Christopher told Casino.org he will “prioritize” smoke-free casinos, starting Jan. 1, 2022. One year later, on Jan. 1, 2023, Christopher will “exclusively partner” with casinos that ban smoking.

With 13 percent of the US population smoking these days, it no longer makes sense?to force 100 percent of patrons and staff to breathe in the harmful chemicals, and that includes myself and my staff,” Christopher told Casino.org.

On his YouTube channel, “Brian Christopher Slots,” the social media influencer posts daily videos with lessons on how to play slot machines at casinos worldwide. Christopher has 433,000 YouTube subscribers and almost 495,000 Facebook followers.

Christopher also partners with casinos in conducting slot demonstrations. Earlier this year, the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas opened a slot machine area named for Christopher. The Plaza allows smoking on the casino floor, according to the resort’s website.?

Randy Hayden, a Baton Rouge-based consultant for Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, said social media influencers, such as Christopher, attract a new generation of patrons to casinos. These customers want a “clean, healthy, smoke-free” gaming environment, Hayden said.

“Smart operators will get in front of this reality and use a smoke-free venue as a marketing strategy that not only brings in new money, but protects their employees, customers and vendors,” Hayden said.

Shreveport Smoking Ban Nears 100 Days

Hayden was a key figure in the recent push to ban smoking at riverboat casinos in Shreveport, a city on the Red River in the northwestern corner of boot-shaped Louisiana.

In July, the Shreveport City Council tabled a measure by James Flurry, the council president, to allow smoking in Shreveport’s two riverboat casinos.

The smoking ban took effect on Aug. 1.?

On Nov. 9, the Smokefree Louisiana Coalition is hosting a “100-day smoke-free celebration” in Shreveport, Hayden told Casino.org.?

Few Las Vegas Casinos Ban Smoking?

In Las Vegas, smoking has either been banned or restricted in a small number of casinos on the Strip.

Last year, Park MGM became the first “fully smoke-free” hotel-casino on the resort corridor. NoMad Las Vegas, a luxury “hotel-within-a-hotel” at Park MGM, also has banned smoking. Park MGM and NoMad are on the west side of the Strip, near T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

Two other properties on the west side of the Strip, Resorts World Las Vegas and the?Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, allow smoking on the gaming floor, but prohibit it elsewhere.

Some casino patrons want smoking bans to be decided by ?businesses, not public officials. A reader identified as Connie Townsend recently commented on a Casino.org story that casino customers like to smoke while gambling.

“Private property rights, owners choice,” she wrote. “Read the Constitution!”

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The 79-year-old Newton injured himself this summer at his Rollins, Montana ranch, according to news reports. He underwent surgery for the back injury.?

On his Twitter feed, Newton, known as Mr. Las Vegas, announced he is canceling the planned launch in late October of his new show, “Up Close and Personal.” Newton’s longtime nickname extends to his Twitter handle, @WayneNewtonMrLV.

Newton said he looks forward to performing when he is “fully recovered” from the back injury. He did not give a date for when he might return to the stage.?

We want to give you what you deserve and expect from us, the best show possible,” Newton tweeted on Thursday. “Until then, stay safe and healthy, and we’ll see you soon.”

Newton was set to appear in the Wayne Newton Theater at Bugsy’s Cabaret inside the Flamingo hotel-casino on the resort corridor. The first performance was scheduled for Oct. 23. Other shows were set for Oct. 25. 27, and 30.

Before these scheduled dates, Newton celebrated his 60th year on stage in Las Vegas with a show titled “Mr. Las Vegas” at Caesars Palace from January 28, 2019 through May 2019.? ?

Rise to Fame

Newton rose to prominence in Las Vegas during an era when major stars performed in intimate settings at smaller showrooms inside casinos.

Newton later was part owner of the Aladdin hotel-casino. The Aladdin was on the east side of the Strip where the Planet Hollywood resort now is located.

Fans Recall Newton Shows

Many fans who recall that earlier era in the Las Vegas Valley remember Newton’s performances with fondness.

In a recent Casino.org story about Newton’s comeback, some readers expressed excitement about his return to the stage.

A reader identified as Nora Tomaskovich said Newton has been her “very favorite singer for longer than I can remember.”

He puts on a show of all shows,” Tomaskovich wrote. “When I first read this and heard he is performing again, my heart starting racing.”

One reader recalled a less-than-positive experience a couple of decades ago during a Newton performance at the Stardust. This summer, Resorts World Las Vegas opened where the now-demolished Stardust once stood.

“He couldn’t sing at all 22 years ago at the Stardust,” a reader identified as Carnak wrote. “No singing voice, none, just hoarse groaning and whispering. Does he have his voice back?”

Another reader, Judy Youngblood Knight, wrote that she and her parents began going to Las Vegas in the late 1970s to see Newton perform.

“He was at the Sands the first time we saw him, then the Desert Inn, Frontier and all of the many hotels he performed in,” she wrote. “He is such a showman, and his showmanship and personality made us keep going back for many years.”

With the megaresort boom on the Strip beginning in the late 1980s, the hotel-casinos that Knight named have been demolished.

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The largest increase in the sportsbook handle came at Oaklawn Racing Resort, according to the Arkansas Racing Commission. The “handle” is the amount of money bettors wager on sporting events.

In September, the sportsbook at Oaklawn, a resort and horse track in Hot Springs, collected more than $2.85 million in bets. That is an increase of $1.85 million from August. After the winning bettors were paid off, Oaklawn made $256,528 at the casino sportsbook in September, compared to $90,272 one month earlier.

In states such as Arkansas, where college football is popular, NCAA games attract a lot of fan attention and heavy wagering.?

Enthusiasm for college football in Arkansas has been high this fall. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks jumped off to a fast start this year, beating the University of Texas and SEC West rival Texas A&M. These wins helped propel the Razorbacks to a No. 17 ranking in this week’s Associated Press poll.

Bridge Repair Helps Southland?

Also in September, Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis saw more sports-book wagering than during the previous month.

The casino and dog track had a September sportsbook handle of $2.79 million, or $1.48 million more than in August. After winners were paid, the sportsbook made $282,968 in September, compared to $101,208 one month earlier.

In addition to football betting, Southland has benefited from the reopening in late July and early August of both lanes of the Interstate 40 bridge. That span connects West Memphis to the larger Memphis, Tennessee, metropolitan area. The bridge had been closed since May for repairs to a primary support beam.

In Pine Bluff, Saracen Casino Resort had a $1.36 million sportsbook handle is September. That figure was $782,281 higher than the previous month’s total. The sportsbook won $269,908 in September, compared to $118,929 in August. Pine Bluff is south of centrally located Little Rock, the capital city.

With table games and slot machines added to the sportsbook totals, the three casinos combined won $1.63 million more in September than in August. Southland was down slightly for the month overall, while the other two casinos had a winning month.

Louisiana Wagering Includes Mobile

This comes as Arkansas’ neighbor to the south, Louisiana, is expected to kick off sports betting within weeks. The betting will go live in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it in last year’s statewide election.

Most commercial casinos in Louisiana have applied for licenses to operate on-site sportsbooks. Once the Louisiana Gaming Control Board approves those licenses, the sportsbooks will be operational.

A casino on tribal land in Louisiana already is taking in-person sports bets. Tribal casinos are not regulated by the Gaming Control Board and do not pay state taxes.?

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) recently told Casino.org he would be supportive of smartphone betting if the Racing Commission puts rules, such as geofencing, in place.

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Through Sept. 30, the County Commission received $2.13 million in donations, according to the agenda for the Oct. 19 commission meeting. The agenda was posted on the county website on Wednesday. Donations will be posted every quarter.

The cost to change signs at the airport and to perform other administrative functions is estimated at $7.2 million. The changeover can begin when $4.2 million in private donations come in, officials said. County commissioners have said the money for the name change will come from private donors, not taxpayers.

Big Names Back Name Change

On Sept. 1, William and Judy Boyd contributed $1 million. William Boyd, known as Bill Boyd, is cofounder of Boyd Gaming and co-executive chairman of the casino company’s board, according to the company website.

Several days later, on Sept. 8, the Murren Family Foundation donated $50,000. The foundation’s Jim Murren is a former CEO of MGM Resorts International.

Donations through the end of September include an Aug. 19 contribution of $1 million from William and Susan Walters. William Walters, known as Billy Walters, is a Las Vegas gambler convicted in 2017 of insider trading. Before leaving the White House, President Donald Trump pardoned Walters.

This summer, Commissioner Tick Segerblom, a former legislator who proposed the name change, predicted the changeover might occur in September. Former US Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) contributed $5,000. Her donation came two days before the Walters’ contribution.

Clookbeck Pledge Not Listed

In February, Stephen J. Cloobeck, founder of Diamond Resorts International, told KTNV-TV in Las Vegas he would start a nonprofit to raise money for the name change. He said he would give $1 million from the foundation.

Earlier this year, the County Commission voted unanimously to change the airport’s name to honor Reid.?The airport now is named for Pat McCarran, a Democratic US senator who died in 1954. Though supportive of civil aviation and the creation of the US Air Force, he has been criticized for alleged racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

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Actor and director Robert De Niro co-owns dozens of Nobu-branded restaurants and luxury hotels around the globe with two partners, chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa and film producer Meir Teper. The partnership owns the property at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which opened in 2013. It includes a hotel and restaurant.?

The group’s first Las Vegas Nobu restaurant was opened 14 years earlier in the off-Strip Hard Rock hotel-casino. The Hard Rock has since closed. It was refurbished and rebranded this year as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. That restaurant is still in business.

The refresh at the Caesars Palace location is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The company did not give an exact cost for the “multimillion-dollar” project.

Inspiration for the refurbishing project is being drawn from kintsugi, “the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold epoxy – creating cohesion from collage,” according to the company website.?

“This element will create a streamlined, lighter, and more luxe take on the original design concept,” the website states.

Nobu Hospitality, the company De Niro formed with his partners, has two upcoming Nobu Hotels and restaurants in the US. One is slated to open at Caesars Atlantic City in 2022. Another is scheduled to be up and running in 2024 at Harrah’s New Orleans. The New Orleans resort is the only land-based casino in Louisiana. It is in the process of being rebranded as Caesars New Orleans.?

De Niro Connection

De Niro first connected with Nobu Matsuhisa more than three decades ago, when the actor dined at the Los Angeles restaurant named “Matsuhisa,” according to CNN Money. Nobu Matsuhisa, who is from Japan, worked in Peru and Argentina before opening the restaurant in Los Angeles in 1987.

De Niro eventually convinced Nobu Matsuhisa to open a restaurant in New York. The partnership blossomed from that relationship, CNN Money reported.?

De Niro told the CNN financial website he see similarities between moviemaking and the hospitality industry.

They both have budgets, they’re creative in different way,” he said. “It’s like any enterprise. The movies are a business of a sort.”

De Niro’s connection to Las Veas extends beyond the Nobu brand. In the 1995 Las Vegas Mafia movie Casino, De Niro portrayed a character based on Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal.

Rosenthal was a Chicago oddsmaker who ran four casinos, most notably the Stardust, for midwestern mob families. This summer, the $4.3 billion Stardust opened on the Strip where the now-demolished Stardust once stood.?

Caesars Palace Early Years?

Caesars Palace dates back to 1966, when it opened on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip under the guidance of developer Jay Sarno. It is across the Strip from the Flamingo hotel-casino, which gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel opened 20 years earlier.

