ANTHONY CURTIS’ LasVegasAdvisor May 2020 • Vol. 37 • Issue 5 $5

THE SHUT- DOWN CON- TINUES How much longer till Las Vegas reopens? … pg. 1

NEW DINING Will buffets survive? … pg. 5

BIGGEST PIZZA EVER Monster pizza feeds 15 … pg. 6

NEW GAMBLING Masked gamblers, dealers too … pg. 9

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COUPONOMY by Anthony Curtis When?

That’s the question everyone is asking. It’s a tough one to answer and it gets more difficult by the day as new and often conflicting information is released. Considering what’s known as I write this, I’ll give you my best guess as to when Las Vegas will reopen. The biggest hurdle in making this determination is Nevada governor Steve Sisolak’s unwillingness to commit to dates. Unless the feds step in (unlikely at best), he’s the one who will make the final decision, so the lack of information from him is problematic. In an hour-long press conference on April 21, Sisolak presented a plan that correlates reported infection results with reopening actions, which he indicated will come in “phases.” Sisolak definitively stated that schools will not reconvene this year, but remained noncommittal about when casinos, bars, and other closed busi- nesses will be allowed to resume operations. The expiration of his stay-at- home order remained unchanged: April 30. Then, a few hours before the deadline, he extended it to May 15 and advised that starting May 4, some restrictions regarding non-essential retail businesses, worship services, and outdoor activities will be eased. This was expected. The governor had dug in his heels and, for all intents and purposes, had to extend the closure. Wynn/Encore and TI had already announced a desire to open on May 15 (Wynn/Encore later adjusted to May 22). Venetian/Palazzo said it was targeting May 31. MGM properties didn’t declare, but they’re taking reservations as of June 1. So May 15 seemed to satisfy the big-business interests. However, during an interview on April 29 on “Good Morning America,” Sisolak said something else that throws a monkey wrench into everything: He indicated that casinos won’t open until Phase 3 or 4 of his plan. When will that be? No one knows, because he’s never explained what the plan is beyond Phase 1. All we know is that whenever it is, it will be sometime after May 15. What follows doesn’t take into account the most important determinant, continued on next page Couponomy continued … the medical situation. If the number of COVID-19 cases in Nevada all of a sudden increases, then it’s a whole new ballgame. But assuming that cases decline, as they’re expected to, here are the factors that I believe will govern this decision and the most likely timetable. The easing of prohibitions through May 15 is fairly extensive, which helps clear a path for a complete opening. Other states will open their casi- nos in the interim. The federal government, led by the president, is pushing for all businesses to open. More important than any of these, the public is getting antsy. There’ve been protests and open-Las Vegas petitions. Mayor Carolyn Goodman (wife of former mayor Oscar) has been on a mission to lift the ban, a mission that she’s taken to the national media. The tactic has had mixed results, punctuated by a high-profile skirmish on CNN with Anderson Cooper that put her in the crosshairs of dissenters, but it elevated her agenda. Finally, the casinos are setting their dates, which is a not-so- subtle application of pressure. That pressure will only increase as the red ink adds up. All of this points to casinos opening earlier rather than later. May 22 is the Friday before Memorial Day weekend and would seem the perfect choice, coinciding with the date that the Wynn has already announced. The problem is Sisolak’s “Phase Three or Four” statement. If he remains firm on that, May 22 seems too close to May 15 to move two or three phases. So while I previously thought that lasting until June was out of the question, I now consider that result to be the favorite. If it happens, it will be early June. I’d be surprised if it’s mid-June and no way does it get pushed back to July. As mentioned, Venetian/Palazzo has been targeting June 1 all along and those guys seem to be pretty dialed in. June 1 also provides another two weeks’ cushion, so the gover- nor saves face. Mark me down for June 1. (Note that we continue to cover develop- ments as they happen in our “Vegas and the Virus” blog at LasVegas Advisor.com. The next post will include the results of a survey of when casinos are first accepting reservations.) n

Picnic on the Strip

The photo on the cover is of an LVA member who made the most of things by having a picnic on the Strip. He also sent this note.

