“Marilyn Monroe did photo shoots here,” Paradise Spa HOA president Dennis Sapp told KLAS-TV/Las Vegas after the fire. “Elvis Presley used to run through here, the Rat Pack used to run here. It was the place to be.”

Opened at 9457 South Las Vegas Blvd. in May 1965, Paradise Spa was a community of 384 moderately priced townhomes on the southernmost edge of Las Vegas. It was built on 40 acres by brothers Carol and Chuck Heers, who later developed the Vacation Village casino hotel.

Paradise Spa’s centerpiece was the health spa from which the community took its name. Open to the paying public as well as to residents, it served as a magnet for health-minded Vegas visitors. It used a natural hot-water well to fill two spas (indoor and outdoor), an Olympic-size swimming pool, two Jacuzzis, and a man-made lake with fountains.

Come Lie With Me

For celebrities as famous as the Rat Pack — a category, which by the way, consisted of none at the time — there was no need to venture nearly seven miles south of the heart of the Strip for an amenity that was provided free to them at the hotels where they played and stayed.

The Sands had its own world-class wellness spa, as did the Desert Inn, Flamingo, and Tropicana.

And when they just needed a break from the Strip, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. all owned their own Las Vegas homes.

As for Elvis, the Paradise Spa opened two years too late to coincide with his 1963 visit to film “Viva Las Vegas” with Ann-Margret. And, with all due respect for his immense talent and kindness, accusing the King of Rock n’ Roll of health-mindedness during his subsequent visits is bonkers.

While performing his 1969-1976 residency at the International/Las Vegas Hilton, Presley rarely left his 30th-floor penthouse, to which he regularly ordered Dilaudid, a dangerous pain reliever usually reserved for end-stage cancer patients. It had first been prescribed to him for back pain in 1967.

The pharmacy at the Landmark Hotel walked it across the street to his suite, along with ridiculous quantities of Valium, according to accounts from multiple Memphis Mafia members.

Also, in case Elvis ever did want to soak his bad back, the International had its own health spa, too, which could easily have been closed to the public to accommodate him with privacy for an hour or two.

Indeed, a search of all the issues of the 27K newspapers archived by Newspapers.com turned up not a single sighting of Presley, or a Rat Pack member, at Paradise Spa.

And if a celebrity connection that big were to have been namedropped anywhere, this thoroughly researched story about the community — published by the Las Vegas Sun in 1996 — would certainly have been the place.

Couldn’t it Have Been Kept a Secret?

Sure, it’s?possible.?Celebrities don’t like when their favorite spots exploit their patronage for publicity. And, this indeed may explain why no photos are known to exist of the Rat Pack, Elvis, or Marilyn Monroe ever dining in the booths that now bear their names at the Golden Steer Steakhouse.

But unfortunately, claiming a Rat Pack, Elvis, and/or Marilyn connection has become the Las Vegas equivalent of “George Washington slept here.” Most of the time, it’s a false claim that got inserted into information passed down through the decades like in a game of telephone.

Sometimes, it was an honest mistake or it just made a tired old story more intriguing. Too frequently, however, it was a lie manufactured to increase a business’ bottom line with no perceived downside.

We already busted the Golden Steer for embellishing its Rat Pack cred by claiming to have opened in 1958. (The steakhouse didn’t exist until 1962.)

So what’s more likely? The most famous celebrities of the 20th century hung out someplace without a word being written about it until two weeks ago or that real estate agents were willing to be less than honest in hopes of jacking their sales commissions on Paradise Spa townhomes?

And speaking of poor Marilyn, the reason she couldn’t have posed for multiple photo shoots, or even one, at Paradise Spa is quite a grim but solid one.

She died three years before it opened.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on?Casino.org.?To read previously busted Vegas myths, visit VegasMythsBusted.com.?Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email [email protected].

The post VEGAS MYTHS BUSTED: Fire Just Claimed a Rat Pack, Marilyn & Elvis Hangout appeared first on Casino.org.

The final stand of “Garth Brooks/Plus ONE” at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace will take place next year on February 21, 22, 23, and 28, and March 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9.

I can’t believe it has come and gone already,” Brooks said in a statement. “The Caesars gig has been my favorite so far. No setlist, no rules, just the music, and the listener comes first. I LOVE that!”

Brooks added that his last few shows “are going to be hard for me, emotionally, because I can’t stand the thought of this residency being over.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public here starting Thursday, September 19 at 10 a.m. PT.

Citi cardmembers will have access to a presale starting at 10 a.m. PT Monday, Sept. 16. Those who previously purchased tickets to Brooks’ residency can buy tickets at 10 a.m. PT on Sept. 17, and Caesars Rewards members and Live Nation customers are granted access to the same presale at 1o a.m. PT Sept. 18.

Pea Break

Black Eyed Peas have announced their first Las Vegas residency, which will play Planet Hollywood from next February through May.

Titled “Black Eyed Peas: 3008 The Las Vegas Residency,” it will occupy the casino resort’s overly retitled main theater, which this week is known as PH Live.

The “3008” comes from “I’m so 3008, you’re so 2000 and late,” a lyric from their song “Boom Boom Pow.”

Our first residency in Las Vegas gives Black Eyed Peas the opportunity to do what we do best, to dream up something brand new and creative that pushes the boundaries of the live show experience,” founding member will.i.am. said in a statement.

Remember, there’s no “the” in Black Eyed Peas.

The dates are February 15, 16, 19, 21, and 22; March 21, 22, 26, 28, and 29; and May 24, 25, 28, 30, and 31.

Tickets go on sale here at 10 a.m. PT on Saturday.

The post VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Garth Rides Outta Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood Eyed Peas appeared first on Casino.org.

The robberies of casino cages at both Resorts World Las Vegas and the Gold Coast Casino have brought back a favorite topic of Las Vegas speculation. Is it possible to successfully rob a casino vault, as depicted in the 2001 movie “Ocean’s 11?”

“I don’t even know where to even begin with that,” said Fred Del Marva, an Arizona-based casino security consultant and expert. Over the past 36 years, his clients have included Caesars Palace, The Mirage, and the Golden Nugget.

First of all, according to Del Marva, a criminal would need to know exactly where a vault is. That’s a tall order because every casino keeps theirs in a different, top-secret location. “Somebody has to have the blueprints on how to get in and out,” he said. “Or a very inside source, like the contractor.”

There are, of course, gadgets designed to override a vault’s security measures, Del Marva said. “But there are likely to be too many security systems that require overriding to make robbing a vault achievable.”

An Ocean of Wrong

“Ocean’s 11” got a lot of basic information wrong. For one thing, every casino needs to have $100-$150 million in its vault at any given time, Del Marva estimated, to cover potential big losses on the floor. However, the $150 million in the movie was split among three casinos, leading to another inaccuracy.

“Listen, tomorrow, the newspaper could say that I’m wrong, that a casino vault was robbed, but I don’t think so,” Del Marva said, reasoning that, “if it could happen, someone would have at least tried it already.”

Welcome to Our Valued Robbers!

Both the Resorts World and Gold Coast robberies happened, Del Marva said, because today’s casino personnel are trained not to resist demands made by criminals. Ensuring that a gun is never fired inside a casino is a much higher priority than preventing a robbery, and criminals know that.

The deterrent is no longer the threat of armed response, Del Marva said, but the knowledge that everything that happens inside a casino is videoed from dozens of angles and that every skin cell that falls onto every surface will be analyzed for DNA evidence.

They know that nobody is going to be there to deter them from the time they park their vehicle to the time they get the cage,” Del Marva said. “Whether they get caught afterward is a different story.”

And they usually do. For the 11 post-“Ocean’s 11” robberies we identified below, suspects were arrested in nine of the cases. And none involved vaults.

11 Post-‘Ocean’s 11’ Vegas Casino Heists

Post-“Ocean’s 11,” here are 11 Las Vegas casino robberies we know about. We didn’t include Resorts World or Gold Coast since they just happened. Las Vegas police have already arrested a suspect in the former crime.

2022: El Cortez (unsolved)

On September 6, a man belly-flopped onto a craps table at the El Cortez casino and grabbed more than $19K of chips from the dealer. The thief, who appeared to be unarmed, exited the casino and is still at large.

2021: Rio, Red Rock, Aliante (solved)

On February 27, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer was arrested in connection with $78,898 stolen during a robbery at the Rio. Caleb Mitchell Rogers was also charged with a Nov. 12, 2021, robbery at the Red Red Resort and a January 6 robbery at Aliante. Rogers was connected to the robberies due to his unique gait. Suffice it to say he no longer works for the police department.

2019 and 2017: Bellagio (solved)

A man who robbed the Bellagio’s poker cage in 2017 and got away with it was shot dead when his second attempt proved far less successful. Michael Charles Cohen, 49, initially made off with $35K on March 15, 2019, but was shot dead by police who opened fire after he refused to surrender. The police were on hand investigating an unrelated case.

2017: Bellagio (solved)

Four thieves wearing animal masks used a sledgehammer to knock out a jewelry store’s glass door and rob handfuls of rings, chains, and other valuables. Sebastian Gonzales was arrested for the crime.

2014: Bellagio (solved)

Michael Belton attempted to rob the Bellagio by swiping casino chips off tables. Police said Belton and another man wore wigs and sunglasses, sprayed a blackjack dealer with pepper spray, grabbed $115K worth of chips, and tried to run. Belton was convicted while his accomplice got away.

2010: Bellagio and Suncoast (solved)

Tony Carleo parked his Suzuki motorcycle near the Bellagio valet stand on Dec. 14, 2010, walked over to a craps table, and robbed $1.5 million in chips at gunpoint. The “Biker Bandit” is currently serving 9-27 years in a Nevada state prison for that robbery and for robbing $18,945 in cash from a Suncoast cashier’s cage on December 9 of that same year

2005: Mandalay Bay (unsolved)

On March 11, 2005, two masked men held up a cashier’s cage at Mandalay Bay. According to witnesses, the men fired warning shots into the ceiling and forced the workers to the ground. The robbers, who stole what remains to this day an undisclosed amount of money, made off in a car parked outside.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Friday on?Casino.org.?Click here?to read previously busted Vegas myths. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email?[email protected].

The post VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The ‘Ocean’s 11’ Casino Robbery is Possible appeared first on Casino.org.

Digi-Dana won’t be on permanent display inside the Las Vegas Sphere, however. And that’s because the hologram was commissioned by UFC, not the Sphere itself. So it will be powered down and removed immediately following UFC 306’s 10 “Riyadh Season Noche” bouts.

Joining White’s hologram in the Sphere’s Aura Gallery — that creepy hall where robots with lifelike expressions answer questions but ignore anyone trying to get fresh with them — will be holograms of your “favorite fighters” for “an unprecedented selfie experience.”

This is according to a press release from Proto Hologram that does not disclose which fighters will be hologrammed but says they will all be rendered in “life-size, volumetric 4K” without explaining what that is.

“We’re absolutely fired up to see Proto holograms at? Sphere for the first time ever at Noche UFC!” enthused David Nussbaum, CEO of LA-based Proto Inc., with standard press release enthusiasm.

Ridiculously, the company expected us to transform its rice paper-thin press release into a story without even furnishing a photo of what its Dana White hologram looks like.

“I understand completely but they are holding back any visuals on it,” the PR rep emailed us.

So we summoned an image from the sinister wizards of dark-web machine learning. But alas, our free program, Microsoft Designer, is a piece of garbage forbidden from generating the faces of celebrities.

But Dana White’s back looks incredibly realistic, don’t you think? There’s no way the real fake Dana White’s back will look any better than ours, which you got to see for free instead of $5,000.

And you totally didn’t even notice that errant white beard, did you?

As we reported yesterday, production costs for UFC 306 were initially supposed to be $8 million, an astronomical figure that instigated White to charge record-setting face values of up to $23K per ticket. But production costs have now reportedly ballooned to $20 million, while reseller ticket prices have plummeted to a sixth of their face value and are still plummeting.

Of course, since most modern holograms talk, ours would say, as the real Dana White reportedly did to MMA journalist John Morgan recently: “We’re not ever doing an event at the Sphere again.”

The post Sphere to Unveil Hologram of Dana White, Who Vows Never to Stage UFC There Again appeared first on Casino.org.

Tickets for UFC 306 sported the highest face value of any event ever staged in Las Vegas. They started at $2,500 for seats in the rafters and topped off at $23,437.50 for floor seats to the right of the Octagon.

As of Wednesday evening, only a few hundred of those face-value seats remained on Ticketmaster out of an original allotment of 18,500.

On Ticketmaster, verified resellers (scalpers, basically) are losing their shirts on full public display. Right behind two of the original $23K seats (FLR3, Row 3, Seats 3-4) are five reseller seats on offer for $5,500 each (FLR3, Row 5, Seats 5-12).

If these seats are still available hours before the event, their prices must be lowered much further if they are to sell at all. That includes the hundreds still listed at face value on Ticketmaster unless UFC gives them away to VIPs, which is likely.

Why So Much?

Branded as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, for Mexican Independence Day two days later, the 10-bout spectacle promises an excellent lineup headlined by bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defending his title against No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili.

But not $2,500-$23K-a-ticket excellent.