Hoffa disappeared from a suburban Detroit restaurant in 1975 in a presumed Mafia assassination. His body has never been recovered. No one has been held criminally responsible for this death.

Caesars Palace is now owned by Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment.

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MGM Resorts recently announced that Hecho en Vegas Mexican Grill & Cantina at the MGM Grand hotel-casino will close permanently by the beginning of November, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The restaurant opened in 2013. It features Sonoran dishes and more than 100 tequilas. ?

No reason was given for the cantina’s upcoming closure.?

The MGM Grand is on the east side of the resort corridor near McCarran International Airport.?

MGM Resorts said in a statement that after the cantina closes the space will be used for “a new food and beverage concept” to be opened in the winter. The company said details about the addition to its “food and beverage portfolio” at the MGM Grand will be announced in a few weeks.?

Rao’s Ends 15-Year Run

This is the second announcement in recent days about a longtime restaurant at a Strip hotel-casino going out of business soon.

On Nov. 28, Rao’s Italian restaurant at Caesars Palace on the resort corridor is closing after 15 years.

“While our future in Las Vegas is not yet decided, we are very excited about the possibilities of what lies ahead,”?the owners said in a statement.

The Rao’s at Caesars Palace is the Las Vegas branch of the longtime, famous Rao’s in New York City. The New York Rao’s, with only a handful of tables and booths, is considered one of the most difficult restaurants in the country to secure a reservation. It has traditionally been popular with celebrities, public officials, and athletes.

Rao’s now sells its bottled red sauces, also known as “gravy,” in outlets such as Whole Foods and Sam’s Club.

Martha Stewart Restaurant Proposed

As these restaurant close, others are slated to open on the Strip.

Businesswoman and publisher Martha Stewart appears set to open a restaurant at Paris Las Vegas on the east side of the resort corridor. A Clark County demolition permit has been filed to make room for a Martha Stewart restaurant inside the hotel-casino. No time frame has been given for when this might occur.

Stewart, a former Chanel model and stockbroker, was convicted in March 2004 on four counts in a securities fraud investigation, according to CNN. She served five months in a federal prison in West Virginia.

Also on the Strip, Baton Rouge-based Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is planning its first Las Vegas outlet. The restaurant features Louisiana specialties.

Walk-On’s is projected to open in Harrah’s Hotel and Casino on the east side of the Strip in early 2022.

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Ronnie Johns, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, has the authority to approve temporary certificates allowing sportsbooks to begin operating inside casinos right away, according to The Advocate newspaper. Mobile wagering — the use of smartphones and computers to place bets — will take longer to get up and running.? ?

Johns told the newspaper he doubts he’ll have to sign any temporary sportsbooks waivers in the next two weeks. He said he is anticipating licensing recommendations “very soon” from the Louisiana State Police.

The next Control Board meeting is Oct. 21.

The State Police is conducing “suitability studies” on the gambling halls that have applied for sports-betting licenses, according to the newspaper. This procedure was delayed when troopers were assigned to recovery efforts following the destruction from Hurricane Ida in late August.?

Over the years, licenses have been issued to 20 Louisiana casinos offering Las Vegas-style games. These include 13 riverboat casinos, one land-based casino in New Orleans, and four racinos — horse tracks with slot machines.

Two other properties are licensed, but are not open this year. A riverboat casino damaged during a 2020 hurricane in Lake Charles plans to reopen next year as a land-based resort.?

Another riverboat casino — this one in Bossier City — has been shuttered. The owners plan to transfer that license to a casino project near Slidell, pending a regional public vote in December.

Smartphone Betting Comes Later

This summer, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed legislation allowing sports betting in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it in a November 2020 statewide vote. Sports betting will be operational after the Control Board gives the green light to casinos that clear the vetting process.

The new law also allows bettors to use mobile devices in wagering on sporting events. Each of the state’s 20 licensed casinos will be allowed to contract with two companies that provide apps and websites for placing smartphone and computer bets.

The approval process will take longer for mobile wagering than for on-site casino sportsbooks. The state’s casinos already were investigated during initial licensing. Now state troopers are making sure the sportsbooks at these casinos are ready to operate according to the law.

The law also allows bettors to use kiosks to place bets in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The Louisiana Lottery Corp. is overseeing the kiosk approval process and hopes to have it completed by January.

Paragon Kicks Off Sports Betting

The first legal sports bet in Louisiana was placed last week in a sportsbook at Paragon Casino Resort. The casino is on tribal land near Marksville, about 90 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, the capital city.

Paragon, owned by Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, is one of five casinos that Native American tribes operate in Louisiana.?

Authorized under a federal compact, these casinos are not regulated by the state and do not pay state taxes. They are allowed to provide casino games that are legal in Louisiana.

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The Clark County Commission this week voted 6-1 to approve the 527-room Dream Las Vegas resort. It sits on five acres now separated from the airport by a chain-link fence, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.?

The only vote opposing the $500 million project came from Ross Miller. He said the “threshold question” should be whether the county will allow hotel-casinos to be “directly on top of our airport.”

The airport is at the southern end of the Strip, just east of major hotel-casinos on the resort corridor. Because the airport is in the county south of the Las Vegas city limits, it falls under the County Commission’s jurisdiction.

Dream Las Vegas would be the closet resort to the airport’s runways. The hotel-casino is projected to be built on the Strip near a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership.

Major airlines, including Southwest, Delta, American, and United, have expressed concern about unlawful drones, lasers, and other lighting that could cause “flash blindness” in the cockpit, the newspaper reported.

In its assessment, the Transportation Security Administration noted that a?risk to aircraft and passengers exists because of possible “active shooters”?or people throwing items over the fence.?

The TSA also raised the possibility of delivery or garbage trucks carrying explosive devices, and of “long gun attacks.”

On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman firing from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino killed 60 people attending an outdoor concert across the Strip near the airport. The gunman also fired at airport fuel tanks. In addition to those he killed, the gunman injured hundreds of people, and then killed himself, police said.

Safety Measures

Dream Las Vegas developers Bill Shopoff and David Daneshforooz hope to open the resort by about 2024, the newspaper reported.?

Attorney Tony Celeste, who represents the developers, told the County Commission the project will include various safety measures.

In addition, the resort will have an enclosed parking garage, a 10-foot security wall at the pool deck, and a “glass-break detector system” in each hotel room that will notify security if anyone attempts to adjust or break the windows.?

The 2017 gunman broke windows at the Mandalay Bay to shoot at the Route 91 Harvest festival concertgoers.

Concerns Exist

Rosemary Vassiliadis, the county director of aviation, told the County Commission the developers’ plans should be able to “mitigate,” but not eliminate, security and safety concerns, the newspaper reported

Pilots like open, vacant space, so with that, they will not support a project like this,” she said.

Vassiliadis added that the Federal Aviation Administration found no airport “obstruction impact” from the resort’s proposed 234-foot height.

As this occurs, county officials are developing plans for a secondary commercial airport about 23 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip.

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Co-owners Frank Pellegrino Jr. and Ron Straci said this week the Rao’s at Caesars Palace on the Strip is closing for good on Nov. 28, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The restaurant was opened at that location in December 2006. The owners did not give a reason for the closure.

In a prepared statement, the owners said they are “filled with a variety of emotions and will always look back and cherish the memories made within these walls.”

The owners left the door open for a potential next step in Southern Nevada.

While our future in Las Vegas is not yet decided, we are very excited about the possibilities of what lies ahead,” the statement reads.

Carla Pellegrino, the chef who opened the Las Vegas Rao’s 15 years ago, also opened Bratalian in Henderson in 2011, the newspaper reported. In addition, she was a partner in another Las Vegas restaurant, The Meatball Spot, and plans to open one called the Dough House Restaurant & Bar in the Las Vegas Valley.

New York Favorite

Rao’s reputation in the culinary world dates back to its opening in a large East Harlem Italian neighborhood in 1896, according to Vanity Fair magazine.

The Rao’s in East Harlem has only a handful of tables and booths. Since Mimi Sheraton awarded it three stars in the New York Times in 1977, the New York Rao’s has had “among the toughest restaurant reservations in the country,” Vanity Fair reported.?

Among those who have dined there are actors, US presidents, and even now-deceased Gambino crime boss John Gotti.

Goodfellas Cameo

When film director Martin Scorsese was shooting 1990’s New York Mafia movie Goodfellas, he cast Rao’s owner, Frank Pellegrino, in the movie. He appears most notably in the prison scene, where several wiseguys are cooking a large meal.

New York journalist and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi recalled having to order ahead on days the restaurant made its red sauce, also known as “gravy.” The movie Goodfellas was based on Pileggi’s 1985 book Wiseguy. Pileggi co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese.

The Sunday gravy is fabulous,” Pileggi told Vanity Fair in 2016. “They only make 20 servings, so I order in advance.”

Pileggi and Scorsese also co-wrote the 1995 Las Vegas Mob movie Casino, based on Pileggi’s true crime book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.

Cajun Restaurant Opening at Harrah’s

As the Las Vegas branch of Rao’s is preparing to close, a popular Louisiana restaurant plans to open at a different location on the resort corridor.

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a Baton Rouge-based restaurant, is opening its first Nevada location at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino on the Strip, according to a news release. Walk-On’s plans to be in operation at Harrah’s by early 2022.?

In addition to such items as burgers and salads, Walk-On’s features Louisiana-inspired dishes, such as crawfish etouffee, duck and andouille gumbo, and Krispy Kreme doughnut bread pudding.?

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At its Oct. 19 meeting, the Commission is expected to learn how much money has been donated to the fund to change the airport name, Erik Pappa, the county public communications director, told Casino.org.?

The Oct. 19 agenda, which is expected to include a report on the donations that have come in, will be posted on the county website on Oct. 13, Pappa said.

The cost to change the signs at the airport and to pay for administrative requirements is estimated at $7.2 million. The changeover can begin when the commission has raised $4.2 million in private donations. The amount needed to trigger the name-change process has not come in yet.

The changeover cannot begin until sufficient donations have been made,” Pappa told Casino.org this week.

Commissioner Tick Segerblom, a former state legislator who proposed the name change, has said the process will not involve taxpayer money.

So far, two people have pledged $1 million each. One pledge is from Las Vegas businessman Stephen Cloobeck. He has been in the news recently regarding a legal dispute with a former girlfriend.?

The other $1 million pledge is from Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters.?In 2017, Walters was convicted of insider trading. President Donald Trump pardoned Walters before leaving office.

September Target Date Missed

During the summer, Segerblom said the name change might take place by the early fall.

Without trying to predict anything, but by the first of September, we’re going to be Harry Reid Airport,” Segerblom said.

The County Commission earlier this year voted unanimously to change the airport name to honor the now-retired Reid. The airport is at the southeast end of the Strip near the Tropicana, MGM Grand, and other major resorts. Because the airport is in the Clark County south of the Las Vegas city limits, it falls under the commission’s jurisdiction.

Controversal Decision

In addition to holding state and local elected positions, Reid, 81, served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. While on the commission, he feuded publicly with Mob associate Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal. One confrontation was fictionalized in the 1995 Las Vegas Mafia movie Casino.

McCarran, a Democrat, served in the US Senate from 1933 until his death in 1954. Though McCarran was supportive of civil aviation and the creation of the US Air Force, he has been criticized for alleged racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Earlier this year, Segerblom said McCarran, who was born in Reno 11 years after the end of the Civil War, “represents a Nevada that no longer exists.”

