Thomas Moore

Story Archive

Southwest Airlines website down for several hours
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016
The website for Southwest Airlines was down for several hours Tuesday, forcing customers to contact the airline directly or use airport kiosks to check on flights or ...
Forget a casino ticket? Here’s what happens to the money
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016
Gamblers left more than $35 million on casino floors in the past five years, money the state of Nevada was happy to come along and pick up. The cash came in the form of ...
Regulators OK Boyd's acquisition of Canneries
Monday, Dec. 19, 2016
The Nevada Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission unanimously approved Boyd Gaming’s $230 million purchase of the Cannery casinos on Monday morning. ...
Free Parking in Las Vegas? A guide to navigating the Strip
Monday, Dec. 19, 2016
There are ways a savvy local can still get free parking on the Las Vegas Strip. Yes, there is still free parking in Las Vegas ...

.
SLS chief Kreeger resigns after two years
Friday, Dec. 16, 2016
Scott Kreeger, the president and COO of the SLS Las Vegas, is stepping down, the resort announced today. Kreeger joined the SLS in October 2014 shortly after it opened in August of that year. He took over from Rob Oseland, who left to join Andrew Pascal and the team developing ...
Pascal still high on Alon project after Crown Resorts backs out
Friday, Dec. 16, 2016
On Thursday, the management of the Alon, the nearly 35-acre high-end resort planned for the site of the old Frontier, said it would continue to work on the project despite losing its main backer, Australia-based Crown Resorts. Crown said its divestiture from Alon is one of several strategic moves it’s making to pay down debt and to “redeploy capital to fund high quality ...
Alon management exploring options after loss of backer
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016
The management team of Alon, the 1,100-room resort planned for the nearly 35-acre property on the Strip across from the Wynn, said today work will continue the project despite the loss of a major backer. This morning, Australian company Crown Resorts announced it has suspended work on Alon and may sell outright its investment in the project. In response to that news ...
Newest PT’s Gold features more slots
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016
The newest PT’s tavern has something most of them don’t — a lot more games. Due to a quirk in zoning laws, this PT’s Gold, 7200 W. Lake Mead Blvd., just west of U.S. 95, will have ...
Wynn says: Alexa, modernize my Las Vegas hotel rooms
Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016
Wynn Resorts announced today it will soon add Amazon’s Echo device to all its hotel rooms at the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, allowing guests to control the lighting, temperature, drapes and ...
Boyd’s purchase of Cannery casinos nears completion
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016
Boyd Gaming’s purchase of the Cannery casinos is expected to be completed shortly after special sessions of both the Gaming Control Board and Gaming Commission next week. ...
Wynn Resorts sells nearly half interest in new Strip mall
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016
Wynn Resorts has sold almost half its interest in Wynn Plaza, the new mall it is building on the Las Vegas Strip, and 88,233 square feet of other retail space at its two Strip resorts to Crown Acquisitions for $472 million. As part of the deal, which was ...
Level Up, where casino gambling and video games meet, to open at MGM Grand
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016
Apparently, the border dividing casino gambling and video games lies somewhere between a nightclub and a sports book — at least that’s where Hakkasan Group will open a space named Level Up in MGM Grand later this month. Level Up — which Hakkasan describes as a social lounge — will sit between Hakkasan and the sports book and will be ...
Cosmopolitan the latest Strip hotel to charge for parking
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
The hip resort sits at the corner of Harmon Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard and is surrounded by properties owned by MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment all of which are, or soon will be, charging for parking (although Caesars won’t charge locals for self-parking). The Cosmopolitan announced today it plans to start charging for parking in early 2017. The valet fees will be similar to ...
Nevada regulators mull new wagering account rules
Friday, Dec. 9, 2016
Allowing bettors to have one wagering account for all forms of wagering in Nevada — sports betting, online poker and slots — was the focus of a Nevada Gaming Control Board workshop on Thursday. ...
Video: MGM gives sneak peek inside the new Park Theater
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016
MGM Resorts International unveiled its newest entertainment venue today, the 5,200-seat Park Theater, which is attached to the Monte Carlo and sits across from T-Mobile Arena. Construction began on the $90 million theater in November 2015. Today, it is nearly complete, and MGM employees are stocking the bars and preparing for the grand opening on Dec. 17, when Stevie Nicks will ...
Gaming regulators to discuss new wagering accounts
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016
Nevada regulators will discuss allowing the use of wagering accounts for more forms of casino gambling at a special workshop Thursday. ...
What's next for the Palms?
