a large deck, a water slide, and a restroom. Read here. Hmmm..we can’t end on 13.

14. Las Vegas Weekly has an article on the Ultimate Las Vegas Brunch Guide 2017. The article lists 35 different places to enjoy brunch in Vegas, some of which I never heard of. I’d write some more on this, but I’m getting hungry. Read here.

That does it for Vegas news this week, and now for the stories we brought you here on Vegas Bright.

15. On the Vegas Bright Podcast episode 30, we introduced a new podcast segment “Vegas Gone By” where we will explore A Las Vegas Hotel/Casino/Place/Show that once was. The new segment happens on every Vegas Bright Podcast episode going forward. The segment is hosted by former Fugheddaboutit Crime Family associate Vinnie “Extra Sausage” Badalamente.

16. Kelly Lamrock shares advice from his previous March Madness trips.

17. Blonde4ever compares the deliciousness of Benny’s Smokin’ BBQ vs Ellis Island’s BBQ.

18. Reader ShortArmsDeepPockets explores 50 Ways Vegas Has Changed since 1998; it’s a fascinating read.

19. BigAZMarty shares a Quest for Rewards Trip Report. He talks about the casinos he visited during the Quest for Rewards, and about some of the renovations, he saw taking place.

20. Sammasseur brought us an article on Earth Hour which is happening tomorrow March 25th. When the lights go out, you’ll know why.

21. And of course, this very article where I try to do SYMHM but realize that BigAZMarty has a lot more skill and patience at writing news round-ups than I do.

That’s it for this week; we’ll see you next week. Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for checking us out here at Vegas Bright!

[Cover: Michael Movestro]

Michael Movestro

Michael Movestro founded Vegas Bright to continue the tradition when Vegas Chatter cashed out. Michael pays the bills, maintains the site, writes articles, hosts VBN – Vegas Bright Newscast.