Mark's Second Book Release, and One Other Thing...

FINAL NEON LOUNGE EPISODE FOR 360 VEGAS FEED Subscribe to the Neon Lounge: Apple Podcasts/RSS Spotify Amazon Music/Audible iHeartRadio Support us on Patreon   This week in Vegas history: June 19, 1990, Excalibur opened. NEWS:   Barry Diller/People Inc. place offer to buy MGM Resorts Strip resort net income down 81%   Medley:   Primm and Herbst families announce deal to save Primm. Largest In-N-Out burger opens at BLVD on the Strip Penn & Teller extend their residency at Rio to 2029 Station Casinos will celebrate 50 years in Las Vegas this July Jardin at Wynn has closed after nearly 10 years NADC (Not a Damn Chance) Burger opens Downtown  $2 Million jackpot won at Aria Woman arrested after taking baby duck from Venetian fountain Sigma Derby moving to Golden Gate Culinary Union announces Sphere deal Venetian/Palazzo announces Milano exclusive suites Marlon Wayans and Tim Allen will perform  on the MGM Grand Theater stage  Swingers mini golf at Mandalay Bay announced “Swingers After Dark” Chinese woman with a fake passport has been arrested after marrying at least 14 men in Las Vegas   Review: Keren covers Vegas Restaurant Week offerings Vegas: Icons & Legends is available to purchase on amazon.com.    Neon Lounge Merch!   Support us on Patreon   Where to find us: Keren: @360VegasKeren  Tony: @360VegasTony  Josh: @360VegasJaydubs Neon Lounge Socials: Discord (360 Vegas Server) Xitter Facebook YouTube Reddit [email protected] (702) 900-7964

This week in Vegas history: June 4, 2020, Nevada casinos reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown.   After more than two months closed, casinos across Las Vegas began reopening, including properties on the Strip, downtown, and around the valley. The D and Golden Gate reopened at 12:01 a.m., while other properties followed later that day.  NEWS:   Fertitta Entertainment is buying Caesars Entertainment in a deal valued at $17.6 billion, including about $11.9 billion in assumed debt. The deal would take Caesars private. Shareholders would receive $31 per share, which Reuters describes as nearly a 50% premium to Caesars’ stock price before the deal was first reported in February. Tilman Fertitta’s company already owns Golden Nugget casinos, the Houston Rockets, and a large restaurant/hospitality portfolio, including brands like Rainforest Café and Bubba Gump Shrimp. Caesars has been under pressure from softer Las Vegas visitation and growing competition in online betting, where rivals like FanDuel and DraftKings are stronger. Caesars’ current leadership is expected to stay, including CEO Tom Reeg and CFO Bret Yunker. The deal includes a “go-shop” period through July 11, meaning Caesars can still consider competing offers. If completed, the acquisition would give Fertitta a much larger casino footprint: Caesars controls more than 50 casinos across North America, including Caesars Palace, Harrah’s, and Eldorado, plus retail and online sports betting. The article notes the deal could face regulatory scrutiny because of the size and scope of the combined gaming/hospitality business. Vital Vegas reports that a private grand opening party for the newly rebranded Vanderpump Hotel will be held on June 11.   The Heart Attack Grill closed abruptly on May 18. The property posted a passive aggressive rant on their door, stating that the closure was due to casinos pricing out average Americans.   EDC goes to two weekends next year The plan was billed as a way to reduce crowds by spreading them out over two weekends, lol The first of those weekends, “EDC Dusk,” will roll out from May 14-16. The second, “EDC Dawn,” is set for May 21-23, while the full “Dusk Till Dawn Experience” will party from May 13-24.    Johnny Kats is reporting that a new magic-based show “Now You See Me Live” will be moving into the David Copperfield theater at MGM Grand.   Soul Belly BBQ, has opened a new location in the Miracle Mile shops.   New Mirage bar at MGM Grand pool. A user on reddit posted photos of signs at the MGM Grand pool area, directing patrons to a new “Mirage Bar,” complete with the former strip property’s iconic palm trees logo.  A look at the pool complex map on the MGM Grand website confirms the change. The site was formerly called the “Splash Bar” and is located between the “Splash Pool” and “Reserve Pool.” MGM Resorts has retained the rights to the Mirage name after selling the Mirage resort site to Hard Rock International.   Tailgate Social, Mandalay Bay’s answer to Stadium Swim at Circa downtown, officially opened on May 16. Snoop Dogg performed at the opening The 50,000-square-foot venue features more than 125 feet of LED screens, three heated pools, 25 luxury cabanas, and two premium bungalows    The Clark County commission will be voting to extend the annual Las Vegas Grand Prix, potentially through 2037.   Nellie's Southern Kitchen Closing: The Jonas family restaurant near MGM Grand closed after May 25 service, reducing Southern comfort food options on the Strip.    Drink Las Vegas, a culinary and cocktail festival, will run from Sept. 24 through 27 at four MGM Resorts properties: Aria, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, Park MGM. “Drink Las Vegas” will incorporate an opening party, panels and seminars, food and cocktail tastings, lunches, dinners and other experiences at more than 30 venues inside the properties. The event recently announced the chefs, restaurateurs, mixologists, sommeliers and other hospitality professionals who are participating.    Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is reporting its strongest casino performance since reopening in 2021. The property has adjusted its focus to Las Vegas residents first-quarter 2026 data showed slot revenue up nearly 30 percent, coin-in up 10 percent, and table games revenue up 88 percent compared to the same period in 2025.    Tony: Vital Vegas reports the Luxor is getting a new atrium light show. No word on when the show will debut.   The Vegas Golden Knights swept the Colorado Avalanche in round 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs This is the third time the team has become the Western Conference champions in their 9-year history Though the Eastern Conference champions are still undecided at the time of recording, it’s likely that the Golden Knights will face the Carolina Hurricanes in their bid for another Stanley Cup win.    Oceans 11 returning to theaters Ocean's Eleven is returning to theaters nationwide on June 21 and June 24, 2026, for a special 25th-anniversary re-release as part of Fathom Entertainment's Big Screen Classics series. The film is being screened in crisp 4K and features an exclusive introduction by film historian Leonard Maltin. Review: “The Jiggle Room” at Cheapshot on Fremont East Tickets are $20-$30 at thejiggleroom.com Vegas: Icons & Legends is available to purchase on amazon.com.    Neon Lounge Merch!   Where to find us: Keren: @360VegasKeren  Tony: @360VegasTony  Josh: @360VegasJaydubs Neon Lounge Socials: Discord (360 Vegas Server) Xitter Facebook YouTube Reddit [email protected] (702) 900-7964