According to Billboard magazine, Dana White felt obligated to charge that much to pay for the show’s $8 million production costs — specifically, producing video content for the Sphere’s massive hi-def screen.

Think about U2,” White told SNY Sports on September 10, referring to the Irish rock band’s Sphere residency last year. “Whatever that cost them, they had 40 nights to amortize those costs. We just have one.”

Now, however, Billboard claims that White’s production costs have ballooned to $20 million, even after UFC partnered with outside producers, including Valerie Bush and Antigravity Academy, who will screen their own 90-second videos between bouts.

Of course, UFC will recoup some of its financial losses via pay-per-view sales, but, as White told MMA reporter John Morgan recently, “We’re not ever doing an event at the Sphere again.”

White Lies

Last October, White told ESPN’s Pat McAfee that “I have become obsessed with the Sphere,” adding that he had his entire production crew check out U2’s residency to conceive of ideas for visuals to envelop the Octagon.

“I’m telling you right now, this place is incredible,” White said.

If the new Billboard story is to be believed, however, White wasn’t being entirely truthful.

That’s the arena that hosted last year’s “Noche UFC,” whose tickets were priced starting at $120 each.

The post Why UFC Vows Never to Return to Vegas Sphere appeared first on Casino.org.

This means that all official EDC parties, immersive installations, and pool performances from May 16-19 will move to Virgin, the off-Strip casino formerly known as the Hard Rock.

Casino.org emailed reps for both EDC organizer Insomniac and Hotel EDC producer Vibee, asking why Resorts World wasn’t chosen again. If replies are received from one or both organizations, this story will be updated.

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas also operates under the Hilton brand and is part of the hotel giant’s Curio Collection.

Hotel EDC 2025 packages will go on sale for those who stayed at previous Hotel EDC editions on Tuesday, September 11, at noon PT via the EDC website. A presale for those with EDCLV 2025 passes will kick off on Thursday, September 12, at noon PT.

All remaining packages will go on sale at noon PT Friday, September 13. As soon as prices are available, they will be published here.

Hotel EDC requires a minimum three-night stay for a maximum of four people over the age of 21,

EDC itself will take place from May 17-19 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This year’s lineup will feature Martin Garrix, Eric Prydz, Zedd, Alison Wonderland, Kaskade, John Summit, Dom Dolla, and dozens more.

While general admission passes are sold out, GA+ and VIP tickets, starting at $599 and $969, are still available.

The post EDC SHAKEUP: Virgin Steals ‘Hotel EDC’ From Resorts World Las Vegas appeared first on Casino.org.

But, on Monday, Nas announced that his residency will resume during Super Bowl Weekend (February 5, 7 and 8, 2025).

“Las Vegas has always served as a creative outlet for my music, and these performances will take that to the next level,” Nas said in a statement in May.

Tickets for the new dates, starting at $69.95 plus fees, go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT Friday, September 13 via Ticketmaster.

Heart’s Blockage Removed

Heart is restarting its “Royal Flush” tour from the Fontainebleau’s BleauLive Theater, where sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were scheduled to play on December 15 — until Ann, 74, had to have emergency cancer surgery.

The new dates kick off on February 28 with Ann, feeling much better, stating in the relaunch announcement: “The best is yet to come!”

Tickets, $59-$299, are now on sale here.

The Music Vroom

F1 has revealed the headliners for its Silver Stage during the second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix race. On Thursday, November 21, it will be occupied by San Francisco-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Vandelux. On Friday, rapper Big Boi will do the honors. And, on race day, Saturday, November 23, it’s British dance music duo Snakehips.

These performances are limited to ticketholders for Wynn Grid Club, Papi Steak Garage, Ramsay’s Garage, Paddock Club, Skybox, Turn 3 Club, and the Heineken Silver Main Grandstand.

If you want to know how much tickets are, trust us, you can’t afford them. See for yourself here.

The post VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Nas Not Done, Heart Restarts, F1 Headliners appeared first on Casino.org.

So far, “V-U2” — co-directed by U2 guitarist Edge and his wife, Morleigh Steinberg — looks like the very first Sphere entertainment offering to fall on its face.

Though Thursday’s premiere sold out its tickets to diehard fans, at least 75 percent of its seats were still available when Saturday’s screening began and, as of 11 a.m. Sunday, more than 90 percent could still be purchased for the same day’s 2 p.m. showing.

Of course, all this probably proves is how few people want to see a U2 concert film at $100-$200 a ticket. The Sphere can still fill those seats, but will need to lower their prices to do so.

Though it’s been shown hundreds of times since last October, Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard from Earth” is still doing better business than “V-U2,” as demonstrated by the Ticketmaster screengrabs at right. And that movie still commands $100-$280 a seat.

“Fans came from all over the world to see the concert and spent a bucketload doing so,” Australian fan Austin Docherty offered his explanation for the film’s reception on a Facebook U2 fan group. “We can’t afford the same for a video of a concert.”

‘Last Showgirl’ Showing

In other Las Vegas cinema news, “The Last Showgirl” premiered on Friday at the Toronto Film Festival. That’s the dark indie movie we told you about in May filmed by Gia Coppola (Francis Ford’s granddaughter and Sofia’s niece) in Las Vegas last year.

Pamela Anderson stars as Shelley, a 50something showgirl who faces the loss of her career, and self worth, as the Strip’s final showgirl production closes around her. Supporting Anderson is Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays a former showgirl now making ends meet as a cocktail waitress.

While box office figures are obviously not yet available, early reviews are mixed.

“This is Anderson’s moment to shine,” raved “Deadline,” “and, boy does she ever?shine —?right up to an ending that leaves us hopeful.”

“The Hollywood Reporter” agreed that the Anderson “mines pathos” and “moving empathy.” However, it noted that the film “feels slender overall.”

Finally, “The Daily Beast’s” reviewer eviscerated it, opining that “its every gesture is a pose, as affected and unrewarding as the pathetic moves that Shelley displays during a disastrous audition, and its compassion for her is, ultimately, unearned.”

The post SPHERE OF FAILURE: U2 Concert Film is Vegas Orb’s First Flop appeared first on Casino.org.

Foxx owned and operated a Las Vegas gift/junk shop called Fred G Sanford New and Used. And, in one of the most bizarre cases of life imitating art ever, he could often be found manning the counter — according to reports, sometimes six days a week!

Though in retrospect, it sounds like a prank-show gag, Foxx seriously needed the money to pay off an IRS debt of almost $1 million.

The store was the novel way an advisor came up with for Foxx to sell the tons of possessions he accumulated during his rise to fame — artwork, jewelry, red leather jackets and other clothing, all in his size — directly to his fans in the pre-internet era.

“We sell cards, toys, games, gifts, rubber tires — you name it,” Foxx told a reporter from The Desert Sun in 1990.

Sometimes, Foxx parked the actual red 1951 Ford F1 pickup truck shown in “Sanford & Son’s” opening credits — which he owned — out front to attract the curious.

Foxx News

Foxx (born John Sanford in 1922 to Fred G. Sanford, his father’s real name) began his career in the 1940s, working nightclubs on the Chitlin’ Circuit. That was the name given to performance spaces considered safe for Black acts in the racially segregated South of the time.

By the 1950s, he became known for his dirty, underground “party records.” His first Vegas gig was headlining at the Samoa Room lounge at the Castaways in 1964, which made him the first Black comedian to headline a show on the Las Vegas Strip. By 1972, Foxx graduated to rotating at the International Hotel (now the Westgate) with B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner as headliners in the 400-seat Casino Theatre.

Unlikely worldwide fame came that same year, when producer Norman Lear cast him as the lead in what would become a hit NBC television series based on Britain’s “Steptoe and Son.” (Lear renamed it “Sanford and Son” as a concession to Foxx.)

Foxx’s income increased dramatically in step with his fame. So did his spending. His nearly?$4 million annual salary bought expensive houses in LA, his hometown of St. Louis, and his adopted home of Las Vegas. It purchased classic cars including a 1927 Ford Model T, a 1975 Panther J72 and a 1983 Zimmer.

And then there were Foxx’s biggest expenses of all: three ex-wives.

After “Sanford and Son” was canceled in 1977, Foxx’s income plummeted when he returned to standup comedy. His spending, however, did not. Between gigs, he could often be found playing poker with friends on the Strip.

Foxx filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from his creditors in 1983, yet he kept earning and spending. One of his creditors wasn’t having that.

Foxx Trap

On Nov. 28, 1989, the IRS raided the Las Vegas home where Foxx had lived for 22 years. A reported 15 agents seized seven cars, a Vespa scooter, eight pistols, three rifles, two shotguns, $670 in Sam’s Town casino chips, furniture, jewelry — including a gold watch given to him by Elvis Presley — and $12,000 cash.

Many of the items were auctioned that summer. Just before the house itself joined them on the auction block, the IRS allowed Foxx to work out a payment plan to keep his home and what remained of his possessions.

Foxx continued to work, but it was mostly for the government, which received the lion’s share of the $15,000-$20,000 a week he made from headlining the Sahara and Hacienda.

And yet it still wasn’t enough to pay his tax bill and living expenses. So what could he do to raise more money?

It’s sad to think of a huge star spending the last year of his life selling his own possessions in a store named after a TV character he played nearly 20 years earlier. But Foxx took it in stride, as can be seen in footage from its opening day.

By 1991, it looked like the end to Foxx’s money troubles was finally in sight anyway. His longtime fan Eddie Murphy cast him in the CBS series “The Royal Family” alongside Della Reese.

But on Oct. 11, one month after the show began airing, the actor had a massive heart attack while rehearsing on the set. He was 68.

Murphy paid for Foxx’s headstone and funeral, at Las Vegas’ Palm Eastern Cemetery. Though he couldn’t be among the 1,000 attendees, Mike Tyson, Flip Wilson and LaWanda “Aunt Esther” Page were.

In perhaps the cruelest irony of all, his fellow cast members all thought Foxx was joking when he clutched his chest and fell to the studio floor. That’s exactly what Fred G. Sanford used to do when faking heart attacks for dramatic effect on “Sanford and Son.”

“Lost Vegas” is an occasional?Casino.org?series spotlighting Las Vegas’ forgotten history.?Click here?to read other entries in the series. Think you know a good Vegas story lost to history? Email [email protected].?

The post LOST VEGAS: Redd Foxx’s Fred G Sanford Store appeared first on Casino.org.

It was fellow Chicagoan and beloved matinee idol Bill Murray. Though never a Blues Brother, and known primarily in the music world for poking fun at lounge singers on “Saturday Night Live,” the 73-year-old delivered an impassioned, thoroughly serviceable performance on the stage where Elvis once sang.

The ”Groundhog Day” star wasn’t announced beforehand, or even introduced, to the International Theater crowd, whose excitement level slowly grew as it realized what was happening.

Murray began with a rollicking rendition of “Slow Down,” the 1957 Larry Williams song made more famous by the Beatles seven years later. He then flubbed the lyrics to his follow-up choice, Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” while trying to read them from an iPad. But the audience was more than forgiving, loudly assisting the 2004 Oscar nominee by shouting the chorus.

Check it out for yourself…

As usual with the famously reclusive legend, if he shows up anywhere, there’s a good reason. And, on Wednesday, it was to help raise money and awareness for the Blues Foundation’s Handy Artists Relief Trust (HART) Fund, which helps pay the medical, dental, and funeral costs of blues musicians.

This year’s performance and auction raised $107K.

Big Blues Bender, which runs through Sunday, began at the Riviera in 2014, then switched to the Westgate when the Riv shuttered in 2015. The HART party, its annual kickoff event, has been a staple of the festival since 2016.

The post VIDEO: Bill Murray Rocks, Shocks Westgate Las Vegas Blues Fest appeared first on Casino.org.

On Wednesday, the Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved partnering with Elaine Wynn, and selling her 1.5 acres of land for “under market value,” to build the first world-class art museum Las Vegas has ever had outside the confines of a casino.

Construction is expected to start no later than February 2027.

Once it opens, Las Vegas will no longer be the largest city in the US without an independent museum for the fine arts.

Wynn, the board chair and CEO of Wynn Resorts, and Roger Thomas, the company’s retired former executive VP of design, attended Wednesday’s City Council meeting to cheerlead the project and announce its architect.

Francis Kéré designed the Xylem Pavilion at Montana’s Tippet Rise Art Center, which opened in 2019.

According to Wynn, Kéré’s design for the new museum will take inspiration from the Guardian Angel Cathedral, the Catholic church located northeast of Wynn Resorts’ Encore just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Art of Funding

The 90,000-square-foot project is expected to cost $200 million to build, most of which Wynn has said she will raise via grants, gifts, sponsors, and donations.

The museum has already received $5 million in seed funding from the Nevada state legislature.

Additionally, Wynn sits on the board of the L.A. County Museum of Art, which, she says, has promised to loan the museum pieces to display from its extensive/expensive collection.

Red Ridge Development will be the developers of the project.

According to the city, the museum is estimated to generate $191 million for Las Vegas, including $80 million in wages.

Lost Art

Las Vegas once had a public art museum that wasn’t located in the Bellagio or Wynn, but it wasn’t the kind that displayed Picassos, Warhols, or Rothkos.