From my perspective, if you put Harry Reid’s name on there, it shows the world that we are a different Nevada,” Segerblom said.

Others have said that naming the airport after any public official could be a problem if a future County Commission deems that person politically unacceptable. Some have suggested calling the site Las Vegas International Airport.

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Paragon Casino Resort began accepting bets on Wednesday at 3 pm. The casino is on tribal land in Marksville, about 90 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, the capital city.

Horn’s bet was a seven-team parlay, according to a tweet from USA Today Network reporter Greg Hilburn.

On his Twitter feed, Hilburn noted that Paragon, the first casino to open a legal sportsbook in Louisiana, does not fall under state jurisdiction.

Paragon is an American Indian casino. Thus, it’s not regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Commission and the state collects no revenue,” Hilburn tweeted.

The sportsbook at Paragon, called The Draft Room, is being operated in partnership with Betfred Sports.

The Draft Room features theater seating, a restaurant, and bar, 112 television screens. and three VIP “fan caves” for private groups, according to nola.com.

Marshall Pieritem, chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, said he is “thrilled to help usher in sports betting to our state.” The tribe owns the Paragon hotel-casino.

Other Sportsbooks Opening Soon

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board is expected to grant sports-betting licenses soon to commercial properties that it regulates.

Louisiana is home to 13 riverboat casinos, one land-based casino in New Orleans, and four racinos — horse tracks with slots.

Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) this summer signed legislation legalizing sports betting in the state. It will take effect at commercial gambling halls once the Control Board sets the rules to regulate and tax the industry. The new law allows sports betting in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it during last year’s election.?

Once sports betting is up and running at commercial casinos in Louisiana, bettors will be allowed to place wagers in person at casino sportsbooks. Smartphones and other mobile devices also will be allowed in betting on live athletic events. Kiosks will be available in placing bets inside bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

Bordering States Mull Mobile Betting

Louisiana will be the only state in its immediate vicinity allowing bettors to use their smartphones to place bets. Nationwide, the majority of sports bets are made on mobile devices, such as smartphones.

Jay McDaniel, the newly named state Mississippi Gaming Commission executive director, recently said he expects the state Legislature next year to take up the issue of mobile sports betting. Mississippi is home to 26 commercial casinos. On-site sports betting is allowed inside the casinos.

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On its Twitter feed this week, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Hotel and Casino posted a picture of the “Thank-you” card, which includes personal messages from crew members battling the Caldor Fire.?

“This gives us all the warm feels,” the Harrah’s tweet reads. “Our hotel team that chose to stay during the Caldor Fire evacuation to accommodate first responders received a handwritten card.”

The four major hotel casinos on the South Shore in Stateline, Nevada, were closed to patrons, but open for emergency crews, firefighters, and some employees.? In addition to Harrah’s, the other major hotel-casinos in Stateline are MontBleu Resort, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and Harveys Lake Tahoe.?

Lake Tahoe straddles the California-Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 20 miles west of Nevada’s capital, Carson City. The lake’s rim is dotted with homes and businesses, and on the Nevada side, with casinos. The largest casinos are in Stateline, just east of the California town of South Lake Tahoe.

During the late summer, the blaze shrouded the pristine lake in smoke and ash and upended what normally would have been a busy Labor Day weekend.

Casino Welcomes Fire Crews

By mid-September, after the evacuation orders were lifted, the four large South Shore hotel-casinos were reopened to the public.

Some firefighters were still using guest rooms at area hotels into September. Harveys Lake Tahoe recently tweeted a brief video of firefighters at the resort.

“What do you do when you receive a request to help 400 firefighters assisting with the Caldor Fire containment?” Harveys tweeted. “Well, last weekend we gave them all rooms!”

Threat Not Over

The Sacramento Bee reported this week that the Caldor Fire is 83 percent contained. However, with the strong winds that commonly occur in that area during October, the potential for further problems exist, fire officials said.

The Caldor Fire threat is not over yet,” Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais said. “We are still engaged in fire suppression and there are many hazards in the burned area.”

Fueled by California’s dry timberland and parched terrain, the Caldor Fire has burned through 347 square miles in several counties since it began on Aug. 14. ?

The Caldor Fire the 15th-largest wildfire in California history, the Sacramento Bee reported. It is one of a dozen major fires this year in California.

During the past 30 years, climate change has made the West warmer and drier, leading to more fires, the Associated Press reported. The world’s hottest month on record occurred this July, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said.

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In August, 2.9 million visitors made their way to the Las Vegas Valley, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority website. That figure is below July’s tourism total of 3.3 million.

Kevin Bagger of the LVCVA told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the lower numbers coincided with a rise in coronavirus cases.?

With the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus spiking during the month, August visitation receded from the pandemic-era peak in July, coming in at just under 3 million visitors, down 9.2 percent month over month and down 16.2 percent from August 2019,” he said.

At the onset of COVID-19 cases in March 2020, the Las Vegas economy fell into a deep slump. A nation-leading unemployment rate left more than one-third of the area’s eligible workers without a job. Some resort companies closed their hotel towers last year during the slower middle of the week because of low demand. The number of passengers who made their way through McCarran International Airport declined by millions.

In the spring, with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and federal stimulus checks, tourists began returning to Las Vegas in larger numbers.

As the months went by, however, health officials in Los Angeles and other areas cautioned against traveling to Las Vegas because of the area’s rising infections and low vaccination rates. For two straight months his summer, joblessness in Las Vegas remained the highest in the nation for metropolitan areas with a population of one million or more.

Fewer Airport Passengers

Other tourism indicators also declined in August.

Hotel occupancy was at 72.8 percent last month, a falloff of 6.6 percent from July, the newspaper reported. The average daily room rate of $140.32 in August also was down from July’s rate, by 7.8 percent.

This year in August, 3.8 million arriving and departing passengers made their way through McCarran, down from 4.15 million in July. The number of International travelers remained low in August. International travelers are seen as vital to the Las Vegas economy, especially in filling up hotel rooms during the slow mid-week days.

Vehicle traffic on Interstate 15 at the Nevada-California border was down almost 13 percent in August, with just 49,375 vehicles traveling that route. The Los Angeles area is considered important to Las Vegas tourism, contributing about 20 percent of the visitors to the casino-oriented city.

Big Wins at Casinos

One indicator pointed to brighter days ahead for Las Vegas and the entire state.

Statewide in July, casinos won $1.35 billion, the highest monthly gaming revenue number in state history.

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The Mob Museum in Las Vegas held an advance screening of the movie this week at a theater inside Red Rock Resort and Casino, west of downtown.?

Las Vegas podcaster Tommy Canale, who attend the advance screening, predicted The Many Saints of Newark will attract new viewers to the television show.

Those that have not seen it will leave the theater wanting to watch the entire series,” Canale told Casino.org. “It may just open up the next generation into why The Sopranos was such a big hit years ago.”?

The series ran for 86 episodes from 1999 to 2007. The final episode ended in a real-life Bloomfield, New Jersey, ice cream parlor, Holsten’s, with the screen going black as Sopranos family members sat in a booth eating onion rings. Some fans have speculated that the vague ending indicates Tony Soprano was shot to death.?

The prequel movie includes a lot things that fans will remember from the television series, Canale said.

“It is a must-see for anyone who has seen the TV series, as it has several locations, people, and past episode references,” he said.

Gandolfini Father and Son

The movie, which opened simultaneously?in theaters and on HBO Max, centers on the series’ familiar characters during their younger years. It is set against a backdrop of late 1960s racial strife in Newark, New Jersey.

James Gandolfini died in Rome in 2013 of a heart attack at age 51.

Las Vegas in Mob Movies

The HBO series is one in a long line of television shows and movies that, at least partially, address the Mob world’s attraction to Las Vegas casinos.

In an episode of The Sopranos final season, Tony Soprano visits Las Vegas, where he plays roulette at Caesars Palace on the Strip. In the desert near Las Vegas, he has an undefined vision, leading him to proclaim loudly, “I get it!”?

Movies about the city’s underworld connection date back to the film noir days, including 1950’s 711 Ocean Drive.?

The connection came into greater prominence in the 1970s with The Godfather trilogy, depicting the Corleone family’s financial interest in Las Vegas casinos. Some of the scenes were shot at the Tropicana and Riviera hotel-casinos on the Strip, according to the Nevada Film Office. The Riviera has since closed. The Tropicana is still in operation near McCarran International Airport.

In 1995, the Las Vegas Mafia movie Casino brought more attention to the city’s Mob history.?

The movie starred Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone as characters based on Mob associate Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and his former Tropicana showgirl wife, Geri.?

Also in the movie, Joe Pesci plays a mobster modeled after Tony “The Ant” Spilotro, the Chicago Outfit’s overseer in Las Vegas in the 1970s and into the ’80s. Spilotro’s romantic relationship with Geri Rosenthal is fictionalized in the movie.

The post ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ Revives Interest in ‘Sopranos’ Hit Series – And In Vegas Mob Stories appeared first on Casino.org.

The governor’s mandate is in effect through Oct. 27. It applies to casinos, schools, restaurants, and other businesses, including gyms and retail stores. If the governor wants to keep the mandate in place, he is required to renew it monthly.?

The mask requirement is posted on casino websites, reminding patrons to wear a face covering inside casino property.

“The City of New Orleans requires proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours to enter indoor establishments, including Harrah’s Casino,” the resort’s website states. “In addition, masks are required to be worn at all times.” A PCR test is used to detect the presence of a virus. ?

Harrah’s is the only land-based casino in Louisiana. The state also is home to 13 riverboat casinos and four racinos — horse tracks with slot machines.?

A riverboat in Lake Charles, damaged last year in a hurricane, is moving ashore in 2022 as a land-based casino. Also, a shuttered riverboat in Bossier City plans to reopen as a casino on Lake Pontchartrain’s north shore near Slidell, pending a public vote.

Low Vaccination Rate

On his website, the governor noted that while there has been an improvement in the state’s “COVID-19 situation,” the numbers are still “incredibly high.”

“This is why, to support continued decreases in COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases, and deaths, I am extending Louisiana’s statewide indoor mask mandate for another four weeks,” Edwards said.

Statewide, more than 12,200 people have died of the coronavirus, with another 1,600 deaths likely attributed to COVID-19, according to the Associated Press.

Louisiana has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, with about 45 percent of the state’s eligible people fully vaccinated, the Associated Press reported. Nationally, about 55 percent of the eligible population is vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Edwards noted on his Facebook page that there have 14 COVID-19 “severe pregnancy outcomes in Louisiana since mid-July.”

“All 14 cases involved unvaccinated mothers and resulted in 6 maternal deaths and 10 fetal deaths,” the page states.

Mandate Prompts Facebook Comments

The governor’s Facebook message this week regarding the mask-mandate renewal has generated hundreds of comments on the social media site.

A Facebook user identified as John Haughton is among those who criticized Edwards for the mandate.

“I swear this governor doesn’t know of what the hell is going on in his own state,” Haughton wrote. “Almost no one (has) been wearing the face diaper for months now. Which is why the numbers are getting better.”

Other supported the governor’s decision.

“This surge is mainly killing the unvaccinated and some kids that I guess no one cares, which is typical of these types,” wrote a user identified as Angelas McCabe. “If this trend continues, there won’t be many whining about masks left, but, hey, it’s their prerogative.”

