Anthony Curtis

Goldwyn Knight Goldwyn Knight Greenwich Office New Greenwich headquarters combines premium client experience, digital innovation and media production as Goldwyn Knight expands.

Vanderpump Hotel at center Strip is now taking reservations for overnight stays starting May 29, which indicates that the rebranding from the former Cromwell is nearing completion. The hotel is reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump’s first foray into lodging. She has three restaurant/bars in Las Vegas: Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace, Vanderpump a Paris at Paris, and Pinky’s by Vanderpump at the Flamingo. Although you can’t stay there currently, the casino, Giada’s and Drai’s have remained open throughout the transition.

Everyone wants to see a show as part of a complete Las Vegas vacation, but show ticket prices continue to go up. In a LasVegasAdvisor tally of ticket prices for 73 active shows, the average cost of a single ticket came in at $106.63, $3.41 more than last year and the highest in the history of the survey. This came amid increases in lower-­priced shows, as the number of shows with a ticket price above $100 dropped from 40 to 34. The highest average for a production show was O at Bellagio, coming in at $231.40, a decrease of more than $40 from last year.

Fueled by the likelihood that Las Vegas will get an NBA franchise, several plans for a basketball arena have been floated. They include sites at the Rio, Resorts World Las Vegas and a site farther north on the Strip, while the mayor is lobbying to build downtown. Now comes word of a plan for a $10 million resort located on Las Vegas Boulevard about 5 miles south of the city. Along with a 25,000-seat arena, the 63-acre site would host a 50,000-seat soccer/concert stadium; a cultural and entertainment district complete with theater, comedy club, boxing museum and Combat Sports Hall of Fame; a hotel; a casino; and a residential component. None of these plans appears to have the inside track; however, the odds are good that a stadium will be built, helping to secure Las Vegas teams in all four major sports.

Bad news came for anyone holding out hope that buffets will be coming back to Las Vegas with the announcement that the MGM Grand Buffet will close permanently after business on May 31. It was among the oldest remaining, having opened with the casino in 1993. The closing will leave only 10 casino buffets in Las Vegas, where there once were more than 40. MGM says there are “no immediate plans for the space.”

With the Vegas party machine revving up for summer, the action at the pools takes center stage. Unlike the days when you had to be a hotel guest to get into a casino pool, many are now open to the public for swimming or partying, but be prepared to pay for the privilege. The following pools will be hopping all summer long as part of Las Vegas’ vibrant “daylife” scene: Aria, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Circa, Cosmopolitan, Durango, Downtown Grand, Encore, Excalibur, Flamingo, Fontainebleau, Golden Nugget, Green Valley Ranch, Harrah’s, Horseshoe Las Vegas, Luxor, M Resort, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Palms, Paris, Park MGM, Planet Hollywood, Plaza, Red Rock, Resorts World, Sahara, Silverton, The Linq, The Strat, Vanderpump, Venetian/Palazzo, Virgin and Wynn. If you don’t see the resort at which you’re staying on the list, don’t worry. All the casinos have pools for their guests; they just aren’t all open to the public.

Consolidation among sports books in Las Vegas isn’t exactly big news. That is, unless it involves one of the most iconic sports books in the world. Such is the case with the inking of a deal for Caesars Sportsbook to take over operations of the Westgate SuperBook. The SuperBook has for decades been considered the top one or two books in Las Vegas, but it’s now ceding control to Caesars. The move sent a wave of surprise and sadness through the sports betting world, as it means the demise of an independent bookmaker putting out competitive lines. Many see it as a play by Caesars to own and possibly grow Westgate’s (football) SuperContest, similar to its previous acquisition of the World Series of Poker from the Horseshoe. Pending approval by regulators, the transition will be completed in time for football season.

For decades, Primm, Nev., has been a first casino stop for many visitors traveling to Las Vegas on I-15 from Los Angeles. That will soon end with the announcement that the last of the three casinos there is closing. Whiskey Pete’s closed in December 2024, and Buffalo Bill’s in July. Primm Valley, the last of the three, will shutter after business on July 4. The Lotto Store just over the state line in California, which drew thousands of lotto hopefuls from Las Vegas, will also close. Once home to the three operating casinos, a roller coaster, a concert arena and an outlet mall, Primm appears destined to become Nevada’s next ghost town.

With football season just around the corner, Circa is raising the stakes again for its trio of NFL contests. After easily covering the $15 million guarantee in last year’s Circa Survivor contest, this year’s guarantee has been boosted to $20 million, while Circa Million VIII will again guarantee $6 million. The entry fee is $1,000 for each with a maximum of 10. Circa Grandissimo, a second survivor contest that has a $100,000 entry fee (maximum two entries), has a $4 million guarantee, up from last year’s $1.5 million. Collectively, that’s an unheard of $30 million in contest guarantees.

The 57th World Series of Poker is underway, held again at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris. This year’s tournament features 100 bracelet events. The most expensive buy-in is $250,000 for the “Super High Roller” on June 13. The least expensive is $300 for the “Gladiators of Poker” that begins July 8. The prestigious $50,000 buy-in “Poker Players Championship” begins June 21 and the $10,000 buy-in Main Event starts July 2. In a major Main Event change, the final table will begin play on Aug. 3, four weeks after its nine players are determined. It’s a return to the premise of a pause before play of the final table creating a bigger buzz, though not the extreme delay until November that occurred from 2008 to 2016. The WSOP is referring to it as a “Cliffhanger” break. Viewing of all tournaments is free and open to the public.