The Las Vegas Art Museum opened in 1974 out of the ashes of the Las Vegas Art League in a ranch house at Lorenzi Park that was owned by the city of Las Vegas.

In 2012, the collection was moved to the newly renovated Barrick Museum of Art at UNLV. Its former space now functions as an art gallery for the Sahara West branch of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library.

In 2017, the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno announced plans to open a Las Vegas branch. That $250M project was canceled in 2020 due to lack of funding.

The post Las Vegas Approves Land Sale for Elaine Wynn-Backed Art Museum appeared first on Casino.org.

In a report to clients issued on Tuesday, Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey hit Sphere with the ominous rating and a $40 price target, which implies downside of about 9% from current levels. His bearish call on the Sphere comes in the midst of a pullback that’s seen the stock shed 9.54% over the past week. Still, the shares are higher by 15.9% over the past month and 30.55% year to date. Hickey noted there are significant risks to the Sphere investment thesis.

With only one screen to recoup these significant investments, the financial risk is substantial,” he observed.

The Las Vegas entertainment venue got off to a stellar start last year thanks to a series of live U2 concerts, but Sphere Entertainment needs to display proficiency in landing top-tier acts and programming to ensure “economic viability,” according to Hickey. Besides Benchmark, seven other sell-side firms cover Sphere, with three rating the stock “buy” or “strong buy,” and four rating it “hold.”

Don’t Expect More Spheres Soon

Las Vegas is arguably the ideal city for the Sphere, which is massive and emits constant light and noise. That’s the case with many venues on the Strip, and while those traits are common in Sin City, they’re not necessarily appealing to other cities.

“Given that the original Sphere took five years and $2.3B to construct, rapid expansion seems impractical,” noted Hickey, adding that smaller versions of the Las Vegas Sphere probably aren’t attractive because they would lack appeal due to their diminutive stature, and economic opportunity could be threatened as a result.

MSG Networks Could Weight on Sphere Stock, Too

When Sphere was spun off from Madison Square Entertainment (NYSE: MSGE), regional sports networks (RSNs) MSG Networks and the YES Network were included with the former. That could be problematic because MSG Networks has $850 million in debt coming due next month.

Hickey called Sphere Entertainment essentially an exhibitor business while adding that MSG Networks is a debt-ridden entity in a declining industry.

The post Sphere Production Costs, Scalability Issues Prompt Sell Rating appeared first on Casino.org.

Han’s mother, identified by authorities only as a woman in her 50s with the family name Shin, has been charged with operating illegal gambling houses at 12 separate locations from 2021 to late last month.

Shin employed operators who acted as proxies, according to prosecutors. Gamblers who visited the venues were given access to a website controlled by Shin where they could purchase credits to participate in games like baccarat, prosecutors said.

Han Statement

Han released a statement via her agent, 9ato Entertainment, emphasizing that she was estranged from her mother and had no connection to her illegal gambling empire.

“The report from yesterday (September 2) concerns Han So Hee’s mother’s personal and independent actions,” read the statement. “Han So Hee was devastated upon learning about it through the news.

We want to reiterate that this incident relates entirely to her mother’s independent actions and has nothing to do with the actress,” Han’s agency added.

Han moved out of her family home to live with her grandmother in Seoul after her parents’ divorce when she was five years old. She later supported herself through college by modelling and then acting.

She became an A-list celebrity in South Korea after starring in ‘The World of the Married,’ the highest-rated television series in Korean cable TV history.

Currently, Han plays the female lead in ‘Gyeongseong Creature,’ a widely popular historical television epic with added horror elements depicting events surrounding the Japanese occupation of Seoul in 1945.

Multiple Frauds

It’s not the first time Han has had problems with her estranged mother. In 2020, she wrote on her blog that she had recently paid Shin’s debts out of a sense of filial duty.

She did so again two years later, when her mother was involved in multiple fraud cases. These included Shin opening a bank account in Han’s name to borrow money.

I feel nothing but remorse, as my mistaken belief that repaying the debts would solve everything only led to more victims,” Han wrote at the time.

While South Korea has many foreigner-only casinos, gambling is illegal for its citizens with one exception – at the state-owned Kangwon Land Casino. In fact, Kangwon Land is the only place in the world where South Koreans can gamble, because they can theoretically be prosecuted at home for gambling abroad.

The post South Korean Starlet’s Mom Charged with Running Illegal Gambling Empire appeared first on Casino.org.

The country superstar, who’s celebrating the 25th anniversary of her “Come On Over” album, has been a Las Vegas mainstay since her 2012 residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Her new and final shows are January 22, 24, 25, 29, and 31; and February 1, 5, 7, and 8. They all go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 7 through Ticketmaster.com.

Giddying Up Outta Here

Don’t expect the second annual Giddy Up Music Festival to take place next year. That’s because the first one won’t even take place.

“There’s nothing we would love more than to ride through the festival gates with you this October, but unfortunately, we can no longer move forward with Giddy Up Las Vegas Music Festival 2024,” organizers posted on Instagram on Monday, a month before opening day.

No reason was given for the cancellation.

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Megan Moroney, and the Turnpike Troubadours had been advertised as headliners. But it had been anticipated even more for being the first Las Vegas country music festival since the Route 91 Harvest shooting in 2017.

Giddy Up was set to take place from October 18-20 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. Instead, refunds will automatically be issued within 7-10 business days at the point of purchase.

Boyz II Mend

Boyz II Men staged a surprise reunion at the second-to-last show of their Cosmopolitan residency.

They didn’t sing with rarely seen former member Michael McCary, who left the fold 21 years ago due to health issues that were eventually diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. But the original foursome appeared on stage together on Friday, August 30, and McCary even teased a full reunion tour.

“There will be another day that we’ll all be onstage together, trust me,” McCary told the hysterical Chelsea Theater audience, according to People magazine. “It’s coming, and I love these guys.”

Since McCary’s departure, the group has been singing as a trio (Nathan Morris, Wanyá Morris, and Shawn Stockman).

The post VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Rodeos Over for Shania and Country Festival, Boyz II Men Reunite appeared first on Casino.org.

The rumor was started by a clicktbait video shared on April 6 by a TikTok account called las_vegas_vibes.

“Plans for new Disney themed Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas!!” the captions announced, complete with “leaked concept artwork” that bore the obvious stamp of AI. The post, which received 98K likes, claimed the $2 billion project was “set to be completed by 2030.”

The Lyin’ King

After being bounced around various accounts on X/Twitter, the ball was then picked up by a popular Disney fan blog on July 27.

“Years ago, The Walt Disney Company heading to Las Vegas would have been a non-starter,” Inside the Magic’s Rick Lye wrote. “Gambling goes against everything that Walt Disney stood for. But that was then, and this is now.”

The only evidence offered by Mr. Lye’s story, however, is that Disney competitor Universal is opening a year-round horror experience in a 20-acre expansion of AREA15 next year, so Disney should want to include Las Vegas in its plans to stay competitive.

Also, in a stretch undertaken to show how zip-a-dee-doo-dah Disney has become with gambling, Mr. Lye cited the $1.5 billion deal that PENN Entertainment signed last October with Disney’s ESPN to use the “ESPN Bet” trademark for its new sports betting company.

The Truth

While there have been rumblings in recent years that MGM is looking to divest itself of Excalibur and Luxor, the casino giant’s Strip properties catering to more budget-conscious travelers, there is not even a shred of a shred of evidence that the Mouse House has ever considered purchasing a casino — much less the Excalibur just because its exterior would require minimal adornment to fit the Disney brand.

Casinos do not fit the Disney brand.

That’s why Disney operates one of the world’s top-ranked cruise lines without them. (On Aug. 10, it announced that it will add five more casino-free ships to its fleet, bringing its total size to 13 by 2031.)

As complete and utter fabrications go, this one even lacks originality. Ever since Excalibur opened in June 1990, nearly everyone viewing the property for the first time has been reminded of a specific Disney landmark.

“The $294 million Excalibur is a combination hotel and theme park,” wrote Millie Ball of the Muskegon Chronicle on July 22, 1990. “It’s an eye-popper for sure, a fanciful place with a hodge-podge of Cinderella castle turrets set between two 28-story towers of 4,032 rooms, and a King Arthur theme in every inch.”

Finally, it would not be irresponsible journalism to point out that Inside the Magic averages 30 million pageviews per month despite, or more likely because of, its imagineering of the truth.

Snopes.com cites it for its false recent claims that Disney is ending the Disney+ streaming service, that it suspended Snow White from its theme parks, and, most blasphemously, that it retired Mickey Mouse.

And this subreddit was created just to keep tabs on all the clickbait stories that Inside the Magic has published since its founder, Ricky Brigante, sold it in 2018.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on?Casino.org.?Click here?to read previously busted Vegas myths. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email [email protected].

The post VEGAS MYTHS BUSTED: Disney Buying Excalibur from MGM appeared first on Casino.org.

“After that, I will not see you for an incredibly long time,” the British superstar, who is 36, told a Munich concert audience on Saturday night. “I will hold you dear in my heart for that whole length of my break, and I will fantasize about these shows and any shows that I’ve done over the last three years.”

Adele broke down as she explained the reason for the break: “I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it now. I want to live my new life that I’ve been building, and I will miss you terribly.”

Adele will have performed 100 shows since beginning her rescheduled “Weekends With Adele” residency in January 2022.

In August 2023, Adele told a woman in her Las Vegas audience: “I really want to be a mom again soon” and that “every time I see a name that I like, I write it down in my phone.”

Adele has a 10-year-old son, Angelo, with Simon Konecki, whom she divorced in 2019. Since 2021, she has been in a relationship with sports agent Rich Paul. During another concert earlier this month Munich, where Adele wrapped 10 dates on Saturday, she responded to an audience member’s marriage proposal by stating she “can’t marry” them because “I’m already getting married.”

She appeared to flash an engagement ring, though the video was too far from the video screen to make one out.

In comments posted below a fan video of her Saturday night announcement on X/Twitter, most fans expressed sadness about the long break but understanding of their idol’s need for alone time. A couple pointed out that taking six years off, as she did between her albums 25 and 30, has become her thing.

Adele returns to her “Weekends With Adele” residency at the Colosseum on Oct. 25. Tickets for the remaining 10 days have long been sold out — since all were rescheduled from March, when she paused to rest her voice.

However, many seats are available on reseller sites from $800 to $7,000.

The post Adele Plans ‘Incredibly Long’ Break After Las Vegas Residency appeared first on Casino.org.

Life is Beautiful Pitiful Tickets on Sale

Tickets went on sale today for Life is Beautiful’s consolation prize this year — a thoroughly unexplained, much smaller festival with smaller acts called A Big Beautiful Block Party.

The downgraded festival that no one asked for will take place Friday and Saturday, September 27-28, in a parking lot behind the Plaza Hotel?instead of on 18 city blocks along East Fremont Street — as it had been presented since launching 11 years ago.

Headlining the new festival will be French electronic music duo?Justice,?South Korean DJ?Peggy Gou,?English DJ?Jamie XX,?British dance band?Jungle,?pianist?James Blake,?and American rock band?LCD Soundsystem.

And if you suspect us of having to Google every single name other than LCD Soundsystem, Justice, and Jungle, your suspicions are correct.

Tickets and VIP passes, starting at $178 each, are available through StubHub, which is normally a resale distributor.

Cold on Playing Sphere

In an interview with Audacy Check In, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said that seeing U2 open the Sphere scared him off the idea of performing at the orbital concert venue behind the Venetian.

I’m a big, big U2 fan,” Martin said. “It was among, if not the, best thing I’ve ever seen them do. It took me to this place of being a total fan again. It made me so inspired, but unfortunately, it made me swear to not play the Sphere for a long time because they nailed it and I don’t want to compete with that!”

Though the singer denies it, a case can be made that he had been mulling the booking before catching the old Dubliners. Coldplay’s 2021 album was titled “Music of the Spheres.” And the Madison Square Garden Company first announced the name of its future venue in February 2018.

In other Chris Martin news, he has been added to the list of names — along with A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd — scheduled to play the annual?IHeartRadio Music Festival, happening at the?T-Mobile Arena on September 20-21. Already committed are Gwen Stefani, Dua Lipa, the Black Crowes, New Kids on the Block, Keith Urban, Halsey, Doja Cat, Camila Cabello, Hozier, Paramore, Shaboozey, Thomas Rhett, Big Sean,?and?Victoria Monét.??Ryan Seacrest?returns as host.?

Tickets are on sale now.

The post VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Bruno Mars Fans Go Gaga, Tickets on Sale for Life is Beautiful’s Sad Consolation Prize appeared first on Casino.org.

Through his JEMB Realty, which has vast office, residential, and entertainment experience throughout the Garden State, Bailey revealed his plans to overhaul Monmouth Park’s roughly 80 acres of paved surface parking lots and undeveloped property into a vibrant mixed-use complex.

Bailey says construction at Monmouth Park is slated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 after permits are secured and construction teams are procured.

Monmouth’s Mammoth Project?

Monmouth Park is located in Oceanport, less than two miles west of the Jersey Shore. Bailey says the multiyear, multiphase development will “reimagine” the storied horse racetrack that’s home to the annual Haskell Invitational, a major race for three-year-old thoroughbreds that comes in July after the conclusion of the Triple Crown but before the Breeders’ Cup.