?

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Hurricanes General Manager Tom Dundon said his team is one of those “working on” allowing fans to bet on games while inside the arena, according Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Every arena “is going to have it eventually,” Dundon said.

It’s just about when, for the most part, because it seems to be legal in many states, and on its way in others,” he said.

Before that can happen in North Carolina, where the Hurricanes are based, a sports gambling bill will have to pass out of the legislature and be signed by the governor. The state Senate approved a bill on Aug. 19 to authorize sports betting. The House has not voted on the measure, according to WNCN-TV.

As North Carolina lawmakers debate the issue, sports betting has been legalized in 26 states. It is legal but not yet operational in six others, according to the American Gaming Association website. In Canada, the federal government legalized single-game sports betting?this summer.

The NHL has a combined 32 teams in the US and Canada. An expansion team, the Seattle Kraken, named for a legendary sea monster, begins play this year. The league’s preseason schedule already is underway. Regular season games begin in October.

Caesars Uniform Logos

In May, Capital One Arena became the first athletic arena in the US with an on-site sportsbook. The arena is home to the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards.

The two-story William Hill sportsbook at the arena includes betting windows, self-service kiosks, and electronic screens showing betting odds.?

The ?logo will begin appearing on the Capitals’ uniforms after the current season.

NFL Embraces Sports Betting?

For decades, most major leagues publicly avoided any connection to sports betting, in part because of its historic link to organized crime. A league’s integrity would be called into question if fans thought players and officials were rigging games to enrich themselves and crime factions.

The NFL has especially had a high-profile change of heart in regards to sports betting.

In 1989, investigative reporter Dan E. Moldea’s book,?Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football, broke ground by exploring the underworld’s influence on the league and some of its key figures.?

As recently as 2017, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at an owners meeting that the league will “still strongly oppose legalized sports gambling.”

The integrity of our game is number one,” he said. “We will not compromise on that.”

Like other leagues, the NFL’s position has changed since then.

This year, the NFL has allowed FOX Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, and WynnBET to become its sportsbook operators. The league also has signed with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, and FanDuel to become “official sports-betting partners.”

Years ago, then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue opposed putting a team in Las Vegas, the nation’s gambling capital. Under Goodell, the Raiders moved to Las Vegas from Oakland, and now play home games at Allegiant Stadium, just west of the Las Vegas Strip. An NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights, play at T-Mobile Arena on the Strip.

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Moon World Resorts is planning to build moon-themed hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, China, Spain, and the Middle East, according to the New York Post. The company plans to have these built by 2027.

The 1/75,000-sized replica of the moon will include a 292,011-square-foot “lunar surface” on the resort’s top floor. A shuttle will take visitors to the lunar surface atop the 735-foot-tall property.

The fee to visit the surface will be $500 for 90 minutes, according to the company’s website.?

While there is no indication what the surface will be made of, company co-founder Michael Henderson told the newspaper it will be “authentic.” ? ?

People want something unique, something different, something, ‘Wow,’” he said.

The $5 billion resort would include 4,000 suites, a 10,000-seat arena, and a planetarium, the newspaper reported.

The hotel-casino also is projected to have parking spaces for 6,000 vehicles and a 500,000-square-foot convention center. There is no indication where the resort would be constructed in Las Vegas. An illustration on the company’s website shows the giant sphere near the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotel-casinos on the Strip.

Setting the Trend

If the Moon World property is built in Las Vegas, it would mark another step in the city’s evolution as a resort destination.

Throughout the Las Vegas Valley’s history, including during the current coronavirus pandemic, newer and more expensive resorts have transformed the area’s appearance.

One of the first trendsetters was the Flamingo Casino, bringing a different level of luxury to the valley. Under the direction of mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, the Flamingo opened in December 1946 on the desert highway to Los Angeles. That portion of the highway is now known as the Las Vegas Strip. The Flamingo is still at the same location, though none of the original buildings remain.

Other Mob-connected casinos followed, including the Sands, which helped attract attention to Las Vegas with performances by the Rat Pack and other celebrities it its Copa Room. The Venetian has been built on the east side of the Strip where the Sands once stood.

In the 1960s and beyond, larger properties popped up on the Strip, including Caesars Palace and the original MGM Grand, now known as Bally’s. A newer MGM Grand is south of there, near McCarran International Airport.?

In 1989, casino developer Steve Wynn opened the Mirage Hotel and Casino on the west side of the Strip. Considered the first megaresort, it helped spark a boom in large, family friendly hotel-casinos. ? ? ?

Newest Las Vegas Casinos

In the last year, two brand-new properties opened in the area, adding to the changing casino landscape.?

South of downtown, Resorts World Las Vegas held its grand opening in June. It is on the west side of the Strip where the Mob-connected Stardust once stood.?

At a cost of $4.3 billion, Resorts World was the first new resort to open on the Strip since the Cosmopolitan began operating in late 2010.

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In August, 3.8 million arriving and departing passengers made their way through the airport at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip. One month earlier, 4.15 million passengers used the airport, according to the Clark County Department of Aviation. The total in June was the same as in August — 3.8 million.

As the delta variant swept through the region this summer, Clark County’s rising infections and low vaccination rates prompted health officials in Los Angeles and elsewhere to caution against traveling to Las Vegas.

The August 2021 figure is 14.1 percent below August 2019’s total of 4.4 million passengers. The airport uses 2019 numbers to indicate how well tourism-dependent Las Vegas is recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of passengers using the airport during the first eight months of this year is 30.1 percent below the January-August 2019 total. Two years ago, 34.1 million arriving and departing passengers used the airport during that period. This year, the number fell to 23.89 million.

McCarran Airport is just east of the Tropicana, MGM Grand, and other major hotel casinos on the resort corridor. The airport is outside the Las Vegas city limits. It falls under the county’s jurisdiction.

International Travel Plummets

The international travel numbers have been low throughout the pandemic.?

This year, from January through August, only 325,329 passengers arrived at McCarran from international airports. That is a falloff of 87.2 percent from the first eight months of 2019 when the airport saw 2.5 million international passengers.

International travelers, who stay longer and spend more than domestic leisure visitors, are vital in filling up Las Vegas hotel rooms, especially during the slower middle of the week. Several resorts temporarily closed their hotel towers last year because of low consumer demand.

Southern Nevada tourism officials are hopeful international travel will increase with the recent announcement that vaccinated non-citizens will be able to visit the United States, beginning in November. These travelers will be required to receive a negative COVID-19 result within three days of departure.? ? ?

Second Airport Planned

A plan is underway in the Las Vegas area to build a secondary airport. This airport would be near Interstate 15 in Clark County’s Ivanpah Valley, between Jean and Primm. The site is about 23 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip.

The secondary airport is expected to handle charter, long-haul domestic, and international flights, the Department of Aviation website states.

No date has been set for when the secondary airport might open. Earlier estimates indicate it could be operational by 2040.

The county’s Department of Aviation recently conducted two virtual meetings to gather ideas from the public for ground transportation options to the proposed secondary airport.

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Before speaking at a luncheon event in Fayetteville this week, Hutchinson told Casino.org he would be in favor of mobile wagering if rules such as geofencing are put in place. Geofencing blocks people outside an approved area from using smartphones or computers to place bets.

If they adopt the appropriate rules, I would be supportive of it,” Hutchinson said.

Arkansas is home to three casinos — Southland in West Memphis, Oaklawn in Hot Springs, and Saracen in Pine Bluff. A fourth casino has been licensed to operate in Russellville, but is tied up in a legal dispute.

Sports betting is legal inside Arkansas casinos on kiosks and at sportsbooks. The Arkansas Racing Commission would have to change current rules to allow bettors to use smartphones to place wagers off casino grounds. The commission regulates gaming in Arkansas.

A lobbyist representing FanDuel, DraftKings, and MGM Resorts has approached the commission about a rule change. Companies such as these would have to partner with a legal casino to operate in the state, officials said.

Hutchinson said it is appropriate for the commission to explore mobile sports betting.

“I’m glad the Racing Commission will look at it,” the governor told Casino.org.?

Regional Competition

The need to remain competitive is a factor in exploring mobile sports betting, Hutchinson said. Nationwide, most sports bets are placed on mobile devices, such as smartphones.

Two states bordering Arkansas have already legalized mobile sports betting.?

In November 2020, bettors in Tennessee were allowed to begin using mobile devices to wager on live sporting events. Although Tennessee doesn’t have commercial casinos, the state’s sports-betting handle in July ranked ninth in the nation, at $144.5 million. The “handle” is the amount of money bettors wager on athletic competitions.

In Louisiana, which shares a border with Arkansas, sports betting is legal. It will not be operational, however, until the Gaming Control Board finalizes the rules to regulate and tax the industry. That is expected to happen soon. Once it’s up and running in Louisiana, sports betting will be allowed on-site in casino sportsbooks and on mobile devices.

Mississippi Mulls Mobile

Mississippi, which also borders Arkansas, is expected to take up mobile sports betting at the next legislative session in Jackson, the state capital.?

Jay McDaniel, the Mississippi Gaming Commission’s executive director, noted on a recent radio show that sports betting is “kind of popping up all around us.” After a decade as deputy director, McDaniel took over this month from retired Executive Director Allen Godfrey.?

Sports wagering is legal in Mississippi at sportsbooks inside casinos. Off-site mobile sports betting is illegal. Mississippi is home to 26 commercial casinos.?

McDaniel said the decision to legalize mobile sports betting is “in the hands of the legislature.”

“If the legislature chooses to do that, we would quickly be ready to regulate it,” he said.

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On Thursday, Stevens tweeted a grainy surveillance video showing about a dozen people dancing around the statute. Some were shooting cellphone videos.?

At one point in the surveillance video, a person climbs up to the statue, then dances behind it and grabs it. Within seconds, the statue falls over backward. When it topples, the group scatters.

Tried keeping this on the #DownLow as it’s an active investigation. ?

Why/Who would do this my little man ?@MannekenPis_LV? ?

He never did anything to anybody! He just smiled & aimed to please day and night..

?@theDlasvegas? ?@VitalVegas? #DTLV pic.twitter.com/vqpzpBIwNd

— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) September 23, 2021

The damage occurred about 2:30 am on Tuesday after the Life is Beautiful Music and Art Festival downtown.

Big Love for Little Fellow

Stevens told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the statue is at a hotel workshop undergoing repairs.

He said it doesn’t look like the revelers were “maliciously” trying to damage the statue.

But son of a gun, they hurt him,” Stevens said, adding “I love that little guy.”

The cost to restore the statue will be “a couple hundred thousand dollars, at least,” he told reporter John Katsilometes. Among other damage, the statute’s stone stand was destroyed, Stevens said. He told the newspaper he is “deeply involved” with the police in the investigation.

Stevens owns the D Las Vegas and two other hotel-casinos on Fremont Street, the Golden Gate and Circa Resort. The statute has been downtown since 2015.

Stolen Bust Recovered

Earlier this year, Stevens was involved in another investigation into a theft at one of his properties.

In February, Sevens tweeted a video of himself explaining that a bust of casino pioneer Kirk Kerkorian was missing from a display area at Circa Resort. The bust is one of several honoring Las Vegas casino owners and developers at the resort’s Legacy Club.

Stevens said his security staff, working with security from the Four Queens and Fremont hotel-casinos in downtown Las Vegas, found the bust in a guest room at the Four Queens.