News: What To Expect When You’re Expecting A New Podcast From Us Subscribe to the Neon Lounge Podcast Here “Unofficial” Listener Meetup in June: Sunday 6/21 - Meetup at Whiskey Licker Up - 4 PM followed by a visit to Neon Museum for those interested  Monday 6/22 - Meetup at Bottle Blond or Brew Dog - 6 PM Tuesday 6/23 - Meetup at Chandelier Bar - 6 PM   All of Primm Valley closing July 4 New Eagles dates at the Sphere Hard Rock tops off the guitar tower The Evel Knievel Experience opens in the Arts District Colby Raha jumps the Caesars fountains New Vanderpump reality series focused on the Cromwell conversion MGM says they are open to letting an NBA team use T-Mobile Arena Matt Rife in Vegas December 4 8 weekends of fireworks in Vegas this summer Dive-in movies resume at Cosmo this summer Mandalay Bay announces the Vinyl Room Golden Nugget water slide and aquarium closure Professional Women’s Hockey League coming to Las Vegas   Reviews: Keren checks out Alinea pop-up at Bellagio Vegas: Icons and Legends available for purchase at Amazon Where to find us: Keren: @360VegasKeren ¨ Tony: @360VegasTony ¨ Josh: @360VegasJaydubs Neon Lounge Socials: Discord (360 Vegas Server) Xitter Facebook YouTube Reddit [email protected] (702) 900-7964

Keren, Tony, and Josh reconvene to announce the release of Mark's second book, Vegas: Icons and Legends, and tell the story of its completion and publication.  Also included is a little announcement about the future... To purchase Vegas: Icons and Legends, please visit Amazon.com.   Keren, Tony, and Josh make an appearance on the Cheftimony podcast.   Subscribe to the Neon Lounge podcast right here.

  Since the creation of modern day Las Vegas, there have always been people lamenting the good ole days, whatever that means to that individual at the time. Determining what is considered “good” is about as subjective as subjective can be.  Most people today will point to the time before the strip was primarily owned by 2 companies, MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment.  While the benefits of consolidation are obvious, potentially the best thing about it is the story of how it all happened.  To do that, we are going to have to trace back to how these assets exchanged hands before finally ending up in the corporate portfolio that are currently a part of.  To keep the story clean and the timeline defined, we are only going to focus on the majority owners and only their moves in Las Vegas.  We’re calling this, the Great Consolidation of Las Vegas 

  I don’t know what I think about Oscar Goodman. I want to say I respect what he does and if I needed help, I hope my advocate is half the lawyer he is. At the same time what he’s done and who he’s defended troubles me, makes me uncomfortable, ethically even if I’m not sure it should. When Oscar speaks about his clients he does so very deliberately as if he’s making sure he doesn’t say something that would get him in trouble. He claims there was no such thing as the mob even though history has proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt, but that might just be part of his well-polished schtick. Oscar will tell you he’s just really naive but it’s hard to accept because he’s clearly very intelligent. He considers his greatest accomplishment to be his family and he loves his wife very much. It’s clear he passionately enjoys what he does and what he does is defend rights. He’s also incredibly likable although he’s one hell of a ball buster. Oscar is the kind of guy you want to like you even though you’re not sure if you like him.  Recommended Reading - Being Oscar

   Siegfried & Roy, Masters of the Impossible, and in their time, as famously associated with Las Vegas as the Fountains of Bellagio are.  This act of illusion and tigers captivated audiences and really complimented the family friendly entertainment spectaculars coining phrases like “Only in Vegas”.  Let’s not forget, these are grownups going to see a magic show. But part of the interest was that disaster lurked around every corner, every night. At any moment, things could go horribly wrong. The fact that they didn’t sooner may be their greatest magic trick. 

  It’s fitting that he came up in lounges and has returned to them in the twilight of his career. That may sound like a slight, but it’s not meant to be. It’s a compliment. His lounge show is the only of its kind on the strip and that is because a lounge show couldn’t exist today with anyone other than Wayne Newton. When we lose him, we will lose that form of entertainment or at the very least the best incarnation of it.  

As told by Tony and Rum.  

Audio is provided for your convenience, but for the best experience, please watch the video at https://youtu.be/WasXRpdSZzA Our immense gratitude to Michael Movestro for video and audio production, and to Michael Trager of TravelZork for helping us put on the event.