We are embarking on the next phase of a journey that began over a decade ago when we developed plans to reimagine and reinvent the Monmouth Park experience that has brought so much joy to generations of horse racing enthusiasts,” Bailey said in a press release. “We have always been staunch advocates for returning the area to its rightful place as the premier destination for horse racing and family entertainment while including important components that serve the community at large.”

Bailey says the project comes with the support of several state agencies, including the NJSEA and the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) applauded the initiative.

“Monmouth Park Racetrack is an iconic New Jersey attraction,” the governor said. “We are thrilled to see this project move forward, which will bolster the local economy and ensure that the area is a popular destination for generations to come.”

Along with the 200-key hotel, the Monmouth Park blueprint includes plans for a 298-unit residential building, indoor and outdoor sports facilities tailored toward youth sports, and an outdoor pool complex. Bailey says the mixed-use complex will also offer a live music venue.

No Casino — For Now

Brick-and-mortar casino gambling in New Jersey remains confined to Atlantic City, though retail sports betting is allowed at the state’s three horse racetracks. Monmouth Park was one of the first retail sportsbook locations to open outside of AC following the 2018 Supreme Court repeal of a federal law that had limited single-game betting to Nevada.

In May, Monmouth Park broke ground on its trackside Caesars Sportsbook. The track’s sportsbook operation has remained inside the grandstand in a dated sports bar since the facility gained sports betting privileges more than six years ago.

New Jersey Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) has been fighting to amend the state constitution to allow slot machines at racetracks for over a decade. His continual constitutional referendum proposals have suggested directing 30% of racino slot taxes directly back to the nine casinos in Atlantic City.

Pennacchio’s 2024 Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 failed to advance out of the chamber’s State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee.

The post Resorts Atlantic City Owner to Expand Monmouth Park Into Mixed-Use Complex appeared first on Casino.org.

The Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD), the public transportation provider for the fifth-most populated city in Illinois, will begin serving the newly opened Hard Rock Casino on Sunday, September 1. RMTD officials say several bus routes will undergo slight reroutes to serve the casino, as well as Rockford University and the AMC movie theater along E. State St.

The service changes are a result of ongoing rider and community feedback that RMTD has received. RMTD anticipates the changes will improve access to employment, educational, health, and retail opportunities for the community, while further helping to eliminate transportation barriers for those who are challenged with them,” an RMTD release explained.

The Hard Rock entertainment destination will be served by several bus lines, including the #11 E. State St., #18 Bell School Rd., #19 CherryVale Mall., #32 E State St., and #42 E. State St. routes. ?

Grand Opening?

Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, is officially opening Hard Rock Casino Rockford today. The casino will open to the public around? 3 p.m. local time.

While Hard Rock Casino Rockford doesn’t have an on-site hotel, it features six restaurants and bars, a Rock Shop with Hard Rock memorabilia and swag, and the 23,000-square-foot Hard Rock Live concert space that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests for live entertainment. The Hard Rock Live room is also available for meetings and events rentals.?

Community Partner?

The United States Census Bureau reports that Rockford, home to about 147K people, has a poverty rate above 21% despite the city being home to several affluent neighborhoods. Hard Rock has hired about 400 people to run its newest casino, which should help ease the city’s high poverty position.

Hard Rock is still seeking a few more bandmates for its Rockford operation. Among the remaining 33 available positions are a casino cage supervisor, bartenders and servers, table game dealers, cashiers, a poker room supervisor, security officers, floor attendants, and an assistant manager of casino operations.

One of Hard Rock Rockford’s notable investors is Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen, an Illinois native who co-founded the band in Rockford in 1973.

The casino’s entrance includes the title of one of the band’s iconic tracks, “I Want You to Want Me.” Hard Rock Rockford additionally welcomes guests with a 62-foot guitar that honors Nielsen and Cheap Trick.

The post Hard Rock Rockford Casino Opens, Secures Bus Stop With City’s Mass Transit Agency appeared first on Casino.org.

In fact, the mind boggles that there was ever such a thing as “The Frank Rosenthal Show.” Taking the idea of hiding in plain sight to the height of WTF, a mafia associate not only refused to hide from the spotlight, but hosted his own TV talk show?

A Frank Assessment

Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal ran the Stardust from 1974 to 1978 — as well as the Fremont, Marina and Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas — without possessing a gaming license.

That’s because the secret owner of these properties was the Chicago branch of the mafia. Its bosses installed Rosenthal because he was also in charge of the illegal skim operation that netted the mob at least $1.6 million — and probably many times more.

In the ’50s, Rosenthal purchased contracts to fix sporting events, earning multiple sports-bribery indictments. In 1963, he pleaded no contest to bribing a New York University basketball player to shave points. And he was a suspect in multiple business and car bombings in Miami in the ’60s, which is allegedly why he fled to Las Vegas in 1968 in the first place.

Actually, there was a method to the madness of Lefty’s TV show. He used it to prove to the Nevada Gaming Commission that his presence at the Stardust, where the show taped, consisted of something other than running it for the syndicate.

For several reasons, however, “The Frank Rosenthal Show” — which aired on KSHO-TV, the ABC affiliate that became today’s KTNV-TV — didn’t fool anyone.

A Whole Host of Bad

First off, Rosenthal was the worst talk show host who ever lived.

This isn’t just an opinion. Stiff, uninformed and uniquely unfunny, Rosenthal never failed to achieve boredom immediately out of the gate. Go ahead — try to watch one of the show episodes uploaded to YouTube in its entirety. We’ll wait…

See? We tried warning you.

“Wokay, now what do you want to do, Frank?” Don Rickles said during the first of many lulls on Rosenthal’s Nov. 27, 1977 episode. Turning to the crowd, the legendary comic then offered, “I’ll give you 500 dollars to get me off of this!”

It wasn’t only Rosenthal’s cardboard personality, but also the show’s high school AV club production values that made New York’s similarly unprofessional yet charming “The Joe Franklin Show” look like Carson in comparison.

Even the talk show that Kramer hosted in his living room on “Seinfeld” was better.

Famously Suspicious Guests

It was the incongruously high profiles of this literal shit show’s guests that kept its viewers coming back for more each week.

Somehow, Liberace, Bob Hope, O.J. Simpson, and Sammy Davis, Jr. all ended up granting Rosenthal interviews.

The “somehow” part no doubt was another reason gaming officials — who by 1988 included Rosenthal in their “black book” of people banned from every Nevada casino for life — didn’t buy the charade.

Especially since Rosenthal’s choice of a first guest for his very first show was Frank Sinatra, the man whose friendship with Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana cost him his relationship with John F. Kennedy and his casino license for the Cal-Neva Lodge.

By the way, anyone who tells you they saw Rosenthal interview Sinatra on that show is either mistaken or lying. The only witnesses were the couple of hundred people who attended the taping on Aug. 22, 1977.

And that’s because, seconds after the opening, the VCR that was playing the prerecorded tape broke.

All viewers saw for most of the hour was a “One Moment Please” sign, according to Mike Weatherford’s 2001 book, “Cult Vegas.” And, for whatever reason, no attempt was ever made to re-air the episode.

“Just do what you’re told,” Rickles laid into the host. “Read the lines, what it says on the sign: ‘Help me, I am a dummy.’”

“Lost Vegas” is an occasional?Casino.org?series spotlighting Las Vegas’ forgotten history.?Click here?to read other entries in the series. Think you know a good Vegas story lost to history? Email [email protected].?

The post LOST VEGAS: The Frank Rosenthal Show appeared first on Casino.org.

The name references 1976, the year Frank Fertitta Jr. founded the company’s first casino resort, Palace Station. The venture is seen as an extension of the strong connection that residents feel toward the gaming corporation, which currently operates 19 local-centric Las Vegas casinos.

“This new spot will provide guests another opportunity to enjoy Station Casinos’ friendly service, delicious food and beverage items, and the best gaming and sports viewing experiences in one convenient setting,” read a statement from Station president Scott Kreeger.

The first Seventy Six is slated to open by the end of September at 6345 N. Lamb Blvd. in North Las Vegas. That location, the former site of a Taco Bell, was a decidedly unneighborly choice for a neighborhood tavern, however, since it places it right next door to Scoundrels Tavern & Eatery, which opened its one and only location in April.

A second Seventy Six is expected to follow in January, with the other five possibly opening by January 2026.

Wahlburritos?

Mark Wahlberg, the movie star and restaurateur who has called Las Vegas home for more than two years, will soon premiere the second location of his Mexican restaurant, Flecha by Mark Wahlberg, at the Town Square Mall a mile south of the Strip.

Wahlberg opened his first Flecha, which is Spanish for arrow, on June 8 in Huntington Beach, Calif.

“Our menu, crafted by renowned international chefs and mixologists, blends Mexican classics with a contemporary fire,” reads the Flecha website.

What Now Vegas broke the story via astute permitting research, and got a confirmation from the eatery’s co-founder, Randy Sharpe, who also serves as CEO of Wahlberg’s smash fast-food chain, Wahlburger’s.

Flecha will offer live music, a Sunday brunch buffet, lunch specials, and Tacos + Tequila Tuesdays, according to What Now.

Dining Ins & Outs

Checkers and Rally’s, the double drive-thru burger brand, is opening its fourth Las Vegas location at 6408 W. Cheyenne Ave.

Marco’s Pizza of Toledo plans to open its ninth Las Vegas location momentarily at 3318 E. Flamingo Road.

The post VEGAS RESTAURANT ROUNDUP: Red Rock Enters Tavern Biz, Marky Mark’s Mexican Premiere appeared first on Casino.org.

Thorson lived in Liberace’s Las Vegas mansion from 1977 — when he was 18 and the flashy pianist was 57 — until 1982. Anyone who saw Liberace perform at the Las Vegas Hilton during those years might remember Thorson as the chauffeur who drove “Mr. Showmanship” to his stage mark in a bejeweled Rolls Royce, then opened its door so Liberace could exit in a fur coat with a 16-foot train.

Their relationship ended due in part to Thorson’s drug habit, which he admitted developing from painkillers prescribed while he recovered from plastic surgery.

Thorson sued Liberace for $113 million the year they broke up. It was the first same-sex palimony suit ever filed in the US. The case was settled out of court in 1986, with Thorson receiving $75K in cash, plus three cars and three pet dogs valued at $20K, and Liberace continuing to publicly deny his homosexuality.

Showmanship Business

From his first performance at the Hotel Last Frontier in 1944 up to his last at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1986, Liberace helped brand the Strip as a hub for entertainment and extravagance. And he was one of the first singers to establish the long-term Las Vegas residency as a thing.

In terms of his sheer cultural impact on Sin City, Liberace (whose full name was W?adziu Valentino Liberace) was third only to the Rat Pack and Elvis Presley. (Sorry, Wayne Newton!)

Liberace died in 1987, of HIV/AIDS-related ailments, at age 67. According to Thorson, they had a deathbed reconciliation.

The next year, Thorson published his explosive tell-all, “Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace.” In the book, he claimed he only got his plastic surgery – several rounds of it, including a nose job and chin implant — at the behest of Liberace, who wanted him to resemble a younger version of the superstar.

In HBO’s Emmy-winning 2013 film adaption of Thorson’s book, directed by Steven Soderbergh, the author was portrayed by Matt Damon playing opposite Michael Douglas’ Liberace.

A year later, his probation was revoked for failing multiple drug tests and he was imprisoned in Nevada until 2022.

The post Scott Thorson, Liberace’s Las Vegas ‘Boy Toy’ and Co-Star, Dies at 65 appeared first on Casino.org.

The historic 97-year-old wooden roller coaster stopped during a run with amusement riders aboard. Several people were helped off the coaster after it was deliberately stopped while making an ascent.

Luna Park, the corporate entity that operates the largest amusement park in New York City, said the Cyclone was disabled after a damaged chain sprocket in the ride’s motor room was detected. The event resulted in riders being assisted in walking down the tracks.

At Luna Park in Coney Island, safety is our number one priority. Thorough testing happens daily before Luna Park opens and throughout the day as necessary,” Luna Park officials said. “The Coney Island Cyclone is a 97-year-old roller coaster that is meticulously maintained and tested daily.”

The NYC Department of Buildings issued Luna Park code violations for failing to maintain the ride and not notifying the city agency promptly about the Cyclone’s issues.

The Cyclone is three blocks east of where a consortium of gaming entities wants to build an integrated resort casino called The Coney. The group is one of 10 bidders seeking to acquire one of the three downstate casino licenses the New York Gaming Facility Location Board is expected to issue before Dec. 1, 2025.

Casino Seeks to Bring New Life to Coney Island?

Coney Island has seen better days. Once a popular seaside resort town for Manhattanites, Coney Island’s appeal peaked during the first half of the 20th Century. Now, it’s perhaps best known for its annual hosting of the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4.

Numerous revitalization efforts over the decades have largely failed to bring economic prosperity to the neighborhood on Brooklyn’s southern end along the Lower New York Bay. Today, one in four Coney Island households live in poverty and the median household income is just $44,800.

Coney Island’s unemployment rate of roughly 10% would be reduced, and the casino consortium says it’s committed to becoming a community partner by supporting local businesses by allowing rewards members to redeem points at neighboring restaurants and shops. The development group has also pledged to invest in infrastructure to ease congestion and work with NYC’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to establish express subway service and expand ferry routes to and from Coney Island.