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On a recent radio show, McDaniel noted that casino revenue statewide exceeded $200 million in August, with the bulk coming from casinos along the Gulf Coast. McDaniel said these were “really positive” revenue figures, especially since?many resorts were closed during Hurricane Ida.

“As of end of August, and even with the casinos closed for two days for the hurricane, they did over $200 million statewide, which is a good monthly number,” McDaniel said on?SuperTalk Mississippi. “The coast did $124 million in August, which is their best August in history.”

On Aug. 29, the Category 4 hurricane, packing 150 mph winds, barreled ashore in Louisiana south of New Orleans. The hurricane’s strong winds and torrential rainfall forced casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi to close temporarily.?

Of Mississippi’s 26 commercial casinos, 12 are along the Gulf Coast, including eight in the Biloxi area.

Before being named executive director, McDaniel served for 10 years as the Gaming Commission’s deputy director. He replaces Allen Godfrey, who retired at the end of August. McDaniel also has worked as an attorney in private practice.?

Record Pace

McDaniel said Mississippi casinos are on pace for a “blockbuster” revenue year.

The state’s casinos now usually take in about $2.1 billion a year, he said.?

If we do what we did in 2019, which was a good year, we’re on pace to hit the 2.4 to 2.5 billion mark, which we haven’t done in a long time,” McDaniel said.

Mississippi casinos grossed $2.2 billion in 2019. One year later, with casinos closed for two months because of COVID-19 concerns, the casinos earned $1.8 billion in gross revenue.

Sports Betting Takes Off

In Mississippi, sports betting is legal inside casinos at sportsbook, but not off-site on mobile devices such as smartphones.

McDaniel said any decision to legalize mobile sports betting “is going to be in the hands of the Legislature,” which meets again next year.

“If the Legislature chooses to do that, we would quickly be ready to regulate it,” he said.

In Arkansas, bets only can be placed inside casino sportsbooks. Wagering is not allowed on mobile devices off casino grounds.

Mobile sports betting has been legal in Tennessee since November 2020. Even with no commercial casinos in the state, Tennessee in July 2021 ranked 10th nationwide in the amount of money bet on live sporting events, at $144.5 million.?

Another of Mississippi’s neighbors, Louisiana, legalized sports betting this summer in most parishes, though it is not yet operational. The Gaming Control Board still must set the rules to regulate and tax the industry. ?

Once sports betting is up and running in Louisiana, bettors will be able to put money down inside casinos at sportsbooks and on kiosks in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. Mobile sports betting also will be allowed.

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Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns told the USA Today Network delays caused by Hurricane Ida pushed the hoped-for September start date back a month.

“We had been projecting late September, but our goal now is to have them up and running by Oct. 1,” Johns said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) appointed Johns this summer to lead the nine-member Control Board. Johns had been a Republican state senator from the Lake Charles area, one of the state’s gambling hubs.

This summer, Edwards signed legislation legalizing sports betting in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it last year in an election. Sports betting cannot begin until the rules are put in place to tax and regulate the industry.?

The Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division works with the Control Board in regulating the gaming industry and enforcing gambling laws. Every State Police trooper recently was reassigned to help with hurricane disaster recovery, Johns said.

?We lost about seven to 10 days, but everything is back on track now,” he said.

On Aug. 29, Hurricane Ida barreled ashore on the Louisiana Gulf Coast south of New Orleans. The deadly Category 4 hurricane caused massive regional power outages and destroyed homes and businesses. Some South Louisiana casinos were closed for at least 10 days after the hurricane hit.

Meanwhile, eight state-regulated casinos have applied for sportsbook licenses. Johns said the identity of the eight is not a public record.

Louisiana is home to 13 riverboat casinos, four racinos — horse tracks with slot machines — and one land-based casino in downtown New Orleans. A Lake Charles riverboat casino damaged last year in a hurricane is set to reopen in 2022 as a land-based resort.

Longer Wait for Smartphone Betting

Bettors wanting to use a smartphone to wager on live sporting events will have to wait awhile.

Johns said he hopes some of the companies operating smartphone betting apps will be approved in a few months. Casinos in the state will partner with these companies in offering mobile wagering.

“Mobile takes longer because the casinos use outside vendors to do that work, and those vendors haven’t been licensed yet, so they have to go through the suitability process and background checks with the State Police,” Johns said. “We’re hoping to have some of those approved in a 60-day window.”

When mobile sports betting is approved, Louisiana will have a head start in the region on that type of wagering. No state bordering Louisiana offers mobile sports betting.

Betting in Bars Likely in 2022

The use of kiosks to place bets in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol might not be allowed until early 2022. The task of overseeing kiosks falls to the Louisiana Lottery Corp.?

Louisiana Lottery President Rose Hudson said the agency is seeking vendors and is putting together the rules for that segment of the industry. She told the USA Today Network this process should be wrapped up in November. That means kiosks could be in place by the beginning of next year.

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Nevada’s jobless rate in August was 7.7 percent. The next highest rates were in California and New York, at 7.5 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.

Nevada’s August rate was identical to the jobless total in July, when the state also led the nation in unemployment. ?

David Schmidt, Nevada’s chief economist, said the August numbers provide a look at how the state’s “economy responded to the emergence of the delta variant.”

In the summer, 12 of 17 Nevada counties were determined to have high COVID-19 transmission rates. The emergence of the delta variant has added to concerns in Nevada about rising infections. Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) recently issued a directive stating that COVID-19 is a “statewide public health crisis.”

Given these issues, Nevada’s unemployment figure is likely to remain one of the highest in the nation, “reflecting the long road left to a complete recovery in the state’s labor market,” Schmidt said.?

Nebraska had the lowest jobless rate in August, at 2.2 percent. A total of 22 states had a jobless rate lower than the national average of 5.5 percent, while 13 states and Washington, D.C., had higher rates.

Las Vegas Joblessness Leads Nation

During two months this summer, Las Vegas led the nation’s large metropolitan areas in unemployment. This category includes 51 metro areas with a population of one million or more.

The Las Vegas metropolitan area includes the downtown casino district and resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. The largest hotel-casinos on the Strip are in Clark County, outside Las Vegas city limits. The Las Vegas metro area also includes Henderson, about 16 miles southeast of downtown Las Vegas.??

Las Vegas continues to lead the US in unemployment. But its single-digit rate is much lower than the nation-leading 34.2 percent jobless rate recorded last year in Las Vegas during an earlier stage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tourism Totals Going Up

As Nevada attempts to manage infection rates, tourism officials are working to attract visitors.

In Southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority recently released a television ad touting the region as a destination for sports fans. The ad does not show casino gambling or any gambling devices.

This year, fewer than three million visitors a month have arrived in Las Vegas during its busiest periods.

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The discussion at Oscar’s Steakhouse inside the Plaza this week will center on Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, who ran Las Vegas casinos for Midwestern crime families decades ago.

As a defense attorney, Goodman, 82, represented Rosenthal and other Las Vegas Mob figures. ? ?

Rosenthal had been a Chicago oddsmaker who moved in the 1960s to Las Vegas, where he could operate legally in the sports bookmaking industry.?Rosenthal lived for a while at the Tropicana hotel-casino on the Strip. He married a dancer, Geri McGee, who performed in the showroom there.

The Tropicana, which opened in the 1950s, is still in operation on the east side of the resort corridor near McCarran International Airport.

The Stardust has since been demolished. Resorts World Las Vegas was built at that site near Circus Circus, and Slots-A-Fun on the west side of the Strip.

In the 1995 Las Vegas Mafia movie Casino, Robert De Niro portrays a character based on Rosenthal. Sharon Stone plays his wife. Goodman appears briefly in the movie as himself.?

Rosenthal Survives Car Bombing

In 1982, Rosenthal survived the bombing of his car outside a Tony Roma’s restaurant on East Sahara Avenue near the Strip. Tony Roma’s later became a Hustler Hollywood adult novelty store.?

The bombing was never solved. Some suspect mobster Tony “The Ant” Spilotro had a hand in it. Spilotro, the Chicago Outfit’s overseer in Las Vegas, had been involved in a romantic relationship with Geri Rosenthal. In Casino, Joe Pesci plays a character based on Spilotro.?

Others believe Kansas City crime bosses, upset at Rosenthal’s high public profile, orchestrated the car bombing. Midwestern mobsters were receiving untaxed gaming revenue under the table from the Stardust and other casinos. The Mob didn’t want that illegal cash flow ruined by too much media attention.?

Rosenthal had a television variety show broadcast from the Stardust, featuring guests such as Frank Sinatra. Rosenthal also feuded publicly with Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Harry Reid. That incident was dramatized in Casino. Years later, Reid, a Democrat, became US Senate majority leader.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jane Ann Morrison later revealed that Rosenthal had been a top echelon informant for the FBI.?

Goodman’s Mob Tales

The dinner conversation on Wednesday features a three-course meal. A cocktail hour with a cash bar begins at 6 pm, with the dinner and Goodman’s presentation beginning at 7 pm. Tickets are available on the Plaza website.

Though Goodman doesn’t own the steakhouse at the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas, it is named after him in a licensing agreement. He hosts periodic dinners there, discussing his experiences as a Mob attorney and mayor. His wife, Carolyn Goodman, is the current Las Vegas mayor.?

Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel has said discussions are underway to build additional Oscar’s Steakhouses in New York, Japan, or the United Kingdom.

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New Orleans-area casinos brought in $30.5 million this year in August, according to nola.com. In August 2020, the same properties won $32.2 million from gamblers, a 5.3 percent decline.

These properties include three riverboat casinos, the Harrah’s land-based resort in downtown New Orleans, and the Fair Grounds — a Crescent City horse track with slot machines.

In late August, casinos in Southeast Louisiana began closing, as powerful Hurricane Ida barreled toward the state.?

Packing sustained winds of 150 mph, Ida slammed into Louisiana at Port Fourchon, south of New Orleans, on Aug. 29. It was the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to hit the mainland US.

The destructive storm knocked out power across the region and destroyed homes and businesses along the Gulf Coast. It killed dozens of people as it plowed through the mid-South, and then swamped large states on the East Coast, including New Jersey and New York.

Before closing, Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel and Casino had a strong enough month to come out better than the previous August by 16 percent. Harrah’s is the state’s only land-based commercial casino. Its revenue went from $11.8 million in August 2020 to $13.7 million last month.

While Harrah’s had a better August this year, the other gaming properties in the New Orleans area saw steep declines.?

The largest percentage falloff came at the Amelia Belle near Morgan City. That riverboat casino went from $2.4 million in August 2020 to $1.7 million last month, a decline of 32.1 percent.

Because casinos were closed into early September this year, some revenue totals for that month could be lower than in September 2020. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board will release those results in October.

Capital City Wins Decline

Two of the three riverboat casinos in Baton Rouge also experienced a decline in revenue in August 2021, compared to the same month one year earlier. ?

L’Auberge Casino Hotel won $10.9 million this August, or 10.5 percent less than the August 2020 total of $12.1 million.?

The Belle of Baton Rouge went from $1.2 million in August 2020 to $1 million last month, a decline of 16.9 percent.

The third Baton Rouge riverboat, the Hollywood Casino, saw an increase of 5.2 percent, going from $4.4 million in August 2020 to $4.6 million during the same month one year later.

Overall, the capital city’s casino win fell by 7 percent.