Monday, Dec. 5, 2016
It’s appropriate that the Palms, which hosted the reality TV show “The Real World” and was a hangout for young celebrities and rock stars, has had its share of drama over the years. Now, 15 years after it opened, the resort is facing midlife with new owner Station Casinos. Questions about its future resemble those a middle-aged man might ask himself ...
Host of projects being planned or built right now will change landscape of Las Vegas Strip
Friday, Dec. 2, 2016
Las Vegas construction: With Lucky Dragon now open, people watching Nevada’s most important industry might be wondering what’s next ...
Fitch Ratings: Solid growth for Strip in 2017
Weakness in baccarat play a concern for global gaming industry
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016
Ignore the Las Vegas valley’s physical features, according to Fitch Ratings, the economic landscape of the city is flat and smooth. The financial information services company released its 2017 Outlook for the U.S gaming industry Thursday. In its estimation, the Strip will continue to see solid, if unspectacular growth in the new year with steady visitation numbers and convention business making up for weakness in gaming, particularly ...
As free parking dwindles on Strip, resorts guarded about following suit
Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016
The decline of free parking in Las Vegas — one of the Strip’s few hallowed traditions — continues. In the last two days, two major Strip resort companies announced they will join MGM Resorts International and ...
Wynn, Encore to start charging for valet parking
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016
The Wynn Las Vegas and Encore will be the next major Strip resorts to begin charging for parking — albeit only for valet services — following the lead of MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment properties. Michael Weaver, Wynn Las Vegas senior vice president of ...
Like MGM, Caesars Entertainment to start charging for parking
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016
Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced Tuesday that it will launch a paid valet and self-parking initiative at eight of its nine Las Vegas properties beginning in December and ...
Nevada gaming revenue up 11.2 percent in October
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016
Gaming revenue grew by 11.2 percent statewide in October compared to the same month last year and was up 14 percent on the Las Vegas Strip. Michael Lawton, senior research analyst for the state Gaming Control Board, said Nevada can thank ...
Despite a casino power outage, gamblers unlikely to be left in dark on winnings
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016
In the late morning of Nov. 3 at the Paris Las Vegas, the lights went out to stop play at the casino’s 100 table games and more than 2,200 slot machines. A construction worker had accidentally cut power and backup power failed. Later in the day when the fire alarm batteries started to fail, 3,000 people were evacuated. For guests there, management at Caesars Entertainment — the owner of Paris — covered hotel fees and ...
‘Mission: Impossible’ among GameCo.’s new skill-based games
Monday, Nov. 21, 2016
The old world of themed slots and the new world of skill-based video games may not be as different as it seems now that one company is unveiling a series of movie-themed skill-based gambling machines. Skill-based gaming developer ...
Lucky Dragon, Las Vegas resort catering to Asian market, to open Saturday
Friday, Nov. 18, 2016
The Lucky Dragon will be opening Saturday night. The Asian-themed casino — on Sahara Avenue just west of the Strip — is the first ground-up resort built near the Strip in several years and has a grand opening scheduled for Dec. 3. However, the company has decided to ...
Downtown Grand first to take bets on e-sports
Friday, Nov. 18, 2016
The Downtown Grand is now taking bets on e-sports — becoming the first casino in the U.S. to do so — only two days after ...
Palace Station workers get another chance to unionize
Friday, Nov. 18, 2016
Management at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino has agreed to hold another election to see if workers there want to be represented by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. In mid-October, the union lost the first election held to unionize Palace Station — located on Sahara Avenue just west of Interstate 15 — by a slim margin. Of those who participated, 266 voted against unionization and ...
Prohibition of pot use in hotel-casinos likely to continue after Question 2
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016
Even after Question 2’s passage last week, casinos will likely avoid dealing with the marijuana industry and continue to prohibit guests from using pot on their properties ...
Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise Road closing at end of year
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016
The Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise Road will close Dec. 31, part of a strategic decision to focus efforts on the brand’s Las Vegas Strip location. Employees at the closing cafe will be given priority consideration for open positions at the Strip cafe and its LIVE concert venue ...
A primer on how the state’s gaming oversight works
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016
What are the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee, the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Nevada Gaming Control Board?
Betting on e-sports in Nevada could happen in weeks
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016
Betting on e-sports in Nevada could begin in a couple of weeks now that the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee has advised the state’s regulatory bodies to allow businesses to take bets on the growing sport. ...