Local Opposition?

Despite The Coney’s economic and community upgrade pledges, Community Board 13, which represents Coney Island in an advisory role on land use and zoning issues within the New York City government, opposes the $3 billion investment. In May 2023, Community Board 13 passed a resolution formally opposing the casino by a 23-8 vote.

Board members cited typical concerns associated with gaming developments, including the possibility of increased crime and other societal drains like problem gambling and bankruptcies. CB13 Chair Lucy Mujica Diaz also questioned whether The Coney’s jobs would pay too much and result in some community members losing their housing subsidies and rent vouchers.

The post Coney Island Cyclone Roller Coaster Located Near Casino Site Shuts Down appeared first on Casino.org.

New Jersey native Springsteen and his E Street Band are in Philly for two shows at Citizens Bank Park, home of the MLB Phillies. The first concert was held on Wednesday, with the second set for tonight.

“Welcome to Philadelphia, Bruce Springstein,” the digital billboard read.

After the blunder went viral across social media in the Philly area, the casino faced backlash from Springsteen’s “Bruce Tramps” fanbase. The casino operated by Baltimore-based Cordish Companies is located just across the Delaware River from New Jersey.

Cordish spent $700 million to bring Live! Philadelphia to reality. The integrated resort was built amid the COVID-19 pandemic and opened in early 2021.

Odd Explanation

After realizing its glaring spelling mistake, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia updated the digital billboard with a punny apology.

Never gamble on spell check!” the billboard was edited to read. “Sorry, boss! Welcome to Philly, Bruce Springsteen!” with “steen” underlined.

Word spell check doesn’t correct Bruce Springsteen to Springstein. In fact, it does just the opposite in recommending that the spelling be corrected to Springsteen.

Live! Philly isn’t behind Springsteen’s Citizens Bank Park tour stops but is simply hoping to attract some of his concertgoers to the casino before and/or after the show and cater to overnight travelers with its more than 200 guestrooms and suites.

The Live! casino offers more than 2,000 slot machines, 140 live dealer table games, a 29-table poker room, and a FanDuel Sportsbook. The resort also features eight restaurants and bars.

Cordish also runs the adjacent Xfinity Live! entertainment and hospitality district on the other side of Citizens Bank Park. The mixed-use retail center has five restaurants and a concert stage. The complex is often referred to as Philly’s “fourth stadium.”

All Press Is Good Press?

The adage that any and all press is good press was coined and made famous by P.T. Barnum, the circus showman, businessman, and politician. Live! Philadelphia’s spelling goof will likely do more good than bad, as the viral news of the Springsteen glitch could give reason for a concertgoer who wasn’t aware of the casino’s many amenities to visit the resort.

The casino’s retail sportsbook added $6.3 million in revenue. Its iGaming business generated GGR of nearly $40 million.

The post Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia Apologizes for Spelling Bruce Springsteen’s Name Wrong appeared first on Casino.org.

In one of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority’s funny new TV commercials, a father informs his son that broccoli is “the only food they have” in Vegas. “Everything is broccoli,” including the ice cream, he tells the grimacing tyke, who elects to stay home instead.

In the ’90s, Las Vegas wanted you to come with your kids. Now, it wants you to leave them at home. That’s because Vegas’ attempt at appealing to families failed miserably, leading to a massive loss of revenue. Right?

Nope.

In 1993, a new MGM Grand opened. (The old one became Bally’s, and now, Horseshoe.) The largest single hotel in the world with 6,852 rooms, MGM was the first resort to top $1 billion in construction costs. It was also the first new Vegas resort to directly target families since Circus Circus opened in 1968.

In addition to a “Wizard of Oz” display featuring prominently inside the casino, MGM built a $100M amusement park on 33 acres out back. Its rides included a roller coaster, log flume, rapids raft, and a simulated film studio backlot boat tour.

Here’s the thing, though: nearly all of the other attractions that debuted during Las Vegas’ supposed family-friendly failure survived and continue to thrive. They include the Circus Circus Adventuredome, New York-New York’s roller coaster, the Big Shot ride atop the Stratosphere, Mandalay Bay’s beach and wave pool, and M&M’s World.

Not So Magical

The only other major example of a kid-friendly attraction to debut in the ’90s and close in the aughts was Caesars Magical Empire, an almost completely forgotten “high-tech, elaborately themed, multichambered wonderland” geared at visitors aged 12 and up. It opened in 1996 and closed in 2002. Though it was three hours long and included dinner, it cost a whopping (for back then) $125 to $200 per person. And frankly, reviews were mixed.

Despite these two closures, Vegas has added new kid-friendly attractions every year of the new millennium. The Stratosphere (now The Strat) debuted three rides (X-Scream, Insanity, and SkyJump) that still keep thrilling on its upper decks, though it removed its High Roller roller-coaster in 2005. It was the world’s highest coaster, but also one of its slowest.

Last year, a 7,000-square-foot video arcade replaced the former sportsbook at Bally’s/Horseshoe. And the immersive, 200K square-foot Area 15 art experience featuring the Virtualis VR game room opened in 2020, and is expanding to feature Universal’s first year-round horror experience not connected to a theme park.

Failure of Failure Evidence

After the MGM Grand amusement park, the most frequently cited evidence for the failure of Las Vegas to appeal to families is the free pirate show once staged five times a night in front of MGM’s Treasure Island.

In 2003, MGM transformed “The Battle for Buccaneer Bay” into “The Sirens of TI,” an MTV-inspired attempt to titillate Gen-Xers that new casino owner Phil Ruffin mercy-killed 10 years later.

The impulse to build more pyramids, Eiffel Towers, and Venetian canals gave way to a desire to appear more luxurious than the next guy.

Ironically, the casino space that previously served as the backstage area for both pirate shows is now rented by Victory Hills Exhibitions for its Marvel Avengers Station attraction, which opened in 2016.

A kids show.

Success by the Numbers

The biggest problem with the family-friendly failure myth is that numbers don’t bear it out. Between 1993 and 1994, Vegas visitation grew from 23.5M to 27.2M. Discounting the recent post-pandemic recovery, this remains the largest single annual percentage uptick in tourism ever.

From 1992 to 1996, the percentage of families visiting Las Vegas rose from 7% to 12%, according to the LVCVA. Today, that number is a whopping 21%.

So, the next time you see a commercial about Vegas’ broccoli ice cream, another way to read that is that Vegas now appeals so strongly to families that casinos now need more adults drinking and swearing at their blackjack tables to even things out.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on Casino.org.?Click here to read previously busted Vegas myths. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email [email protected].

The post VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The Strip Tried Appealing to Families and Failed appeared first on Casino.org.

On Wednesday, the Las Vegas City Council voted to approve America’s first officially designated “immersive district.” It will consist of 35.5 acres next to AREA15, the art and entertainment complex that’s spearheading the project.

“I really see it as a spark that’s going to bring that area of Ward 3 to life, and further revitalize it,” said councilmember Olivia Diaz, who represents the ward.

Right now, that area is a largely industrial neighborhood 2.5 miles northwest of the Strip. It has seen long periods of neglect as the city of Las Vegas has grown up around it.

The New Vegas Immersive District, its official title, is expected to eventually include multifamily housing units, office space, and retail and dining, in addition to the tourist attractions, when it reaches full capacity in 2037.

So far, the attractions include Universal Horror Unleashed, a 100,000-square-foot, year-round take on the movie studio’s Halloween Horror Nights that’s currently under construction next to AREA15. And Lionsgate Entertainment has also begun building a 12,000-square-foot attraction inside AREA15 that’s based on the popular “John Wick” action movies with Keanu Reeves.

Leading investment in the district will be the Fisher Brothers (Winston, Ken, and Steven Fisher), who have already pumped a reported $100 million into AREA15.

Developers hope the new tourism improvement district will eventually draw seven million visitors a year and 384 million of their tourism dollars annually.

The post Las Vegas Approves New ‘Immersive Tourism’ District appeared first on Casino.org.

The stint will begin December 30 and include a show on New Year’s Eve, with eight additional 2025 performances — at least for now — that will include Valentine’s Day weekend.

“Janet Jackson is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in pop music,” said Bobby Reynolds, senior vice president of AEG Presents Las Vegas. “We could not be more thrilled to close out 2024 with her return to the Las Vegas Strip and her venue debut at our award-winning Resorts World Theatre, and to kick off 2025 with a run of sure-to-be-unforgettable shows. This is a residency fans won’t want to miss.”

The?Resorts World residency is expected to include a duet between the 58-year-old singer and her late brother, Michael Jackson,?on their 1995 single, “Scream.” The duet already features on Jackson’s current “Together Again” tour, which wraps in October in Europe.

Miss Jackson’s dates are December 30 and 31; January 3 and 4; and February 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, and 15. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Wednesday, August 28 via AXS.com.

U2 Film Coming to Sphere

“V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas,” directed by U2 guitarist The Edge with his wife, Morleigh Steinberg, will debut for a single screening at the Sphere on Thursday, Sept. 5.

“The goal was to give the immersive movie goers as close to the live U2:UV concert experience as possible — and then some,” The Edge said in a Sphere press release. “I’ve never seen a U2 show. I’m so relieved I caught a great one.”

The Irish band’s residency played to over 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from?September 2023?through March 2024.

According to the press release, the concert film was shot with Sphere Entertainment’s patented Big Sky camera, which “does not just capture U2’s epic run at Sphere, it allows audiences to feel like they are at the live shows.”

Well, at least audiences won’t feel that way in the wallet. Movie tickets will start at $100, the same price as the current feature, Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard from Earth,” which is about $500 less than a seat at the U2 concert cost.

Tickets will be available for purchase by the general public beginning 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 23?via Ticketmaster.com.

Whether the movie will play at The Sphere after its Sept. 5? screening has not been announced.

Bleau Tears

Tears for Fears will perform three nights at the BleauLive Theater inside the Fontainebleau. The shows will take place on October 30 and November 1-2.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been on the road and are very eager to share this live show experience with everyone,” band members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith said in a joint statement. “You can expect to hear tracks from our 2022 album The Tipping Point as well as fan favorites. Be sure to listen closely though as there may be something new sprinkled in there as well.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, August 23 on tearsforfears.com.

F1 Giving Away Something for Free?

F1 has announced it will host the Las Vegas Grand Prix Fan Festival on the Strip during race weekend, and the general public won’t have to pay to attend. The event promises live entertainment across from the Wynn on November 22 and 23.

This is a welcome change from last year when F1 sold $200-$500 tickets to see the Chainsmokers in the same space on the Friday before race day. None of the free acts have been announced nor have they been announced for the competing free Neon City Festival taking place downtown from November 22-24.

The post VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Janet Jackson Officially Announces Dates, U2 to Screen Sphere Concert Film at Sphere appeared first on Casino.org.

The Nevada Film Studio Infrastructure Act was introduced and authored by State Senator Roberta Lange (D-LV) during the 2023 legislative session. However, it failed to pass on June 6, 2023, and is expected to be reintroduced in February 2025.

When talking with citizens we hear repeatedly that we need to further diversify our Southern Nevada economy and at the same time commit the resources to develop our workforce,” Sen. Lange said in a press release. “These are top priorities for us all, and I can proudly say my legislation accomplishes both.”

SB 496 proposes up to $190 million in annual, transferable tax credits for film and TV production over more than two decades, far exceeding the state’s past use of transferable tax credits. Though these credits could cost the state $2 billion, the bill’s supporters argue they could earn as much as $55 billion in revenue over the next 20 years.

Cinema City?

Warner Bros. Studios Nevada, which the press release says will “feature full-service film and television studios and other facilities designed to capitalize on emerging technologies related to WBD’s content creation,” would be located at UNLV’s Harry Reid Research & Technology Park in Las Vegas. There, it will establish the Nevada Media and Technology Lab for use by the university’s film department.

“It’s safe to say that having a lead partner with the depth of Warner Bros. and its ability to keep the studios full starting from Day One is a key difference maker and enables us to successfully meet these two priorities,” Lange said.

In March, the Clark County Zoning Commission voted unanimously to support that project.

The post Warner Bros. Pledges $8.5B to Build Las Vegas Movie Studio appeared first on Casino.org.

With a population of fewer than 200K, Las Vegas was by far the smallest of the 23 US cities in which John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr performed that year. Still, the local sheriff’s department was worried enough about the impending frenzy to mandate riot training for all its officers two days earlier.

However, even at 1:35 a.m., hundreds of them had already gathered outside McCarran’s brand new main terminal (today’s Terminal 1), in defiance of a countywide 10 p.m. curfew. So police directed the Beatles’ plane to pull into the old terminal, which was at least a mile away, after touching down.

A small group of dignitaries and photographers were assembled to meet the Beatles there. While coming and going, they were instructed to keep their headlights off for secrecy.

This was only the second stop on the band’s first North American tour, and nobody — least of all the Beatles and their manager, Brian Epstein — realized that Beatlemania would grip America the same exact way it had Europe the year before.

In fact, six months earlier, the Beatles were booked for a single appearance at the Sahara’s 700-seat Congo Room.