Publisher: Anthony Curtis Web Manager: Tanya Maynard Contributing Writers: Jeffrey Compton, Bob LAS Senior Editor: Deke Castleman Research Assistant: Brenda Stewart Dancer, Stewart Ethier, Bob Fuss, Scot Krause, VEGAS Accounting: John Leitner Customer Service: Nicole Watchus Bradley Peterson, Blair Rodman, Jean Scott ADVISOR Production Manager: Laurie Cabot Cover Image: Charles Thompson LAS VEGAS ADVISOR (ISSN 1064-167X USPS 008602) is published monthly and is available for $50 per year ($60 Canadian; $70 foreign purchasers) and $5 per single issue at 3665 Procyon St., Las Vegas, NV, 89103. Phone: (702) 252-0655 • Fax: (702) 252-0675 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Las Vegas Advisor, 3665 Procyon St., Las Vegas, NV 89103. e-mail: [email protected] • Internet: LasVegasAdvisor.com All information is current at press time. Listed offerings are subject to change at any time. Huntington Press ©2020

2 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • MAY 2020 Unlike any Strip experience ever. I didn’t hear traffic or loud music or obnoxious people. Actually, the predominant sounds were of birds chirping on a nice spring afternoon. n

Grosjean Returns

It’s been a long absence with a couple of false starts associated with his return, but James Grosjean is back blogging at LasVegasAdvisor.com. Considered by many to be the Dean of Advantage Players, James is again conveying his unique, fascinating, and sometimes controversial brand of logic in our “Gambling With an Edge” blog. In his return post, James commented on the coronavirus situation, while providing some insight into what has kept him away. The post has drawn almost 50 comments so far, about 10 times the normal response. We’re excited to have him back. n

NEWS

Shutdown—The original state closing order from governor Steve Siso- lak was extended from April 16 to April 30, and is expected to be extended again at the deadline. The Las Vegas casinos continue to be completely closed. Additionally, more restrictions have been put in place. While golf courses were initially exempted from the order, they’ve since been closed, along with basketball, tennis, volleyball, and other public game courts; skate parks; churches; and in-home beauty services, including haircuts by an outside stylist. We wouldn’t describe the city as desolate, but at a min- imum, it’s bleak. Among the most stark visuals are the frozen escalators on the pedestrian bridges and the emptiness in front of the Caesars and Bellagio fountains (see this issue’s cover). Amidst it all there’s a heightened police-vehicle presence. They’re everywhere, which looks very much like a conscious strategy that says, “We’re here; don’t do anything stupid.” Some Strip hotel towers now spell out messages of unity and promise. Rooms at Encore are lit in the shape of a heart, while the Wynn’s spells out “Hope Shines Bright.” The Sphere—Construction on the MSG Sphere has been suspended. Consequently, it’s expected that the project won’t make its 2021 deadline; a new target has not been disclosed. It’s the second major project to sus- pend construction, joining The Drew. Virgin—Lost in the shuffle has been the status of the conversion of the Hard Rock to Virgin Las Vegas. In an interview with the LV Review-Journal, the CEO of Virgin indicated that the conversion has been unaffected by the shutdown. Neither the scope nor the timetable of the project has been continued on next page

MAY 2020 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 3 News continued … altered and plans still call for the resort to reopen at the end of the year. Lake Tahoe—Lakeside Inn and Casino, the smallest hotel-casino in Stateline, has announced that it will close permanently after a 35-year run at South Lake Tahoe. The closing is being blamed on the shutdown and the casino’s original ineligibility to receive federal stimulus funds because of rules that disqualified some gaming establishments. Those rules have since been altered, but the delay and glitches in disbursement of funds contributed to the decision not to reopen and may affect other casino operations similarly. Idaho—As we go to press, the native American-run Coeur d’Alene is scheduled to reopen on May 1, making it the first U.S. casino to do so. All guests and employees are required to wear masks. Enhanced cleaning procedures include disinfecting restrooms, gaming machines, and all high- touch and high-traffic areas multiple times a day; three dozen hand-sanitiz- ing stations will be available around the property. The casino will be closed 3-7 am daily for deep cleaning. Six-foot distancing will be enforced at typical gathering places and the restaurants, lounge and bar, and bingo will have limited capacities. Room service, the pool, and the spa will reopen with strict protocols, while meetings and conventions will be postponed until early July and the buffet, fitness center, and off-track betting will remain closed until further notice. Statistics—Nevada’s statewide gambling win was up 3.1% in February compared to the same month last year. The Strip win increased .8%, while downtown was down 4.1%. The Nevada win total was off to a good start for the year, up 4.2% going into the shutdown. That will be reversed when the March numbers are released as is being confirmed by other markets that report ahead. Macau gaming revenue was down 79.7% in March. Atlantic City was down 44%, Mississippi down 50%, and New Orleans down 61%. Visitor volume was up 4.5% for a two-month increase of 4.2%. Anyone want to book a bet on that trend continuing? Airline traffic was up 6.5% in February. We’ve yet to see any passen- ger counts for McCarran Airport since the shutdown, but according to the

Presidential Lines

Here are the current lines on this year’s presidential race from CRIS. Don- ald Trump and Joe Biden are close to even to win the presidency, with Trump a slight -113 favorite. Kamala Harris is the favorite to be Biden’s running mate at +220, followed by Amy Klobuchar at +370 and Elizabeth Warren at +485.