Video: Watch this huge glass dragon being installed at the Lucky Dragon
Friday, Nov. 11, 2016
The centerpiece of the new Lucky Dragon Hotel and Casino will literally be a lucky dragon. Over the last two weeks, workers have suspended a 1.25-ton glass dragon chandelier from the ceiling high above the center bar of the Asian-themed casino. The chandelier was designed and installed according to the principles of feng shui in order to ...
Station sports books taking UFC action for first time
Friday, Nov. 11, 2016
For the first time since the Fertitta brothers sold their majority interest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Station Casinos has started offering bets on UFC events. ...
Local Muslim leaders wary, but hopeful after Trump’s win
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016
Surprise, sadness, anxiety and fear were just some of the reactions two leading Muslims in Las Vegas observed in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory late Tuesday ...
Where to watch election results, find drink deals on Las Vegas Strip
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016
Nevada’s political insiders know where they’ll be watching the results on Election Day, but there are other casino offerings for the less partisan ...
In reversal, Steve Wynn says he opposes Question 1
Monday, Nov. 7, 2016
On the eve of the election, Steve Wynn announced he had changed his mind on Question 1, which would expand background checks for firearms purchases. “It’s a matter of conscience,” Wynn said when asked why he had come forward after initially supporting the measure ...
Red Rock notes Boarding Pass enhancements in earnings call
Monday, Nov. 7, 2016
Red Rock’s CFO Marc Falcone spoke about several initiatives, including upgrades to its slot system and its loyalty program and the integration of the slot system at the Palms, which Red Rock Resorts purchased last year. Falcone also applauded several improving economic indicators, including: People moving to the Las Vegas Valley; electric-meter hookups at ...
Murren optimistic for 2017 after strong third quarter
Monday, Nov. 7, 2016
In a conference call with investors about third-quarter results, Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts, lauded the company’s performance and was optimistic about 2017 for the company and Las Vegas.
Nevada field trials for skill-based games are only months away
Friday, Nov. 4, 2016
Nevada will soon begin testing skill-based games in casinos, one of Nevada’s main gaming regulators said this week.
Golden encouraged about effort to draw millennials
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
In the release of third-quarter financials, Golden touted the completion of a merger and other achievements, including a new tavern, the SG Bar, in Las Vegas ...
Sands reaches ‘critical mass’ in Macau, Adelson says
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
In an earnings call with gaming industry analysts to discuss third-quarter financial results, the buzzword Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson kept using was “critical mass.” “The opening of Parisian Macau not only ...
Scientific Games targets $75 million in cost savings in third-quarter report
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
In a conference call for investors following the release of third-quarter results, CEO and President Kevin Sheehan said efficiency and paying down debt were important goals. ...
Dealers advised to look out for smartwatches with cameras
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016
Decades before Apple sold watches and before the kids in the ’70s wore Casio calculators on their wrists, comic strip detective Dick Tracy used a precursor of the smartwatch to fight crime. Today, however, officials at Strip casinos are concerned that smartwatches will be used illegally to cheat at table games ...
Construction around Wynn Palace in Macau slows growth, company reports
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016
Steve Wynn, chairman of the Board and CEO, described how Wynn Palace, the company’s second resort in Macau, was facing unexpected challenges because of the construction in the area ...
Boyd Gaming says profitable quarter a result of stronger local economy
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016
Keith Smith, president and chief executive officer of Boyd Gaming, said that in Las Vegas, the company is benefiting from “a local economy that continues to strengthen” ...
Revamped Klondike reminiscent of earliest era of locals casinos
Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016
There’s a lot that’s new about the Klondike Sunset Casino, the locals place on Sunset Road half a block west of Boulder Highway that reopened in August after being dark for two years. The casino boasts a newly painted exterior and a completely renovated interior with ...
Viewing parties, after-parties would draw e-sports fans, experts say
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016
Casinos can hold successful e-sports events, said several industry experts speaking at the E-sports and Casino Resorts conference at the SLS today. They just have to bring all the right people together in one place and treat them right. ...
Key question at conference: Can bettors trust that e-sports aren't fixed?
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016
The challenges of getting e-sports into sports books and onto casino floors were the focus of two sessions of a conference on the popular form of competition Tuesday in Las Vegas, with discussion focusing on how gaming operators could ensure bettors that ...
E-sports proponents urge casino commitment
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016
The development of e-sports and skill-based gaming can’t come soon enough for some in the casino industry, who see it as a way to draw a younger demographic to gambling. However, speakers at the E-sports and Casino Resorts conference, being held today and tomorrow at the SLS in Las Vegas, say a move into e-sports requires more commitment. ...