In the interim, Sahara entertainment director Stan Irwin realized the inadequacy of his space. So he rebooked the group for two shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center, adding a 4 p.m. show so that Strip performers such as Liberace and Pat Boone could see and meet the Beatles while still performing their own shows that night.

So how exactly did the Beatles nearly lose their careers in Las Vegas? We’re getting to that, promise!

Help!

The motorcade arrived at the Sahara — where the band would stay, as per the original deal. Hotel officials traveling with the band were congratulating themselves for pulling off a discreet landing — until they eyed the Beatles-starved mob surrounding the casino hotel.

The lads’ car pulled into a shipping dock in the back to slip them onto a freight elevator. To do that, Irwin recalled, hotel employees had to form “an arm-in-arm link,” a fence of humans to hold back the girls, who were grabbing as much British hair and flesh as their hands could hold.

“If any of us had fallen, we would have been stomped to death,” Irwin said.

The Beatles had initially wanted to see Las Vegas and try their hand at gambling — all but Lennon, who said he had no interest. However, since so many of the band’s fans were under 21, management was concerned about keeping them off the casino floor.

It had also become depressingly clear by this point that the Beatles would not be safe venturing anywhere outside a heavily guarded hotel room for the duration of their tour.

So, on the morning of the show, the Sahara brought gambling to the Beatles. In Suite 2344 of the Sahara’s Alexandria Tower, the Fabs tried out two slot machines as they clowned around for invited photographers and reporters.

Come What Mayhem

Doors to the convention center’s then UFO-shaped rotunda opened at 3 p.m. for the 4 p.m. show.

First up were The Exciters, whose name created false expectations. The Righteous Brothers followed, but were then largely unknown, since it would be three more months before their big hit, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Finally, Jackie DeShannon was nearly drowned out by chants of “We want the Beatles!”

The Beatles, introduced by Irwin — also part of the deal — played to an incessant jet-engine blast of high-pitched screams from 5:30-5:59 p.m.

Those 29 minutes contained “Twist and Shout,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “All My Loving,” “She Loves You,” “‘Till There Was You,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “You Can’t Do That,” “If I Fell,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Boys,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Long Tall Sally” — though few in attendance could make out more than a stray note or two of any song.

Following the concert, the band retired to the Sahara, whose elevators, stairwells, janitorial closets, and balconies were infested with young female fans hiding from hotel security.

Two fans reportedly attempted to climb the hotel’s outer wall from the floor below the Beatles’ balcony. They didn’t succeed but, by a miracle, didn’t kill themselves, either.

Two others managed to get their wishes granted, and that’s where things almost went terribly wrong for the lads ….

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. on Aug. 21, 1964, two underage girls were found in John Lennon’s room at the Sahara.

The discovery was made after the front desk phoned up to inform the group’s handlers that a woman was in the lobby, claiming that the Beatles had kidnapped her twin daughters.

Longtime Beatles roadie Mal Evans found the girls and woke up Miami radio reporter Larry Kane at around 5 a.m.

Kane, who was covering the tour and sleeping in an adjacent room, was asked to meet with the woman because he was the only one in the entourage who traveled with a business suit.

Before taking the elevator, Kane opened Lennon’s door to investigate for himself. He found him asleep with the girls watching TV at the edge of his bed.

Not a word was leaked about the untoward discovery for three more decades, however. And that was only because Beatles manager Brian Epstein secretly squashed a lawsuit either threatened or filed (it’s never been clear) by the girls’ mother when she got back home to LA, according to Kane. (British journalist Ivor Davis has claimed that a $10,000 payment was made.)

And so it was that the Beatles departed Las Vegas at 11:24 a.m. on Aug. 21, 1964, for that night’s concert in Seattle and the rest of their famous futures.

The post It Was 60 Years Ago Today … That the Beatles Nearly Lost Their Careers in Vegas appeared first on Casino.org.

But travelers on that road received a surprise when they passed the first bar on the right and something called out to them.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna buy a condominium,’” the robot mimed along to the recording. “She said, ‘I don’t care, I’m going to take a pill anyway.’”

The Other Tin Man

So WTF was an animatronic Foster Brooks doing in the Emerald Forest? And why, of all the entertainers that a multimillion-dollar entertainment corporation could have immortalized at a Las Vegas bar in 1993 — from Dean Martin to Dudley Moore to anyone from “Cheers” — did it choose Foster Brooks for the animatronic treatment?

We’ll have all the answers for you shortly. But first, please congratulate yourself for reading this. Your curiosity is definitely not mainstream. As someone from the theme park podcast @PodcastTheRide tweeted last year: “If you’re in the market for a new Most Obscure Reference On Earth, try the Foster Brooks drunken animatronic in the MGM Grand lobby bar.”

And that’s a definition of obscure from someone who records podcasts about theme parks.

“The Foster Brooks robot is like the Nedra Harrison of robots,” noted “SpongeBob SquarePants” writer Jack Pendarvis in his 2008 Blogspot blog. “Neglected by our culture! Why does the lack of Foster Brooks robot information depress me?”

Well, Jack, here you go. We hope 16 years late is better than never.

By the way, if you’re like us and didn’t know, either, Nedra “Kewpie” Harrison served as the basis for the Dragon Lady in the 1939 comic strip “Terry and the Pirates,” a model for Salvador Dali paintings, and an undercover agent for the OSS during World War II.

If you Google “Nedra Harrison” today, however, the first page and a half of results identify a surgeon in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Who the Hell Was Foster Brooks?

Pendarvis nailed it on the head in just two sentences: “Foster Brooks was a comedian who pretended to be a drunkard. That was his whole act.”

“The Loveable Lush” (his self-applied nickname as well as the title of his 1973 album) told sub-hysterical jokes to nightclub audiences, talk-show hosts, and Dean Martin Roast daises while mumbling and hiccupping through a fake fog of inebriation.

One of the biggest laughs Brooks always got came from mentioning the name of the organization he founded: “Alcoholics Unanimous.”

How this guy ended up having a successful comedy career is something you should never try explaining to a member of Gen Z. It’ll just make us look bad.

It all started with Steve Allen. The first host of “The Tonight Show” heard the former Louisville, Ky. TV morning man doing his drunk shtick and invited him to perform it on his talk show, which ran in syndication from 1962 to 1964.

You didn’t eff with Perry Como.

Brooks reportedly became the highest-paid opening act on the Strip in the ’70s, pulling down $40K per week to open for Robert Goulet, Buck Owens and Juliet Prowse at the Desert Inn and Frontier.

He also appeared regularly on “The Dean Martin Variety Show,” for which he won an Emmy nomination in 1974, and on several of the era’s sitcoms and game shows. All his appearances were made as the Loveable Lush — this despite the fact that he quit drinking in 1964.

By 1993, Brooks’ one-trick career had quieted down significantly, with occasional gigs paying him a reported $2,000 a pop. So when the MGM Grand offered him $10K a year — for 10 years — to license his likeness for the robot attraction, he couldn’t be any more all in.

So Who’s to Blame for the Robot?

Not John Wood. He’s the very nice president and chair of Sally Dark Rides, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based theme park company that built the animatronic 31 years ago.

Yes, we tracked Wood down, and his company’s work can still be found in Vegas. It designed the new “Spongebob Squarepants” attraction — callback alert! — at Circus Circus.

According to Wood, Fred Benninger commissioned the build just because Brooks was one of his favorite comedians. It’s as simple as that.

Benninger, about 75 at the time, was the chair of MGM Grand Inc. And you try telling the chair of the corporation you work for that any idea he comes up with is ridiculous.

“Fred really liked Foster Brooks and I was delighted that they needed some entertainment in the Betty Boop Lounge,” Wood told us.

The robo-holic, which sat at a little table roped off from the rest of the bar, took a reported $150K ($323K today) and 825 man-hours to build, though Wood said he doesn’t recall the specifics anymore and the records are no longer available to him.

Wood’s company did a bang-up job of making the thing, though, considering the technology of the day.

At the end of the set, according a Betty Boop Lounge bartender, the guy left the robot a tip at its feet, apparently because it wouldn’t take the $2 from his hands.

Check out the Foster Brooks robot yourself in this 1995 video. It appears just after the two-minute mark…

(YouTube/EnergeticWaves)

Meeting of the Brooks Brothers

It was veteran Vegas entertainment journalist Mike Weatherford who hatched the inspired idea to take Brooks, who lived part-time in Las Vegas, to visit his silicone-coated counterpart for the first time in April 1994, and write about it for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

I set it up and did it entirely on my own,” Weatherford told Casino.org. “And when I got hold of Foster Brooks, I was shocked that he hadn’t been there to see his robot before. I remember I had to go get him and pick him up at his house and drive him over there.”

Brooks, 81 at the time, walked slowly through the resort with a cane, due to a severe case of gout.

“I was feeling every painful step of it,” Weatherford recalled.

When the historic meeting took place, a small crowd gathered to watch.

This wasn’t necessarily because any of them knew who Foster Brooks was by 1994. Just as likely, they were drawn by the spectacle of a man observing his robotic twin as a professional photographer snapped photos.

Brooks stood speechless as he stared long and hard into the dead glass eyes of his replicant.

Finally, he announced, rather anticlimactically: “I look like an old man, which is what I am. It’s better than I’ll look when I’m dead, I guess.”

Terminated

Brooks’ figure was removed, along with the nonanimated “Wizard of Oz” dummies, during a house-cleaning 1996-97 renovation. Its fate was never officially addressed by the MGM Grand or its parent company.

“I never heard that one,” Wood said, adding the revelation that tried to buy the robot back, but MGM wouldn’t sell it to him.

“Of course, the license might have had something to do with that,” he said.

The real Brooks also wanted the robot when MGM was done with it, he told Weatherford, though that never happened, either. Brooks retired to Encino, Calif., where he died at age 89 in 2001 — eight years into the robot’s 10-year contract.

It’s comforting to imagine the robot being discovered one day in a forgotten MGM warehouse or someone’s grandfather’s storage unit.

“Somebody has it,” Weatherford said. “Anything with some curiosity value like that? I’m sure.”

Or not. Foster Brooks’ granddaughter, Teri Elmendorf McLean, emailed us what sounds like the missing puzzle piece after reading an earlier version of this story.

McLean reported reaching out to the MGM Grand around 2003, asking whether they’d sell it to her as a way to remember her grandfather.

“They told me they had already dismantled him and use the parts elsewhere,” she said.

So there it is. The Foster Brooks robot is now … everywhere — at least at the MGM Grand.

“Lost Vegas” is an occasional?Casino.org?series spotlighting Las Vegas’ forgotten history.?Click here?to read other entries in the series. Think you know a good Vegas story lost to history? Email [email protected].?

The post LOST VEGAS: The Foster Brooks Robot at MGM Grand appeared first on Casino.org.

Officials with Hard Rock International, the gaming, entertainment, and hospitality conglomerate owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, tell Casino.org that its newest advertising campaign seeks to differentiate Hard Rock Bet from the many other sportsbooks competing for bettors across the US. The first 30-second spot featuring Malone seemingly targets people who might not think they know enough about sports to participate.

You can win big on Hard Rock Bet with a little bet or a Post Malone-sized bet,” a narrator says. “And you don’t need to know everything about every sport.”

An actor sitting in a pool placing a bet on his phone then says to the camera, “Good, because I don’t.” ?

“All you need is a feeling and a phone,” the narrator continues. “Big payouts for every kind of player,” the spot concludes.

Brand Identity

Hard Rock Bet is legal and operational in Arizona, Iowa, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. And, after a two-year hiatus due to a legal challenge that reached the Florida Supreme Court, the online sportsbook is again operational in Florida as of Nov. 7, 2023.

Hard Rock is seeking to differentiate its online gaming app in a crowded market. Along with its online sportsbook operations, Hard Rock Bet runs an iGaming product in New Jersey with internet slots and table games.

“In a nation where sports and casino apps are becoming the norm, with 30 states legalizing betting apps, Hard Rock Bet stands out. It’s not just about placing bets; it’s about breaking barriers and welcoming everyone to the table — or in this case, the app. This ad was launched to gain more visibility for Hard Rock Bet,” a press release about the Post Malone partnership explained.

Post Malone Bio

Hard Rock Bet follows sportsbook leaders DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook in paying a prominent celebrity to advertise its online sports betting operations. Notable celebs who have lent their likeness to online gaming apps include Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Vince Vaughn, Shaq, and Ben Affleck.

Post Malone, born Austin Richard Post, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. The 29-year-old broke on the music scene in 2015 with his debut track “White Iverson,” which went to No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Malone has since released five additional studio albums that have sold 13 million copies and 95 million digital downloads. That makes him the eighth-best-selling digital artist of all time.

The post Hard Rock Bet Rolls With Post Malone for Sports Betting Commercial appeared first on Casino.org.

Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, is charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. She faces from 2-20 years in prison.

Findley’s scheme was foiled in May, when actor Riley Keough obtained a restraining order against a fraudulent public auction of Graceland. Keough inherited Graceland,?along with the rest of her late grandfather’s estate, through a trust after her mother, Lisa Marie Presley,?died in January 2023?at age 54.

