LVA in the Media

"Spilotro was suspected of many homicides, but was never convicted before his own murder in 1986. For his part, Cullotta knows plenty about killing, having admitted to the act himself prior to becoming a government witness in 1982…

 

"I posed a loaded question to Cullotta during an interview last week…"

 

"Dennis Griffin admits he’s no Shakespeare, just a retired New York health care fraud investigator who had a story to tell and caught the writing bug when he retired in 1994.

"Since then he’s churned out 10 books, none of which will make you forget Hemingway or compare him to Steinbeck. But Griffin has done something none of those other mopes ever accomplished: He wrote a book, Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness, that’s helping to solve a real-life murder mystery…"

 

 

(Click here to read the complete article.)

 

The numbers for gambling win and visitation in 2008 are in and the results bear out what most already knew—Las Vegas had a tough 2008. In fact, it was the worst ever in terms of year-over-year comparisons. Statewide, the gambling win was down 9.7% from 2007, only the third time in 53 years that the win has decreased and the biggest percentage drop ever. It was worse on the Las Vegas Strip, where the win was down 10.6%. More troubling was a 4.4% decline in visitation to Las Vegas; the total fell from 2007’s record 39.2 million to 37.5 million, the lowest number of visitors since 2004. Concerns about the trend continuing into 2009 were fueled by data indicating that the lion’s share of the declines occurred in the fourth quarter of last year.

Strike Force: One positive on the road to economic recovery is the five-month-long U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championships, which kicked off in Las Vegas last week. The tournament is being held on lanes recently constructed inside an exhibition hall in the North Las Vegas Cashman Field complex, which is where the Las Vegas 51s baseball team plays. The lanes will be torn down following the meet. The event is expected to draw 85,000 bowlers and 240,000 spectators.

Mmm!: Information has been released on the restaurant line-up for M Resort, which opens March 1. M will debut with nine restaurants, including Marinelli’s (Italian), Terzetto (steak & seafood with an oyster bar), Veloce Cibo (appetizers & sushi), Piazza Grille (Mediterranean), and a 24-hour coffee shop. There will also be a sports book deli, a bakery, the Studio B—Show Kitchen Buffet, and the Hostile Grape Wine Cellar, which will offer more than 120 wines by the glass. The restaurants have been designed with floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor dining terraces to take advantage of M’s elevation and view of Las Vegas.

 

No one believed it would happen, but the formerly dilapidated Gold Spike casino downtown has a whole new look. Cleaned up and featuring a new bar and restaurant, TVs throughout, and a pit area that brings live gaming back with two blackjack games and a roulette table, the Gold Spike is now downright respectable. And the improvements are ongoing. A new pizzeria is about to open and work has begun on renovations in the 110-room hotel.

 

Classic Closes: After 23-plus years on the Strip, the Riviera’s La Cage female-impersonator show closed suddenly, the victim of falling attendance and the poor economy. Emcee and Las Vegas cult icon Frank Marino intends to seek out a headliner gig elsewhere on the Strip.

 

Joint Replacement: Another entertainment staple closed last week, but this one’s coming back. The Joint, Hard Rock’s rock ‘n’ roll venue that’s hosted some of the world’s most famous artists, closed after a performance by Mötley Crüe. The Joint will be expanded, renovated, and reopened in April with an inaugural concert by Paul McCartney.

 

 

Prime Rib Poll: South Point? California? Gold Coast? Who serves Las Vegas’ best prime rib dinner? Vote for your favorite among these and more at LasVegasAdvisor.com. The winner will be announced in this column.

 

Not even sports’ biggest game is immune to economic market forces. This year’s “handle” (amount wagered) in Nevada sports books for the Super Bowl was $81.5 million, down 11.5% from last year and the lowest since 2004. But it wasn’t a bad thing for the books, which rebounded from a loss in last-year’s game (one of only two times the casinos lost money) to win a healthy $6.7 million, or 8.2% of the handle. The books won by virtue of the Steelers failing to cover the 6.5 pointspread, as Pittsburgh won 27-23. Winnings from the multitude of “proposition” bets also contributed.

 

No OT: Speaking of propositions, last week’s column pointed out that there has never been an overtime in a Super Bowl. The end of that streak was as close as it has ever been, until Pittsburgh scored a touchdown in the last 35 seconds, saving the no-OT bettors big money (read about another prop in the Q&A).

 

Folies Closing: The Tropicana’s iconic Folies Bergère will close after its March 28 performance, less than a year away from its 50th anniversary (it opened on Christmas Eve 1959). The producers say it’s the longest-running show in the United States.