Overall Increase Statewide

The other two large casino hubs in Louisiana did not experience the closures that Hurricane Ida caused in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The Shreveport-Bossier City totals in Northwest Louisiana went up 11.2 percent in August 2021, when compared to August 2020.?

The stronger totals in Shreveport-Bossier City and Lake Charles offset the declines in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Overall, statewide gaming revenue went from $148.6 million in August 2020 to $156.3 million last month, an increase of 5.2 percent.

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Durst, 78, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 18. California has a moratorium on the death penalty. He faces a mandatory life sentence in prison.?

Earlier this year, Durst testified in Los Angeles Superior Court that he did not kill Berman. The trial had been delayed more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, Durst was not in the courtroom for the verdict. He was in quarantine after one of his ?drivers became infected with the coronavirus, according to news accounts.

Durst and Berman became friends in the 1960s while attending school at UCLA. Berman later served as his media spokesperson in the 1982 disappearance in New York of his wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, known as Kathie.

Berman’s death occurred as she was prepared to speak with authorities about helping Durst cover-up his wife’s killing, according to the Associated Press. Kathie Durst’s remains have never been recovered. No one has been arrested or charged in her disappearance. Durst later was acquitted in the Galveston, Texas, killing of a neighbor.?

Two days before Christmas in 2000, the 55-year-old Berman had let Durst into her home in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles. She was shot point-blank in the back of the head.

Prosecutor Habib Balian said one key to Friday’s conviction was the testimony of Nick Chavin, a friend of Berman and Durst, according to CNN. Chavin said Durst told him, “It was her or me. I had no choice.”

“Those nine words sum up the entire case,” Balian said.

‘The Long Saga’

Author and journalist Cathy Scott told Casino.org the verdict was “a good day for justice and a good day for the family and friends of Susan Berman.”

A former Las Vegas Sun reporter, Scott wrote the 2002 book Murder of a Mafia Daughter: The Life and Tragic Death of Susan Berman.

“Robert Durst’s conviction of murder against his loyal friend Susan Berman puts to bed the long saga that began with a shoddy police investigation, along with an influential, powerful, wealthy Durst organization,” Scott told Casino.org.

Bugsy’s Mob Associate

Berman was the only child of David Berman, who had served time in New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility for kidnapping.?

He moved to Las Vegas in 1944 and, with other mobsters, invested in downtown casinos, such as the El Cortez.?

The El Cortez established a foothold for mobsters in Las Vegas that would last 40 years,” Jeff Burbank wrote in his 2005 book Las Vegas Babylon. Burbank, a veteran Las Vegas journalist, is the content development specialist at the Mob Museum.?

Another investor in the El Cortez was Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, a New York gangster who opened the Flamingo hotel-casino in late 1946 on the desert highway to Los Angeles. That highway now is the casino-packed Las Vegas Strip. Berman’s involvement in Las Vegas casinos included helping run resorts, such as the Flamingo and Riviera. He died in June 1957 of a heart attack during an operation. He was 54.

Susan Berman, who wrote the 1981 memoir Easy Street: The True Story of a Gangster’s Daughter, inherited $5.25 million, but spent the money and died penniless.

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In two virtual meetings, the Clark County Department of Aviation will gather ideas for ground transportation to the proposed supplemental airport 23 miles south of the?Las Vegas Strip. The valley’s primary airfield, McCarran International Airport, is just east of the major hotel-casinos on the resort corridor.

No date has been set for when the second airport might open. Earlier projections indicate it could be in operation by 2040, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Plans call for the airport to be built near Interstate 15 in Clark County’s?Ivanpah Valley between Jean and Primm. The airport mainly will handle charter, long-haul domestic, and international flights, the Department of Aviation website states.

The first public virtual meeting on the airport is set for Tuesday from 10:30 am to noon. The second meeting is Wednesday from 6 pm to 7:30 pm.?

Those wanting to participate are asked to register before the meetings begin. Others can view recordings of the meetings and offer suggestions until Nov. 5 by going to the project website.

Harry Reid Airport Name Expected Soon

The main commercial airport serving the Las Vegas Valley is undergoing a name change.?

McCarran Airport is being renamed for former US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D). The Clark County Commission unanimously voted in February to rename the airport to honor Reid, who has held state and federal elected office. He also served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.?

County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, a former Democratic legislator who proposed the name change, has vowed to raise private donations to pay for new signage and other administrative requirements. The cost is estimated at $7.2 million.?

So far, two $1 million pledges have been made public. One is from Stephen Cloobeck. He has been in the news recently regarding a legal battle with a former girlfriend, who is an OnlyFans nude model.?

The other $1 million pledge is from Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters, convicted in 2017 of insider trading. He was pardoned by former President Donald Trump just before he left office.

High-Speed Train Planned

Las Vegas’ remote location in the Mojave Desert makes air travel an important component in attracting large numbers of tourists to the city. The nearest major metropolitan area, Los Angeles, is at least four hours away by car. About a fifth of Las Vegas visitors come from that area each year.

Apple Valley is 92 miles east of Los Angeles. Much of the 190-mile route from Apple Valley to a train station near the southern end of the Strip would travel along I-15, officials said.

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As Las Vegas attempts to bounce back from pandemic-related economic woes, the tourism-dependent city has led the nation in unemployment among large metropolitan areas. The loss of a major convention could stymie a quick economic turnaround, experts said.

This is not a good sign for the recovery, but the continued influx of leisure guests indicates that this may not be a prevailing concern for all travelers,” Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

While the number of leisure travelers has increased in recent months, the all-important convention and international-travel categories have been flat since the March 2020 onset of the coronavirus pandemic.?

In announcing the cancellation, Chris Brown, an executive vice president for the National Association of Broadcasters, said a surge in the delta variant “has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges.”

Past NAB shows have attracted as many as 100,000 attendees to Las Vegas, making it one of the largest and most important in the city. This year’s event was to take place in October.

The convention has been rescheduled to take place in Las Vegas from April 23-27, 2022, Brown said.

Conventions Mean Big Business

Conventioneers and international visitors spend more money than leisure travelers and help fill up hotel rooms during the slower middle of the week, officials said. Since 1999, Las Vegas casinos have made more money from conventions and hotel amenities than from gambling revenue, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“Meetings and conventions are one of the key components to our long-term recovery and getting back to normal,” Brendan Bussmann of Global Market Advisors told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.?

The cancellation will only further elongate the recovery, Bussmann said, adding that he sees optimism in the recovery process.

Once this latest curveball gets cleared, there is no doubt in my mind that the pent-up demand to do business face-to-face will come roaring back,” Bussman told the newspaper.

Some conventions, including the large CES show early next year, are still scheduled to take place. However, at least one other key event, the Professional Bull Riders World Finals championship, is pulling out of Las Vegas after this year. That group is?moving its marquee competition to Fort Worth, Texas.

As this focus on the importance of conventions occurs, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) has issued a directive exempting large events from COVID-19 mask requirements if all in attendance are vaccinated.

International Visitors Absent

Josh Swissman of Strategy Organization told the newspaper the NAB depends on international attendees for its event. That segment largely would have been a no-show this year.?

“Historically, shows like NAB have a very big international contingent in terms of visitation and show attendance,” he said. “All you need to do is look at the current McCarran airlift into and out of the city to know that international air travel is really almost nonexistent, and that goes even more so with destinations or countries like China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.”

The few international visitors to Las Vegas in recent months have arrived on airlines based in Mexico.

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In August, Southland won more than $21.1 million from gamblers, according to the Arkansas Racing Commission. One month earlier, the casino and dog track won $19.6 million. These totals are compiled using figures from the sportsbook, table games, and “terminal” devices, such as slot machines.

The increase in gaming revenue came as the Interstate 40 bridge connecting Tennessee to Arkansas reopened in early August. It was closed for almost three months for repairs.

The six-lane span over the Mississippi River was closed May 11 when a routine inspection revealed a mechanical fracture in a primary support beam. The closing of the busiest freight-carry bridge in the US had an impact on commerce throughout the area, officials said.

The bridge was reopened on July 31 to eastbound traffic. On Aug. 2, the westbound lanes into West Memphis were reopened.

In August, terminals were the biggest money-making category at Southland. The casino won $19.3 million in August on slot machines, compared to a win total of $17.7 million in July. This higher figure offset less successful results at gaming tables and in the sportsbook. The casino won $108,660 less at gaming tables in August than in July, and $125,539 less in the sportsbook.

Southland’s sportsbook handle in August was $1.3 million, compared to a July handle of $1.08 million. The “handle” is the amount of money bettors wager on live sporting events. The win total is determined after winning bettors are paid.?

The August handle, while higher than July’s, was well-below the $4.09 million handle at Southland in October 2020, one month before mobile sports betting was legalized in Tennessee. Mobile sports wagering, which allows the use of smartphones in placing bets, does not occur legally in Arkansas.?

Oaklawn’s Win Total Declines

Arkansas’ other two commercial casinos won money in August, but not as much as in July.

In Hot Springs, Oaklawn Racing Resort won $10.98 million in August, less than its $13.4 million in July. The casino won less money in all three categories — terminals, table games, and sports betting.

The casino and historic horse track in Hot Springs is about an hour southwest of centrally located Little Rock, the capital city.

Sportsbook Handle Higher at?Saracen

At Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff, the win total in August was $12.1 million. That number is more than $2 million below the July win total.

The casino won about $2 million less on terminal devices in August than in July, and had a lower win total on table games.

Saracen’s bright spot was in the sportsbook. The handle went from $557,773 in July to $580,104 in August. After winning bettors were paid, the sportsbook earned $118,929 in August, compared to $91,761 in July

Pine Bluff is about 45 minutes south of Little Rock.

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In Las Vegas, the off-Strip Tuscany Suites and Casino on Flamingo Road is conducting employee interviews on Friday from 10 am to 1 pm, according to the resort’s website. Interviews are being held for positions in many departments and can include same-day hiring. Online applications are available in English and Spanish.

Some of the available jobs are part-time. Other jobs are full-time positions with medical insurance and paid vacations, the website states. Among the full-time jobs are those for utility porters, whose duties include “keeping the casino and surrounding grounds clean and orderly.”

The hotel casino also is seeking part-time and on-call employees. Included in that category are cocktail servers needed in the pool area. Job seekers for this position are asked to submit a resume and “current swimsuit picture,” according to the website.?

The job fair at Tuscany comes as other hotel casinos in the Las Vegas Valley have held hiring events to bring in new workers. In recent months, Las Vegas has seen an increase in visitors and in arriving and departing passengers at McCarran International Airport, adding to the need for additional hospitality workers. Some resorts, including Circus Circus, a longtime hotel-casino on the Strip, list job openings on their websites. ?

Workers in High Demand

The demand for casino workers shows no sign of slowing down. Gaming industry jobs are “projected to grow 24 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations,” according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bureau notes that 20,500 gaming jobs are projected to become available each year for the next 10 years.?

Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire,” the bureau’s website states.?

In 2020, the annual median pay for gaming workers nationwide was $27,050, according to the bureau.

However, as casinos across the county look to employ more workers, some are offering higher wages, on-the-spot hiring opportunities, and comprehensive benefits packages.?

$2K Signing Bonus?

In Arkansas, Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis is among the properties sweetening the pot by offering a $2,000 signing bonus for some jobs. The casino and dog track is conducting employee interviews every Thursday through Nov. 11.?In some instances, applicants might be hired the day of the interview.