After the court granted the order, the US Department of Justice untangled an elaborate plot involving forged signatures, fake identities, and a fraudulent foreclosure notice placed in a Memphis newspaper.

Prosecutors say Findley posed as three different individuals from a fictitious lending group, Naussany Investments, that claimed to have leant Lisa Marie $3.8 million in 2018 that she never repaid. That loan supposedly pledged Graceland as collateral.

On May, 23, a handwriting expert contacted by Casino.org confirmed that the Lisa Marie signature affixed to the loan application form was forged.

When the bogus auction — notice of which Findley published in the Memphis Commercial Appeal — made national headlines, Findley then “allegedly wrote to representatives of Elvis Presley’s family, the Tennessee state court, and the media to claim falsely that the person responsible for the scheme was a Nigerian identity thief located in Nigeria,” prosecutors said in a press statement.

Findley?is due to be arraigned later today in Kansas City, Mo.

But the story may not be over with the verdict in this case. An unnamed official with the Elvis estate told TMZ they don’t believe Findley will be the last domino to fall.

“We do not believe (she) is the mastermind behind the scam,” the official told the gossip site. “Statements attributed to the woman arrested have pointed to someone who has a loose affiliation with the Elvis world.”

The post Missouri Woman Charged in Plot to Steal Graceland from Presleys appeared first on Casino.org.

Sorry, Barry Manilow, you didn’t beat Elvis Presley’s record for consecutive sell-outs at the Westgate in Las Vegas last year. According to a plaque on display at that very casino resort, you still have 200 concerts left to play there.

Just kidding, Barry. The figure on the plaque is a hunka hunka burning crap.

On Sept. 8, 1978, close to the year anniversary of Presley’s death, then-Las Vegas Hilton owner Barron Hilton unveiled a bronze statue of the King, sculpted by Carl Romanelli, as the climax of a Hilton convention called “Always Elvis.”

According to the plaque attached to the statue’s base, Elvis performed a record 837 consecutive sold-out shows at the hotel, which opened as the International, from July 31, 1969, through December 12, 1976.

That number is 201 sold-out performances more than Elvis actually gave.

This could have just resulted from an innocent mistake, of course. Then again, there are other, equally plausible, explanations.

Some suspect that Hilton, who purchased the International from owner Kirk Kerkorian only a year into Elvis’ eight-year residency, inflated the number of concerts Elvis played to cover up egregious fire code violations.

If Elvis had indeed played to 2.5 million people, as the plaque claims, that would have meant the showroom was packed way beyond its reported capacity of 1,150. Even at 837 concerts, that’s 2,986 people per show. But that’s still better than admitting that, at 636 shows, 3,930 people were allowed in at a time.

The Manager Did It

Another possibility is that both the shows and their total audience were exaggerated in number by someone who specialized in exaggerations.

Not only was Col. Tom Parker secretly an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands, which is why he is believed to have never allowed Elvis to tour outside the US, but Elvis’ longtime manager never served as a colonel in any military organization.

If Elvis was the King of Rock n’ Roll, then Parker was the King of BS.

What’s a couple hundred extra shows going to matter when nobody’s going to bother counting them all up, anyway?

Suspicious Mind

Except that someone did bother counting them all up. When Westgate purchased the property, which had been briefly known as the LVH, it sought to play up its historic Elvis connection.

In 2015, the casino resort debuted “Graceland Presents Elvis: The Exhibition, the Show, the Experience,” which even offered guided tours of the facility, including what was left of the King’s former 30th-floor penthouse.

Because the attraction was a joint production with Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland’s chief archivist, Angie Marchese, took it upon herself to make sure the exhibit got all its facts straight. And the 837 figure just didn’t add up.

Again and again, Marchese manually counted the records of every Elvis performance at the International and Las Vegas Hilton and, again and again, arrived at 636.

Click here to count them yourself.

The record was corrected, but the plaque never was. Its misinformation still gets repeated in social media posts and in articles that source information published before Marchese’s audit set the record straight.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on?Casino.org. To read previously busted Vegas myths, visit VegasMythsBusted.com. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email [email protected].

The post VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: Elvis Performed 837 Sold-Out Vegas Shows appeared first on Casino.org.

Meyer, 79, was president and COO of Universal Studios from 1995 to 2013. He also has a reputation as a prodigious craps gambler.

In or about August 14, 2015, Meyer signed a line of credit for $6 million at the Mohegan Sun in Montville, Conn., according to the lawsuit filed by the Mohegan Gaming Commission. In October 2017, he used the line to gamble and promptly lost $5 million in a single day, it claims.

Meyer signed over five markers to the casino to cover the debt, but the checks bounced, per the suit. In April 2018, the defendant entered into a repayment plan with the casino but welched on installments in September 2003, still owing $2,782,500, according to the complaint.

Gambling Credit Illegal in State

In a motion to strike the case filed last week, Meyer’s lawyer, Brian E. Spears, argued that extending credit for gambling is illegal under Connecticut law and that the state has an “ancient and deep-rooted ban on lending money to gamblers.”

As a sovereign nation partially removed from state laws, the Mohegan Tribe is permitted to offer casino gaming under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). But that’s only if such activities are conducted in accordance with the compact agreement signed by the tribe and the state.

Connecticut’s only other tribal operator, the Mashantucket Pequots, signed a different compact in which they successfully negotiated an exception for the extension of credit for gambling at their Foxwoods Resort Casino, notes Spears.

“Ultimately, the Mohegan Compact is the relevant authority,” he adds. “Within its four corners, the Mohegan Compact does not permit the extension of credit for gambling. Absent an express authorization permitting the Mohegan Sun to extend credit for gambling at its casino, Connecticut’s centuries-old prohibition on such practices controls.”

‘Top Three Whale’

Meyer was reported to have blown more than $100 million on dice games over the years by sources who spoke to The Daily Mail in 2020, an allegation Casino.org is unable to verify independently. The article described him as “probably in the top three most sought-after whales in the gaming industry.”

Meyer was one of the founders of talent agency Creative Artists. At Universal he was the longest-serving chief of a major motion picture company. He resigned as chairman in 2020, claiming he was being extorted over a purported affair with British actress Charlotte Kirk.

The post Mohegan Sun Wants $2.7M from Hollywood Exec Who Lost $5M in a Day appeared first on Casino.org.

During a meeting on Tuesday, August 13, the Paradise Town Advisory Board answered that question by voting 3-1 to issue a waiver for the Sphere, located behind the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip, to exceed Clark County’s noise limitations.

Hard of Sphering

The board, which provides community input to the Clark County Planning Commission, okayed noise from the Sphere’s “Exosphere” of up to 87 decibels. That’s 22 decibels higher than Clark County’s current limit of 65, and two decibels higher than the maximum number cited by the World Health Organization as safe for continuous exposure.

However, the Sphere can only be that loud 18 times per year and only until midnight.

The waiver passed despite protests from the residents of Park Towers, a neighboring high-rise apartment building where windows and nerves were rattled by the first tests of the Sphere’s external audio system on July 3 and 4.

At the meeting, Sphere representatives characterized those tests as a mistake that occurred at a higher decibel level than the board approved.

“That means you could make a jet engine, and I’m not going to go for that,” said board member Katlyn Cunningham.

Can You Sphere Me Now?

The Exosphere, the world’s largest digital display, has dramatically reshaped the Las Vegas skyline. It causes airline passengers to choose their seats based on viewing it from the correct position. It even helped spur a controversial ordinance that forbids stopping along pedestrian bridges spanning the Las Vegas Strip. (Here, tourists commonly wait, often for longer than 10 minutes, for the perfect Sphere graphic to snap a selfie, usually, with the yellow emoji.)

The main problem with external audio for the spherical concert venue is that hearing the Sphere requires proximity that would interfere with optimal viewing.

While the Exosphere, which is 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, can be seen up from more than a mile away, the images it projects cannot be seen from directly beneath the venue. That’s because the top half of the Sphere curves away from view and, more importantly, because the images appear only as single pixels of unrelated light.

Before the Sphere can officially crank up the volume, approval is still required from the Clark County Planning Commission. That government body is expected also to sign off on the waiver at its next meeting on September 4.

The post Sphere Now Allowed to Exceed Las Vegas Noise Ordinances appeared first on Casino.org.

Mars, who resumes the residency on August 28, has added December 18, 20, 21, 27, 30, and 31 to its schedule. Tickets for the new shows will go on sale Friday, August 16, at ticketmaster.com.

When We Were Sidelined

Sideshows across Las Vegas were announced on Tuesday for the upcoming When We Were Young Festival, to be headlined by My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and 50 other emo/punk acts on October 19 and 20 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

The sideshows became a tradition after opening day of the very first When We Were Young in 2022 had to be canceled due to high winds, and many of the bands decided to perform elsewhere in shows that were for free to anyone holding tickets to the canceled festival opener.

This year’s sideshows are as follows:

Thursday, October 17

• A Day To Remember at the BleauLive Theater at the Fontainebleau
• Cobra Starship and 3OH!3 with Millionaires at the Brooklyn Bowl

Friday, October 18

• Neck Deep with The Home Team and Super American at AREA15
• Simple Plan and Boys Like Girls with Madina Lake at the Brooklyn Bowl
• The Used and Taking Back Sunday with S. Dunes and Taylor Acorn at the BleauLive.

Artist fans and When We Were Young Festival ticketholders will have access to a sideshow presale beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 14. Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and venue customers will also receive access to a presale beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 15.

Tickets will then go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, August 16 here.

Ludacris Ticket Prices

Ludacris, Alesso, and OneRepublic will be among the headliners for this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. They will perform at the Sphere Stage in the T-Mobile Zone underneath the world’s largest spherical venue.

OneRepublic will headline on Thursday and Alesso on Friday, leaving Saturday, race night, all to Ludacris.

Unfortunately, only fans wealthy enough to afford a “ticketed experience” in the T-Mobile Zone grandstand can access the shows. Those three-day seats can still be yours for only $2,366.50 each. But hey, they include “free” food, water, and soft drinks!

Machine Gun Kelly Sucks at Blackjack

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in your bank account. Machine Gun Kelly found this out on August 8, as he announced a few hours later, while performing with Jelly Roll during the opening set for country star Morgan Wallen at Allegiant Stadium.

“I lost $50,000 on the blackjack table tonight,” Kelly told the crowd of 65K. “I need you all to go stream ‘Lonely Road’ and make that money back.”

The post VEGAS MUSIC ROUNDUP: Bruno Mars Adds NYE Performance, WWWY Sideshows Announced, Ludacris F1 Prices appeared first on Casino.org.

“This exquisite jewel-box theater compliments the timeless allure of my show,” Von Teese said in a press statement. “And what could be better than splashing around in my giant Champagne glass, with the sparkling bubbles of Voltaire floating throughout the room? I’m brimming with excitement!”

Von Teese, 51, will continue performing pretty much the same burlesque dances, in the same ornate costumes — some of which were created by Bob Mackie for the final Las Vegas showgirl show, “Jubilee!” — in the new revue. The Voltaire holds up to 1,000 people, only 160 fewer than the Jubilee Theater when Von Teese headlined there.

Von Teese will open less than a month after pop icon Christina Aguilera?closes her Voltaire residency on Labor Day Weekend. Aguilera opened her show, and the Voltaire itself, last November.

Live Nation Las Vegas will produce the show, in partnership with the Voltaire and its founder, Michael Gruber.

Upon entering Voltaire, guests are transported to another era through the venue’s art deco design and cabaret setup, making it the perfect venue for Dita, her sparkling costuming, and effervescent charm,” Gruber said in a statement.

The Venetian teased the news on Monday, by tweeting this video of sparkly high heels clicking up the stairs to the Voltaire stage. The caption read: “Guess who’s stepping into the spotlight at Voltaire soon…”

Tickets will go on sale 10 a.m. Thursday, August 16 at voltairelv.com.

The post Dita Von Teese to Reopen Burlesque Show at Venetian Las Vegas appeared first on Casino.org.

In 2002, hip-hop singer Mary J. Blige sang “Blue Suede Shoes,” a Carl Perkins song popularized by Elvis Presley, during the “Divas Live” special on cable network VH1.

She later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “I prayed about it because I know Elvis was a racist. But that was just a song VH1 asked me to sing. It meant nothing to me. I didn’t wear an Elvis flag. I didn’t represent Elvis that day.”

In 2021, Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones told the Hollywood Reporter that he refused to ever work with Presley. Pressed to explain why, the 88-year-old flashed back to his days writing for orchestra leader Tommy Dorsey in the ’50s.

Elvis came in, and Tommy said: ‘I don’t want to play with him,’” Jones recalled. “He was a racist mother******.” Jones then said, “I’m going to shut up now,” returning after a beat to add: “But every time I saw Elvis, he was being coached by Otis Blackwell, telling him how to sing.”

As noted by the Hollywood Reporter, Blackwell told David Letterman on his show in 1987 that he and Presley had never met.

In 1989, Public Enemy recorded what is now the soundtrack to the racist Elvis rallying cry. The rap group’s song “Fight the Power” reaches its emotional pinnacle with Chuck D’s combative lyrics: “Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant s*** to me, you see, straight-up racist, the sucker was, simple and plain.”

Hate Me Tender

Elvis’ cultural appropriation of Black rhythm & blues strikes many people as an act of racism.