 

Lion Opening: Tickets for Las Vegas’ next big attraction, "The Lion King” at Mandalay Bay, go on sale February 28. Tickets are $168.50, $113.50, $86, and $53. Previews start April 22 and run through May 1. The first 100 ticket buyers get a free copy of the original cast recording.

 

Question: There was a Super Bowl proposition on how long it would take for Jennifer Hudson to sing the national anthem. How did that turn out? 

 

Answer:  This is the second straight year that this prop was available, though only at online sports betting sites. The time at most sites was 2:04 and the anthem came in at 2:10, so the over For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to  www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.   

Opening day for M Resort, the billion-dollar 390-room hotel-casino located on 80 acres on the far southeast side of town, is on schedule for March 1. Innovative features at M include a gas station where players can redeem club points for gasoline and a full-service pharmacy. In-room amenities include Bose Wave sound systems, iPod docking stations, and 42-inch HD flat-screen TVs.

 

 

The restaurants, almost all of which have views of the city, will feature Italian, steak & seafood (with an oyster bar), sushi, Mediterranean, the Studio B Show Kitchen Buffet, and the Hostile Grape Wine Cellar. There will also be five bars.

 

 

Springs Brunch: The non-casino Springs Preserve is a 180-acre park in the middle of the city with a restaurant that’s affiliated with Wolfgang Puck. It’s just debuted a new Sunday spread with fresh salads and fruits, cheeses, Cajun peel-and-eat shrimp, shellfish Benedict, carved lamb and duck, and the best smoked fish you’ll find at any Las Vegas brunch. The dining room overlooks the expansive green of the Preserve and a jazz combo plays. At $28.95 ($12.50 ages 4-17), this rates as one of the town’s best Sunday brunch plays; hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

 

Buffet Poll: As promised, here are the results of the best-buffet poll referenced in this column a few weeks ago. With more than 4,000 votes cast, the Buffet at Wynn Las Vegas barely nudged out the Buffet at Bellagio—524 votes to 511. Third was the Rio (405 votes), fourth was Planet Hollywood (302), and fifth was Paris (273). Of these, the least expensive for dinner is the Rio, $23.99.

 

 

Question: Can you convey a couple of the more interesting proposition bets for this weekend’s Super Bowl.

 

Answer: The most interesting from the online sports books is whether the number of songs played by Bruce Springsteen at halftime with be over or under 3.5. But here’s a classic game bet to sweat. The bet “no overtime” requires that you wager $13 to win $1. That $13 “lay price” doesn’t seem so bad when you consider that there’s never been an overtime in 42 prior Super Bowls.

 

The Texas-based developer whose plans to build a 1,064-foot tower on the Strip were dashed when the land deal fell through is making another bid for the same land. Christopher Milam has entered an agreement to purchase the 27-acre site where Las Vegas’ water park, Wet ‘n’ Wild, was located. The $618 million price tag comes in just under $23 million per acre, which is a hefty premium over the original deal of roughly $18 million per. Whether or not the tower is still in the plans hasn’t been disclosed, but some version of a major megaresort is almost certainly earmarked for the parcel. 

 

 

New Prez Waxed: President Barack Obama’s wax likeness has joined four other U.S. presidents in the “Spirit of America” room at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas wax museum, just a few feet from the statue of George W. Bush. The likeness cost $300,000 and took three months to create; work began on the eight statues that will grace Tussaud museums worldwide as soon as Obama was elected.

 

 

Question: How many video poker machines are there in Las Vegas?

Answer: The exact number is hard to determine, but according to the most recent counts, Las Vegas has roughly 30,000 video poker machines and 70,000 slot machines. Southern Nevada, which includes Primm, Mesquite, and Laughlin, has an estimated 46,000 video poker machines.

 Anthony Curtis’ column is syndicated on a weekly basis to all the above national media outlets.

“You can stay at the Trump that was just built here for 99 bucks now,” said Anthony Curtis, the founder of LasVegasAdvisor.com, a booking site that tracks deals (and offers further discounts to its members, who pay $37 a year). “You can stay at Wynn Las Vegas for well under $200.”

LasVegasAdvisor.com publisher Anthony Curtis quoted in the Travel section of the New York Times (Jan. 11, 2009) that dubs Las Vegas the "frugal destination of the year." To read the entire article, click here.

"Each casino uses different tactics to turn a profit, so it’s impossible to draw one conclusion about all slot machines in Southern Nevada. But if you’re painting the situation with a broad brush, Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, says there’s a convincing case to be made that slots are tighter than they were before the economic downturn."

 

To read Anthony’s complete answer, click here.