As this occurs, the Louisiana casino industry is attempting to overcome several setbacks during the past year from destructive hurricanes.

A new severe weather system, Hurricane Nicholas, struck the Texas shoreline Tuesday, bringing strong winds and torrential rains. Downgraded to a tropical storm later in the day, Nicholas was expected to make its way slowly toward South Louisiana, posing another threat to casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi.?

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The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Stateline, Nevada, has reopened its gaming floor and guest rooms to the public, the resort’s website states. The four major hotel-casinos at the southern end of the high-altitude lake have been closed to all but emergency personnel in recent weeks during a mandatory evacuation in the area. The evacuation orders have been lifted or downgraded for many Tahoe residents.?

For much of late August and into September, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino served as a command center for firefighters and has housed fire crews. ?

“We can’t thank our heroes enough for all their hard work over the past few weeks,” the website states. “It’s thanks to them that we are able to open our doors!”

Lake Tahoe straddles the California-Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 20 miles west of Nevada’s capital, Carson City. Stateline is just east of the California town of South Lake Tahoe.

The other major hotel-casinos in Stateline are the MontBleu Resort, Harrah’s, and Harveys Lake Tahoe. These hotel-casinos also are open again, according to their websites.

Tim Tretton, MontBlue’s vice president and general manager, thanked those who have worked to beat back the fire that came to within a few miles of the South Shore.

“This re-opening could not have been made possible without the tireless and resilient work of our firefighters, first responders, and the support of everyone on the sideline coming together as one,” he wrote.

Fire Still Threatens Area

The Caldor Fire began southwest of Lake Tahoe on Aug. 14 and burned its way through dry timberland and parched terrain in three counties. It is named after a street in El Dorado County, where the blaze began. The cause is under investigation.

As the fire closed in on Lake Tahoe, thousands of residents in both states were forced to evacuate. Some residents have returned. Though the casinos have reopened, many businesses are still closed.

Retired postal worker George Ayers, commenting on the smoke and ash blanketing the lake, told NBC News he is heartbroken that one of the “most beautiful places in the world” has been smothered in a brown and yellow haze. The fire has burned through more than 218,000 acres in drought-stricken California west of the lake, destroying more than 1,000 structures

It was like the world was on fire,” Ayers said.

By last weekend, the Caldor Fire was 67 percent contained. However, fire officials stressed that Lake Tahoe is not out of danger. Some 10,000 residents have not been able to return to their homes, NBC News reported.

President Joe Biden was slated on Monday to conduct an aerial survey of damage from the Caldor Fire.

Warmer, Drier West

The Caldor Fire is one of more than a dozen major blazes in California. Throughout the West, at least 90 wildfires have kept firefighters busy this summer.

The world’s hottest month on record occurred this July, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year. But July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said. “This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”

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The eye patch was applied to the Sphinx at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in advance of the Raiders’ regular season opener Monday night at home against the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams play in the NFL’s American Football Conference.

The Raiders’ longtime logo shows a football player with a black patch over his right eye. The player is wearing a vintage football helmet with an unfastened chin strap, and is framed by crossed swords.

The pyramid-shaped Luxor is on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip near the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. The Raiders, who previously were located in Oakland and Los Angeles, play their home games at Allegiant Stadium, just west of the Luxor and Mandalay Bay resorts. Raiders fans, including a large number in California, are known as the Raider Nation. This is the team’s second season in Las Vegas after moving from Oakland.

Enthusiasm for Monday’s game was evident in ticket prices. The lowest price on the StubHub website on Sunday was $180 each for two tickets in an upper corner. Club section tickets near the field were selling on StubHub for $3,000 each.

Fans Debate Vaccine Mandate

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this is the first season the Raiders will play before fans at Allegiant Stadium. Since fans could not attend games last year, owner Mark Davis said he also would not go to the games.

This year, fans are required to be inoculated against COVID-19 to attend games. Vaccinated fans are not required to wear a face covering. Vaccination sites will be set up at the stadium, allowing newly vaccinated fans to enter with a mask.

“Guess I’ll never see the Raiders play in Vegas,” wrote a Facebook user, identified as Henry Coggins.

A user identified as Raider Man wrote, “Get vaccinated, you Big Babies!! I’ll be on the 40-yard line, and you will be crying in bed!!!”

Leagues Shunned Las Vegas

At one time, major sports leagues distanced themselves from sports betting and casinos, in part because of the influence of organized crime on sports wagering.?

Now the NFL’s Raiders, NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, and WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces play their home games there. Massive jerseys representing the Raiders, Golden Knights, and Aces have been placed on the Lady Liberty statue at New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Strip.

As this occurs, the Oakland A’s are contemplating moving to the city.

A new television ad from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority touts Las Vegas as a destination for sports enthusiasts. The ad does not show gambling or any gambling tables or slots machines.

However, for those interesting in betting, the Raiders on Sunday were a 4-point underdog in their Monday night game against the Ravens, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

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Stefanie Gurzanski, 26, claims in a recent lawsuit that after she first met Cloobeck in July 2020 for lunch at his home, he grabbed her, pulled up her dress, and “put his head between her legs,” according to the New York Post.

The next day, as a “peace offering,” he took the Canadian model to a Christian Louboutin shop on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, buying $70,000 worth of shoes for her, the newspaper reported, citing the lawsuit.?

Gurzanski?is known as Baby G to the nearly two million followers on the explicit OnlyFans subscription site. She also appears in revealing photographs on her Instagram page. That site includes the Baby G online name and a “More Self Love” tagline. The page has 1.8 million followers.

On his website, Cloobeck, 59, is identified as “founder and former CEO and chairman of Diamond Resorts International.” The business became the “second-largest vacation-ownership company worldwide, with more than four hundred properties across thirty-three countries,” the website states.?

Cloobeck also has been supportive of prominent Democrats, including former US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D). Reid, 81, is a longtime Nevada public official, having served in state and federal elected office and as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Cloobeck’s attorney said he never forced himself on Gurzanski or anyone else, according to DailyMail.com.

He treated her as a queen,” Patricia Glaser of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro told the news site. “Her claims in the cross complaint are far-fetched even for the serial liar she has proven to be.”

Gurzanski’s lawsuit is “filled with fantastical lies, delusional accusations, and revisionist history,” the lawyer said, adding that this is “a brazen attempt to extort additional cash” from him.

‘Cunning Fraudster’

In the spring, Cloobeck sued Gurzanski, claiming she is a “cunning fraudster” who used his private property as the setting for explicit photos to sell to her OnlyFans followers, according to news reports. Among the settings was Cloobeck’s luxury villa at a Las Vegas Strip casino.

“She posed in the bathroom of his jet, in his private suite at The Mansion at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in his bedrooms, on a yacht he rented, and anywhere else where she could sneak a photo to peddle on the internet,” a court document states. “On occasion, she secretly posed in the nude while Cloobeck’s teenage daughter and staff were in the house.”

Millions Pledged for Airport Name Change

Several months ago, Cloobeck pledged $1 million to help pay to change the name of McCarran International Airport to honor Reid. The airport is just east of the Strip, near the Tropicana and other major resorts.

This summer, the commission reported receiving Cloobeck’s pledge and a separate $1 million pledge from Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters, convicted in 2017 of insider trading.

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Wynn Las Vegas has entered into a three-year partnership with Blue Wire, a network with 175 podcasts, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Blue Wire’s website includes podcasts about most sporting events, including?combat sports and the NFL. One podcast, Burn It All Down, is promoted as a feminist sports podcast that explores “the week in sports and culture.”

The Blue Wire studio was constructed inside a former jewelry shop in a retail corridor connecting the resort to the Wynn Golf Club, the newspaper reported. Wynn Las Vegas is on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip where the now-demolished Desert Inn was located for decades.

Blue Wire’s high-profile location inside the resort includes a glass front allowing passersby to watch podcasters at work. The studio is intended to bring awareness to the resort company’s sports-betting arm, WynnBET.

Podcaster Ryan Kramer told the newspaper sports betting during the last decade has emerged from the “back alley.”

Now, if you’re a media company that does sports, you have to have some sort of gaming content,” he said.

This trend is occurring as Las Vegas is positioning itself as a destination for sports enthusiasts. A new television ad from the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority highlights the city’s sports attractions.

VSiN Branches Out

The Vegas Sports Information Network, known as VSiN, operates from a broadcast studio near the sportsbook at the South Point Hotel Casino and Spa. The South Point is at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip.

Founded in 2017, VSiN, now owned by DraftKings, features veteran broadcaster Brent Musburger and sports-betting analysts Mitch Moss, Gill Alexander, and Michael Lombardi. The network has opened a second studio in downtown Las Vegas at Circa Resort on Fremont and Main streets.

This week, VSiN entered into an agreement with YouTube TV to offer sports betting news and analysis for subscribers of YouTube TV Sports Plus.?

This summer, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) signed legislation legalizing sports betting in Louisiana. After the Gaming Control Board finalizes the rules to regulate and tax the industry, bettors in Louisiana will be allowed to wager on live sporting events. That process is expected to be completed sometime during football season this year.?

Millions Bet on Sports

Louisiana is one of six states where sports betting is legal, but not yet operational, according to the American Gaming Association website. Nationwide, 26 states already allow bettors to wager on live sporting events. Legislation to allow sports betting is active in two more states.

This summer, nine states each handled sports bets in the hundreds of millions of dollars. In July, New Jersey led the nation in the amount of money bet on sporting events at $578.7 million, according to VSiN. Nevada handled the second-highest total, $409.9 million. These numbers are expected to go higher with the football season?now in full swing.

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Wade Duty, the Louisiana Casino Association’s executive director, said the hurricane delayed the issuing of temporary licenses to sport betting operators, according to KTAL-TV.

Collegiate football is already underway.? The NFL opens play tonight in a televised game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and visiting Dallas Cowboys. Tampa Bay is the defending Super Bowl champion. The team is led by 44-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, the Super Bowl MVP.?

Duty told the television station the hurricane has pushed the sports-betting approval process back about 10 business days. He said temporary licenses could be issued by the end of September.

Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm with 150 mph sustained winds, struck Louisiana on Aug. 29, knocking out electrical power in New Orleans and throughout the region. The storm left a path of death and destruction as it plowed through the Mid-South and made its way to heavily populated states in the Northeast, including New Jersey and New York.

The hurricane forced the New Orleans Saints to move their scheduled home game on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers to Florida.

Casinos in New Orleans and South Louisiana began reopening this week.

Control Board Working on Rules

Former Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones is less optimistic that sports betting will be up and running this month. Jones served as the regulatory agency’s chairman from 2013 until the summer of 2020. ?

Jones said he thinks sports betting will be operational in Louisiana by the end of the football season.

This summer, Gov. John Bel Edward (D) signed legislation allowing legal sports betting in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it last year in a statewide election.?

Under the new law, wagering will be allowed on mobile devices, such as smartphones, and in-person at casino sportsbooks. Sports betting will also be permitted on kiosks inside bars and at restaurants that serve alcohol.

Sports Betting’s Popularity

Louisiana is one of six states where sports betting has been legalized but is not yet operational.?

The NFL is the most heavily wagered sport in the country. This year, 45.2 million people, or 18 percent percent of US adults, are expected to bet on professional football games. That is up 36 percent from last year.

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Like most casinos in the region, Harrah’s closed in the days leading up to Ida’s Aug. 29 landfall at Port Fourchon, south of New Orleans. On its Facebook page Wednesday, Harrah’s announced it is once again open for business.