4 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • MAY 2020 TOP 10 VALUES 1. Steak Dinner • Ellis Island • 24 hours • $7.99 2. Buffet • Palace Station • Daily • $9.99-$16.99 During the shutdown, none of 3. Mac King • Harrah’s • Tues.–Sat. • $14.98 these deals are available. How- 4. Hot Dog • South Point • Daily • $1.25 ever, we expect that when the 5. Beer • Stage Door • 24 hours • $1 casinos reopen, they’ll be put- 6. Shrimp Cocktail • Skyline • Daily • $2.25 ting their best foot forward and 7. Breakfast • Arizona Charlie’s • Daily • $5.99 all or most of this list will remain intact. You can find detail on 8. $1 Blackjack • OYO • 24 hours • $1.20 these offers in recent editions. 9. Lunch • Planet Hollywood • Daily • $4.99 10. Photo • Binion’s • Daily • Free

Transportation Security Administration, from April 13th to 17th last month, 280,502 passengers were screened at airport security checkpoints in all of the U.S., down 96% from the seven million passengers screened over the same period last year. McCarran has been so hard hit that two of the three concourses and one of the parking lots are closed, TSA has consolidated its checkpoints, and airport hours have been reduced. n

Sports Betting Scorecard

Colorado will go live with sports betting on May 1. Tennessee has released its rules and is taking operator applications (the rules part isn’t good, see Gambling). Washington D.C. postponed the release of its mobile betting app that was scheduled to debut no later than early April and now plans to release it in the fall. Follow the progress of sports betting legalization across the country and track developments as they occur via our blog and map at LasVegas Advisor.com. n

DINING New Dining

Without question, safety will be the primary point of emphasis when restaurants reopen both in and out of the casinos. Tables will be set farther apart and there will be new serving protocols. One concern is how inde- pendent restaurants will survive. Many are struggling with finances and distancing necessities that cut their capacity won’t help. A small eatery that was surviving with 60 seats during peak hours will have a problem being cut down to 30 covers or fewer. continued on next page

MAY 2020 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 5 Dining continued …

There will also be shake-ups in the casinos. The biggest question is what will happen to the buffets? Nearly a week before the shutdown, buffets had already been pegged as problematic, with MGM Resorts and the Wynn closing theirs. And it stands to reason that the get-in-line- and-serve-yourself style won’t be particularly popular in the guarded post-pandemic Las Vegas. When you think about it, buffets have been disappearing over the years and they aren’t planned for Resorts World, Virgin, or Circa. The Golden Nugget has said that it will not reopen its buffet, which at one time was the #1 value in the Top Ten. While it’s not confirmed, it’s believed that the buffet at Treasure Island is also toast and there will be others that don’t return. Some, even many, will no doubt start up again, but will they have to change? Some may switch to the approach pioneered by the Cosmopolitan’s Wicked Spoon, offering the same large choice of selections, but serving them in individual portions. Also, more will have servers standing behind the stations, a la cruise ships, dishing out food (which, as we described last month, palpably diminishes the experience). For those who are worried about buffets going away com- pletely, here’s some reassuring news. The 600-seat Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace is undergoing a $2.4 million remodel. It’s safe to assume that Caesars isn’t spending that money on the Bacchanal so it can close it. Rather, it might open as a blueprint for how buffets will be put together post-shutdown. However the buffets reemerge, it will be in a manner to which we’ll all have to adjust. n

Take-Out Revelations

We’re not doing many dining reviews for the obvious reasons, but here are some things that we’ve come across by way of our take-out/deliv- ery experiences. Everyone’s ordering pizza, right? Napoli Piz- zeria, with four locations in Las Vegas, advertises a 36-inch monster that we’d heard For perspective, that’s a standard-size about, but never paper plate in the background