Presley, who shares Las Vegas patron sainthood along with the Rat Pack, plundered from Black singers while benefiting dearly from something they could never enjoy: white privilege.

It’s what allowed Elvis to achieve the kind of notoriety and wealth singing Black music that Black singers such as Arthur Crudup, author and original singer of Elvis’ first hit, “That’s All Right, Mama,” were always denied.

Crudup was credited as the composer on Elvis’ 1954 Sun Records single but had to wait until the 1960s before receiving a measly $60K in back royalties for the song that made Elvis a star.

While Elvis didn’t sound and move like a Black singer as a gimmick to earn money — that’s how he naturally sounded and moved — he understood how it gave him a clear runway to success. A white boy performing what was then deemed “race music” gave white teenagers a built-in defense for consuming it. And that’s why he became the king of rock n’ roll.

But was Elvis a racist in any uglier sense of the concept?

Segregated Vegas Residency

It’s highly likely that Elvis played to whites-only crowds during his Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier from April 23 to May 9, 1956. While this assertion can’t be proven beyond all doubt, no account of the engagement has ever noted otherwise.

Not unless Elvis put (integration) into his contract, as Josephine Baker did,” said Claytee White, director of the Oral History Research Center at UNLV Libraries.

Seen through the lens of modern morality, playing to segregated audiences also seems like a racist act. However, in 1956, it wasn’t seen that way. All crowds on the Las Vegas Strip, including those serenaded by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Harry Bellafonte, were white. African Americans weren’t allowed to enter showrooms during shows unless they were headed to the stage, and even black headliners were forced to exit the resorts after their sets.

As for why he didn’t insist on integration in his contract, Elvis was still a newcomer to the scene, with little bargaining power. He wasn’t even technically the headliner, but a third-billed “special guest” who sang four songs at the end of each show. Standing up for equality at this point in his career could have ended it.

It’s a moot point anyway, since his domineering manager, Col. Tom Parker, did all the negotiating and would never have entertained such a risky move.

The Racial Slur

In 1957, Elvis was accused of uttering a racist slur that still occasionally gets attributed to him. In April of that year, Sepia, a white-owned sensationalist monthly for Black readers, published a story headlined: “How Negroes Feel About Elvis.”

“Some Negroes are unable to forget that Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, the hometown of the foremost Dixie race baiter, former Congressman Jon Rankin,” the author wrote. “Others believe a rumored crack by Elvis during a Boston appearance in which he is alleged to have said: ‘The only thing Negroes can do for me is shine my shoes and buy my records.’”

Suppose anything about Quincy Jones’ account of his first encounter with Elvis is to be believed. In that case, this journalistically irresponsible report is most likely what soured Tommy Dorsey, as well as many other musicians of the day, on Elvis.

Aware of Sepia‘s dubious reputation, the Black associate editor of the Black-owned JET magazine sought to investigate whether Elvis ever actually uttered such an inexcusable statement.

“Tracing the rumored racial slur to its source was like running a gopher to earth,” Louie Robinson wrote. “No matter what hole it dived back in, it popped out of another one.”

Some people interviewed by Robinson repeated Sepia‘s claim that Presley had uttered the comment in Boston, a city Elvis had yet to visit at that point.

Others claimed he said it on Edward R. Murrow’s show, on which Elvis had never appeared.

Robinson then asked several Black people who knew Elvis whether they believed he could say such a thing, even in private to another white person. Not a single person did.

“I never said anything like that,” he stated emphatically, “and people who know me know I wouldn’t have said it. A lot of people seem to think I started this business. But rock n’ roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people.”

Robinson’s investigation not only declared Elvis innocent of the charge, it went as far as stating: “To Elvis, people are people, regardless of race, color, or creed.”

While this should have cleared Elvis of voicing the racist comment once and for all, the charge still survives as an urban legend all these decades later.

“Many whites in the 1950s, including celebrities, had used anti-Black rhetoric,” wrote David Pilgrim, curator of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, in a 2006 statement published on Ferris State University’s website. “It was easy to believe that Presley, the Mississippi-born, once-working class, former truck driver had ungratefully lambasted Blacks.”

But Pilgrim continued, “There is no evidence that it happened … Moreover, there is evidence that Presley donated money to the NAACP and other civil rights organizations; (that) he publicly lauded Black musicians; and (that) he treated the Blacks he encountered with respect.”

Elvis’ Black Roots

Elvis grew up on the Black side of the railroad tracks in the segregated American South. Though none of his schools were integrated, most of his good childhood friends were Black. He learned his Gospel inflections and hip-shaking moves during the “sanctified meetings” he was invited to attend in the all-Black churches of Tupelo, Miss.

In Memphis, the two African-American newspapers, The Memphis World and The Tri-State Defender, hailed Elvis for standing up to society’s rules of exclusion. In the summer of 1956, the World reported, “the rock n’ roll phenomenon cracked Memphis’s segregation laws” by attending the Memphis Fairgrounds amusement park “during what is designated as ‘colored night.’”

A month later, Elvis attended a charity event sponsored by WDIA, Memphis’ Black radio station. Its all-Black roster of performers included B.B. King, who sang Presley’s praises. “What most people don’t know,” King said, “is that this boy is serious about what he’s doing. He’s carried away by it. When I was in Memphis with my band, he used to stand in the wings and watch us perform … He’s been a shot in the arm to the business, and all I can say is, ‘That’s my man!'”

’68 Comeback Special

Probably the best refutation of Presley’s rumored racism is the story of what was supposed to be a ho-hum NBC Christmas special titled “Singer Presents … Elvis,” after the sewing machine company. The special was set to close with Elvis singing the 1943 Bing Crosby standard, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Both NBC and Col. Parker insisted on it.

But Elvis, who wasn’t a writer — he sang songs written by others — just couldn’t come up with the right words. Luckily, the show’s director, Steve Binder, had a better idea. Instead of talking about brotherhood, Elvis should sing about it. And the vehicle should be more than just a song. It should be a gut-wrenching declaration of racial equality.

Binder shared his idea with the show’s vocal arranger, Earl Brown, who had co-written “In the Shadow of the Moon” for Frank Sinatra. Brown went home that night and pulled an all-nighter with his piano. By 7 a.m., he had written arguably the best song Elvis would ever record.

“If I Can Dream” imagines Dr. King’s vision, where “all my brothers walk hand in hand,” then asks, “why can’t my dream come true … right now?”

Elvis channeled his inner Mississippi revivalist preacher, raising his voice and flailing his arms as if leading a sermon. The song took several takes to nail, not because Elvis was off, but because the band and all-Black backing singers, including Darlene Love, kept choking up at his impassioned performance.?

Chuck D-Escalates

When asked by Newsday in 2002 to back up his charge of Elvis being a “straight-up racist,” Public Enemy frontman Chuck D sounded much more nuanced than he did in his lyrics.

“As a musicologist, and I consider myself one, there was always a great deal of respect for Elvis, especially during his Sun sessions,” Chuck replied. “My whole thing was the one-sidedness, like, Elvis’ icon status in America made it like nobody else counted.

My heroes came from someone else,” Chuck continued. “My heroes came before him. My heroes were probably his heroes. As far as Elvis being The King, I couldn’t buy that.”

Ironically, Elvis himself would have agreed with this. In 1969, when a reporter referred to him as the “king of rock n’ roll” during a press conference following the opening night of his Las Vegas residency at the International Hotel, Elvis rejected the title, as he always did.

Instead, he called attention to the presence in the room of his friend Fats Domino, its rightful holder in his mind.

A Final Reckoning

Did Elvis Presley play to segregated crowds back when they were the only crowds available on the Las Vegas Strip? Most likely, he did.

And yet, the Rolling Stones are rarely, if ever, accused of racism. So why is Elvis?

“Presley took the swinging jump and the playful (sometimes mischievous) sexuality of rhythm and blues music into mainstream American living rooms,” Pilgrim wrote. “While talented Black entertainers labored in smaller venues, sometimes in relative obscurity, Presley became a wealthy and famous international star. So, some Blacks resented his success (and him).”

Does Elvis deserve to be branded a racist just because he allowed a racist system to make him a star at a time when it was the only system available to him?

There are many ways to answer that, depending on one’s perspective. But a straight-up yes is difficult to justify.

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on Casino.org.?Click here to read previously busted Vegas myths. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email [email protected].

The post VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: Elvis Was a Straight-Up Racist appeared first on Casino.org.

The check was conducted anyway, turning up the 2018 bench warrant for, as we reported below, driving without insurance. According to Rosenblum, it was only because Nelly was famous that he was taken into custody instead of handed a citation for the infraction.

After Nelly was paraded through the casino, Rosenblum said, his belongings were searched without probable cause, which is when four ecstasy pills were discovered.

Though the Missouri Highway Patrol, which stations troopers from the state’s gaming division at the Hollywood Casino, claimed that Nelly was booked for felony drug possession, Rosenblum claimed his client wasn’t charged with drug possession and that the case will lead nowhere — except possibly to an inquiry into the arresting officer’s conduct.

EARLIER:?Nelly was arrested early Wednesday morning at the Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights, Mo., a suburb of his hometown of St. Louis. According to online arrest records, the 49-year-old rapper was charged with possessing ecstasy, which is a controlled substance, and driving without insurance.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol arrest report for Cornell I. Haynes Jr., Nelly’s birth name, shows he was arrested at 4:45 a.m. for a bench warrant resulting from an outstanding traffic summons from 2018 — also for driving without insurance.

Upon searching his car, officers found four ecstasy pills. The “Hot in Herre” rapper was booked at the Maryland Heights Police Department and has since been released.

Nelly is actively touring. He most recently served as the opening act for Janet Jackson’s “Together Again” tour, the US leg of which wrapped on July 30 at Arizona’s Footprint Center. His next solo concert is scheduled for August 30 at the Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn, Wisc., followed by an appearance on September 1 at Wet Republic in Las Vegas.

Previous Arrests

In 2001, Nelly was arrested in St. Louis on drug-related charges, after he was reportedly found with a small amount of marijuana. He was briefly detained before being released.

In October 2017, Nelly was arrested in Auburn, Wash., and charged with second-degree rape. The allegations came from Monica Greene, a 22-year-old college student who called 911 claiming she was assaulted by Nelly on his tour bus while it was parked outside an area Walmart.

Prosecutors dropped the criminal case, citing the alleged victim’s refusal to cooperate. Greene sued Nelly and her civil case was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Nelly is married to R&B star Ashanti. The Grammy Award-winning artists first dated in 2003, then broke up a decade later. They spent another decade apart before reuniting in September 2023 and are now expecting their first child together.

Ashanti hasn’t posted to her Instagram account since April, when she announced the news of her pregnancy.

The post UPDATE: Nelly Was Targeted for Arrest After Winning Casino Jackpots — Attorney appeared first on Casino.org.

He had it built in Las Vegas-adjacent Henderson, Nev., with a watchtower, secret passageways, hidden doors, a great room with 30-foot ceilings, a two-story gilded library, and an indoor grotto.

Of course, that was in 2006, back when Burton was in the midst of a nearly 30-year run as the most celebrated prestidigitator on the Las Vegas Strip after David Copperfield.

Vanishing Act

After Burton’s $10 million annual contract with MGM Mirage ended in 2010, he seemed to vanish himself.

Though reportedly asked to perform a limited run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Burton instead decided to semi-retire. Now 64, he still performs, but on his own schedule and almost always outside Las Vegas.

His next scheduled appearances are August 10 at the Aqua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and August 29 at the Lowes Arlington Hotel & Convention Center in Texas.

Burton first came to national attention via 10 appearances on the Johnny Carson-era “Tonight Show.” The notoriety led to an eight-week tryout with the “Folies Bergère” showgirl show at the Tropicana in 1982, when Burton was only 22. That tryout was extended for nine years.

A five-year contract with the Hacienda Hotel followed before MGM Resorts hired Burton to open its brand-new Monte Carlo casino resort on the Strip in 1996, where he headlined for the lifetime of the property. (It became Park MGM 14 years later.)

By his own estimation, Burton performed more than 15-thousand shows for 15 million audience members over 28 years.

Leaving Las Vegas

In 2020, Burton sold his Vegas castle for $4 million to cannabis entrepreneur Tarek Tabsh, who commissioned updates that added nearly 2,000 square feet. Tabsh is now trying to sell it for more than twice the price he paid. Here’s the listing.?

As soon as he made the sale, Burton retired with his animals to his grandfather’s 100-acre farm in Kentucky, where he grew up. He posted the following goodbye note to Las Vegas on Facebook …

Ever since I was a young boy growing up in Kentucky, I dreamed of one day moving to Las Vegas. On television I got to see many of the great magicians that performed there, including Siegfried & Roy, The Great Tomsoni, Marvyn Roy, and many others.

“I didn’t know where Las Vegas was located. I didn’t know anything about gambling or resorts. All I knew was Las Vegas was where the professional magicians lived and worked and I wanted to join them one day.

“Please know that I am forever grateful for the mythical city called Las Vegas. I will miss you all. I love you all. Maybe I will return one day as a visitor. Until then, may God keep watch over you.”

The post Former Las Vegas Magician’s Castle Hits Market For $10M appeared first on Casino.org.