The people of Louisiana are resilient, and we will be singing and dancing in the streets once again,” the Facebook post states.

Packing 150 mph sustained winds, Ida was the fifth-strongest hurricane ever to hit the mainland US. The Category 4 hurricane left massive power outages along the Gulf Coast, continuing into this week. After pounding the coast, the hurricane veered toward the northeast. It caused extensive flooding and killed dozens in its path.

In Louisiana,?13 riverboat casinos and four racinos — horse tracks with slot machines — are scattered throughout the state. Harrah’s New Orleans is Louisiana’s only land-based casino.

One New Orleans-area riverboat, Boomtown Casino, reopened its table games and slot machines on Monday. Boomtown is south of downtown New Orleans, on the opposite side of the Mississippi River in Harvey.?

The casino floor at Boomtown is operating under limited hours, from 7 am to 5 pm daily. The hotel is closed to guests.

We are housing our displaced team members in order to keep the casino staffed,” the Boomtown website states.

Other casinos in South Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi have reopened.

Saints NFL Opener Moved to Florida?

As of Wednesday, Fair Grounds Race Course and Slot in New Orleans and the Treasure Chest riverboat casino in Kenner remained closed, according to their websites. Kenner is on?Lake Pontchartrain, northwest of downtown New Orleans.?

Southwest of New Orleans, the Amelia Belle riverboat casino near Morgan City is scheduled to begin operating again on Thursday at 2 pm, according to its Facebook page.

New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson said it is not easy to move a Saints home game out of the Superdome. The popular team has a large regional following.

“Collectively, we have a monumental task ahead of us in cleaning up the aftereffects left by Hurricane Ida,” she said, “but it has been inspiring to see people getting right to work and starting the process.”

Ida Wrecks Casino Profits

Carlo Santarelli, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, predicted Hurricane Ida will cause a 19 percent statewide decline in gaming gross revenue during August, compared to 2019, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.?Santarelli made that prediction based on daily spending “per measured visitor” in August.

The statewide August gaming gross revenue figures are expected to be released by the end of this month.

In July, Louisiana casinos won $222 million, compared to $177.6? million in July 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic’s initial summer surge.

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Last month, the casino and dog track in West Memphis announced a $1,000 signing bonus for certain jobs. Employment interviews were scheduled on Thursdays through Sept. 2.?

The bonus has been upped to $2,000, and the on-site interviews are extended through Nov. 11, according to Southland’s website. The interviews are being conducted in the Kennel Club on Thursdays from 11 am to 3 pm.

In addition to a higher bonus for some jobs, Southland is paying non-tipped employees $15 an hour. Some qualified applicants also will receive on-the-spot job offers.

Employment interviews are being conducted to fill all jobs on the property, including cooks, dealers, cage cashiers, and slot tech supervisors. Information about job openings is available on the Southland website.

Turnaround Could Be Coming

Southland is across the Mississippi River from the larger Memphis, Tenn., metropolitan area. Because Tennessee does not have commercial casinos, the Memphis market is considered important to Southland.

Though Southland experienced a decline in casino wins over the summer, a turnaround is expected with the recent reopening of a bridge connecting the two states.

In May, the closure of the Interstate 40 bridge hampered traffic flow between Memphis and West Memphis. A fracture in a primary support beam on the bridge caused the six-lane span over the Mississippi River to close for repairs.

The bridge was reopened on July 31 to eastbound traffic. On Aug. 2, the westbound lanes into West Memphis were reopened.

Expansion Mode?

As it extends its current hiring period, Southland is in the midst of a $250 million expansion that will add a 20-story, 300-room hotel to the site. The expansion, which will include a new gaming complex, is expected to be completed in 2022.

Another of Arkansas’ three commercial casinos, Oaklawn Casino Racing Resort, recently went on a hiring spree with the unveiling of its $100 million expansion.

In April, the historic horse track and casino in Hot Springs opened an eight-story, 198-room hotel that includes some rooms overlooking the track.

Hot Springs is about an hour southwest of centrally located Little Rock, the capital city.

Saracen Credit Rating Upgraded

In Pine Bluff, Saracen Casino Resort has embarked on a construction project to add a 300-room hotel with a conference center and spa. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, according to the Arkansas Money and Politics website.?

Pine Bluff is about 45 minutes south of Little Rock.

As the expansion occurs, S&P Global has raised its issuer-credit rating on Saracen to B- from CCC, according to an Aug. 31 report from the credit rating agency.

“Despite headwinds associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which considerably delayed the casino’s opening to late October 2020 from June 2020, Saracen’s operating performance has ramped up quickly since its opening in early fiscal 2021,” the report states.

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Last week, with the massive wildfire inching to within miles of the alpine lake, resident and visitors were ordered to evacuate. The major casinos on the South Shore closed their hotel towers to the public. Firefighters and some evacuees and employees were sheltered in the guest rooms.

The major resorts on the South Shore are Hard Rock Lake Tahoe, MontBleu Resort, Harrah’s, and Harveys Lake Tahoe. These hotel-casinos are in Stateline, Nevada, just east of the California town of South Lake Tahoe.

At the Hard Rock, the hotel was open on Monday. But the property is at full capacity and not accepting new reservations, according to the resort’s website. The table games and slot machines are closed. One bar on the property remained opened. All entertainment through Sept.12 has been canceled and will be rescheduled.

MontBleu also remained closed to the public on Monday.

“We are continuing to provide housing and support to firefighters and team member evacuees,” the MontBleu website states. “We will remain in constant communication with local agencies and look forward to reopening our doors as soon as it is safe to do so.”

A telephone operator handling calls for the two Caesars Entertainment properties at Stateline, Harrah’s and Harveys, told Casino.org the hotels were open, but only for first responders. She advised others to check ahead for room reservations. She said the gaming floors were open with a limited number of dealers

Dry Summer Fires

In recent weeks, Lake Tahoe has been shrouded in smoke and ash from the massive Caldor Fire that began southwest of the lake.

The freshwater lake straddles the California-Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada mountains about 20 miles west of Carson City, the Nevada capital. The California capital, Sacramento, is about 112 miles west of the high-altitude lake.?

In what would have been an end-of-summer holiday filled with outdoor enthusiasts and casino gamblers, lines of vehicles last week were carrying evacuees to Carson City and other nearby places.

Bears Wander Into Town

With the evacuation order lifted, people have been drifting back into the Tahoe Basin, according to the Associated Press.

So far it hasn’t been a mad rush of cars,” South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacool said. “We’re happy to see that people are slowly trickling in, just because the city does need time to get ready.”

Savacool said the air is still smoky, so people with health problems might want to wait before returning, the Associated Press reported. The fire chief added that police officers are patrolling residential areas, so “Your home will still be safe.”

With most people gone from the area, bears have made their way into town, spreading trash and possibly entering homes.

“The delicate balance between humans and bears has been upset,” El Dorado County Sheriff’s Sgt. Simon Brown said. Residents who are concerned about bears in their homes should call police, he said.

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In July, unemployment in the Las Vegas metropolitan area reached 9.4 percent, the highest in the US for any metro area with a population of one million or more. This is the second straight month that the Las Vegas’ jobless rate was highest in the nation. As one point during the coronavirus pandemic’s earlier stages, Las Vegas led the nation with a jobless rate of 34.2 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal.?

The Las Vegas metropolitan area includes the downtown casino district and the resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. The largest hotel-casinos on the Strip are in Clark County, outside Las Vegas city limits. The Las Vegas metropolitan area includes Henderson, about 16 miles southeast of downtown Las Vegas. ?

The nation’s second-highest unemployment rate, 9.3 percent, was in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. That area includes Long Beach and Anaheim.?

Las Vegas and Los Angeles are two of the nation’s 51 large metropolitan areas with populations of one million or more. Of those areas, Salt Lake City, Utah, at 2.8 percent, and Oklahoma City, at 2.9 percent, had the lowest July jobless rates.

Including smaller metropolitan areas, Logan, Utah, at 1.8 percent, and Lincoln, Nebraska, at 1.9 percent. had the lowest July unemployment rates.

‘Public Health Crisis’

Las Vegas has seen higher casino wins and more passengers at McCarran International Airport in recent months.

However, the all-important convention and trade show business has been slow to return. Since 1999, Las Vegas resorts have made more money from conventions and from hotel amenities and entertainment than from gambling, according to the Wall Street Journal.?

Another important tourism segment, international travelers, has also been in steep decline during the pandemic. Most of the small number of current international travelers are arriving on airlines based in Mexico. Convention-goers and international travelers, who stay longer and spend more than traditional tourists, are important in filling up hotel rooms in the slower middle of the week, according to tourism officials.

In July, Nevada had the highest jobless rate in the nation at? 7.7 percent. The next-highest were California, New Mexico, and New York at 7.6 percent each, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in July, down from 10.5 percent a year earlier.

Road to Recovery

Tourism officials have a ways to go to attract the pre-pandemic record high of 42.9 million people who visited Las Vegas in 2016. This year, fewer than three million visitors a month have arrived in Las Vegas during its busiest?periods.

Complete figures for this year have not been compiled. But the number of conventions, trade shows, and large events has been smaller during the pandemic. One important event, the Professional Bull Riders World Finals, is moving its championship event after this year from Las Vegas to Fort Worth, Texas.

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In the Sept. 3 statement, board Chairman J. Brin Gibson noted that Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) issued an emergency directive in July requiring everyone to wear face coverings “in all indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.”

The governor’s July directive noted that COVID-19 is a “statewide public health crisis.” Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, has been listed among counties with “substantial” or “high” COVID-19 community transmission rates. Health officials in some places, including Los Angeles, have cautioned against traveling to Las Vegas because of its rising infections and low vaccination rate. ?

“The Nevada Gaming Control Board will continue to enforce this directive with the goal of decreasing COVID-19 positivity rates in this state,” according to the statement.

The statement came with a warning that the panel may seek Nevada Gaming Commission “disciplinary action” for mask violations.

Visitors Accustomed to Masks

At least one tourism expert predicts masks won’t be an issue for many Labor Day visitors to Las Vegas. Mask mandates are common around the country.

Amanda Belarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal masks aren’t “new or unexpected for any travelers.”

“With other places requiring vaccine cards and ID just for indoor dining, Las Vegas really is middle of the road in terms of requirements, safe without being intrusive,” she said. “I think this will continue to spell success for Labor Day weekend and the beginning of fall.”

Police Presence?

Capt. Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department also issued a warning about public conduct during the holiday weekend.

It’s Labor Day weekend & we’ll be out in full force to help keep Vegas safe,” Koren said Friday in a tweet. “So have fun, but stay safe.”

The tweet, accompanied by music, shows police officers patrolling the Las Vegas Strip.

Most of the major hotel-casinos on the Strip are outside Las Vegas city limits, under Clark County jurisdiction. The combined city-county police department, known locally as Metro, patrols the entire county, including downtown Las Vegas and the Strip.

Koren often tweets pictures of illegal weapons and narcotics that Metro officers confiscate from criminal suspects on the Strip and nearby tourist areas. ?

Koren also recently tweeted a video of an urban climber scaling the exterior of the Aria hotel-casino on the Strip to protest the state mask mandate. When the man reached the top of the hotel tower, police arrested him.?

Another tweet from Koren shows a man being arrested after jumping into a water feature in front of a hotel-casino on the Strip.

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