6 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • MAY 2020 tried. Figuring that now was as good a time as ever, we ordered one. Holy anchovies! This is a pizza unlike any we’ve ever seen before. The box wouldn’t fit through the door without being tilted to one side and it took two people to pull that off. More than twice the size of a standard extra- large pie, it’s a downright spectacle that will be a hit at any party and the pizza is good to boot. Even at $69 (with four toppings), it’s still a deal. Five of us got through only about a quarter of it. This thing feeds 15 minimum, which makes it a $5-per-man pitch-in play, including delivery. If not pizza, then tacos. The excellent Roberto’s Taco Shops are open for take-out all over town and they’ve brought back 99¢ chicken tacos on Wednesdays. This special ran for years until the price was raised to $1.29 and it was still the best taco deal in town. If not pizza and not tacos, then bento boxes? All of a sudden bentos are front and center in more places than we even thought had them. A bento box is a com- bination meal featuring Asian cuisine. They range from about $10 to more than $30, depending on their contents, the more expensive of which usually include sushi or sashimi. Others have steak, chicken, pork, vegetables, and always One of three bento boxes from Kaiseki Yuzu; this one is $13 rice. It’s likely that some restaurants created their bentos to conform to din- ing habits or takeout fundamentals during the shutdown, so we don’t know if they’ll be available post-pandemic, but here’s a list of places offering them in the Chinatown area (a bigger list can be found at vegas.eater.com): Kaiseki Yuzu, Sushi Kame, Izakaya Go, Hobak Korean BBQ, and RAKU. These are some of the top restaurants in the city, led by RAKU, which has three options priced from $17.50 to $32. Most of these are available for lunch and dinner. If you have a Nevada State Bank credit card of any type, use it for any restaurant take-out or delivery and get 10% cashback on purchases. It’s the best dining cashback deal we’ve seen, but it runs only through May 31. The best gift-card discount we’ve come across this month is for four restaurants at the Fashion Show Mall: Benihana, Kung Fu Tea, Maggiano’s Little Italy, and The Capital Grille. Spend $50, submit your receipt online, and get a $20 Visa Reward Card. Good through May 31. n

MAY 2020 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 7 ENTERTAINMENT Entertainment Will Lag

While the casino showrooms don’t face permanent closures, they fig- ure to be among the last components of the resorts to come back. In fact, everything involving entertainment, including the nightclubs and big pool parties, may be MIA for the summer. MGM Resorts International post- poned the reopening of all of its entertainment venues, first from May 10 to June 1, then just this week pushed back again to July 1 as a best-case scenario. Live Nation, which books many of Las Vegas’ concerts, says it might not promote another event until 2021. Electric Daisy Carnival is moving from May to October. Cirque du Soleil is said to be having financial problems and if Cirque is tenuous, imagine how tough it is for the small productions that buck long odds even in the best of times. Bottom line: It might be a while before there’s much entertainment at all in the “Entertain- ment Capital of the World.” n

Will Your Favorite Bar Be Back?

With survival concerns revolving around the plight of smaller casinos that were originally denied stimulus funding, the non-casino gaming bars have been lost in the shuffle. Do you like and miss a certain Las Vegas video bar? If yes, its return when the shutdown ends isn’t a given. Like the casinos, gaming bars and taverns were excluded from getting federal aid because they derived more than 50% of their income from gambling. As a result, many bars have had neither income nor relief, which could lead to permanent closures of watering holes that have been virtual institutions for decades. n

Entertainment Notes

NFL Draft—What was expected to be one of the biggest entertainment events in Las Vegas history came and went while the streets remained empty. But although Vegas lost out this year, it will get another crack at it— the NFL has announced that it will bring the draft back to the Strip in 2022. Entertainment Anthem—Last month, we listed several sources of enter- tainment created and posted online by Las Vegas talent. More continue to pop up, but most interesting among them was a huge collaborative effort of dozens of celebrities performing a song called “Needing Each Other.” The video features several top vocalists and musicians in a “We are the World”-style production, only from separate remote locations, along with

8 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • MAY 2020 Strip Club with a Lisp

The digital sign on Little Darlings, the alcohol-free totally nude gentleman’s club on Western Avenue visible from the freeway a few blocks from The STRAT, always displays clever and funny messag- es, but it may have outdone itself with its current effort, which reads, “Sorry, We’re Clothed.” private messages from the likes of Susan Anton, Carrot Top, Clint Holmes, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Tony Orlando, Bill Medley, and many more. Go to YouTube and search “Needing Each Other” to view. n

GAMBLING New Gambling

Almost everyone agrees that social-distancing rules will be in place at just about all casinos upon reopening, meaning every second machine (at least) will be turned off and there will be limits on how many players are allowed at the tables. But a lot more than spacing will be going on. Here are a number of predictions, some of which we already know will happen and others that are likely, but not certain. Masks and gloves—The dealers will wear them and so will many play- ers. Customers wearing masks has always been a no-no in casinos, which led to many a customer-relations challenge on Halloween. Now, masks will not only be allowed, but encouraged, and even required (see News for the requirements at the Coeur d’Alene casino). Some places will require mask lowering for facial recognition and covering the eyes will still be prohibited. Cocktail waitresses in masks? Bummer! Plexi-glass dividers—We’ve seen prototypes of blackjack and roulette tables with dividers between dealers and players, as well as between players and players. These could also show up on machines. So much for social interaction on the games. Poker decline—Look for many poker rooms not to reopen. Too much touching of cards and chips by too many different hands. The electronic poker games that never caught on figure to get a good second look. Machines safer—Slot and games will grab an even bigger share of the market, as machines will be perceived to be safer than tables. Customers can bring their own disinfectant, wipe down their buttons, and play without fear of outside contamination until they’re done. Players who continued on next page

MAY 2020 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 9 Gambling continued … follow can do the same. Supporting this is data out of Macau (where the number of table-game players has always dwarfed those of slots) showing that machine players are now outnumbering tables. Signaling safer—Who wants to pick up, arrange, scratch, and tuck cards on a blackjack game when it can all be done with hand signals? Pitch games may be in danger. Carny carnage—Pai Gow Poker and some of the second-tier carny games that require card handling will lose space on the floor for the rea- sons just stated, plus they’ll be hurt the worst by low crowd counts. Electronic versions—Video blackjack, big bouncing dice, stadium black- jack/roulette/craps—once fringy oddities, these table games that can be played by pushing buttons have the same safety benefits as other machine games as described above. Higher minimums—This is one we’ve heard, but don’t agree with. One casino analyst suggested that table games would have higher minimums, perhaps as high as $50 on the Strip and $25 off-Strip. We’re not buying it. Casinos need customers. Raising minimums would be counterproductive to that. Players club resets—An industry source we trust says, “I’ve heard some discussion about using the closures as an opportunity to reset players club reinvestment rates to try squeeze out or right size the unprofitable or marginal players, with the mistaken belief that this is an opportunity to not have it noticed and not get a ton of blowback.” Whoa! Good luck with that! Craps—Aside from maximum-player mandates, craps will remain status quo. Dice players don’t give a shit. n

Online Gambling

One more logical extension of “New Gambling” is online gambling. More players will naturally seek online options, although everyone is limited by what their respective states allow. Whereas the total gambling win has plunged in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the online numbers in both mar- kets are up significantly. The story will unfold over the next several months and years, but for now, take advantage of related “apportunities” that show up online. Here are two we found last month. PT’s contests—In April, PT’s Entertainment Group ran the “$15,000 Stir Crazy Weekly Video ,” a free-to-play online contest with $5,000 in weekly prizes. The tournaments are scheduled to conclude in early May (if you read this by May 3, you can still get in on the last one), but they might be extended. Plus, there will be more of these in other places, so pay attention to the strategy. You have to download the PT’s app from pteglv.com and have a True

10 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • MAY 2020 Rewards (or former Golden Rewards) card to play. Players get 10 or 20 entries per week, depending on tier level. Nothing in the rules excludes out-of-state play, so if you have a card, you should be able to participate. Each entry plays 20 hands and the top 10 places are paid, with $1,000 each in free-play going to first and second place. There are lots of players, so you have to shoot for high scores. This means playing the game with the highest variance, which was Triple Double Bonus in the Week 1 video poker tournament. If you hold off till the last couple of days of each tour- nament to play, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to shoot for and in this one you needed 4 aces with a kicker or a royal to get into the money. That meant you had to hold aces at all opportuni- ties and usually throw away lesser pairs, straight and flush draws, and even made straights, flushes, and full houses. You’re not playing video poker here; you’re playing a video poker tournament. Skilli World—You may have noticed that online trivia has become a popular pandemic pastime. An app called Skilli World merges trivia with a poker-tournament format. It’s reminiscent of playing quick sit-n-gos online. Many of the categories are general trivia, but it’s also recently shifted toward sports to take advantage of the void created by the dearth of sports betting options. You can play free contests that return small prizes or paid contests in which you can win more. The free contests are usually for a $10 prize that’s split among all players who answer three out of three questions cor- rectly. There’s typically in the neighborhood of 250 players in a $10 freeroll, which means your expected win is only about 4¢ per play, but it’s free and fun. There’s also a nightly sports-themed freebie with a $500 prize. These attract closer to 600 players, so it’s worth about 85¢ to play and if you’re good at sports trivia, your EV will be higher. If you play for real money, there are opportunities to find equity overlays, meaning that the guaranteed prize is larger than the amount of the entry fees collected. For example, if the entry fee is $5 and the prize is $100, the entry fees equal the prize at 20 players. If you see that this contest has fewer than 20 signed up, there’s an overlay, and assuming the players are equally skilled, there’s an edge for playing it. If you monitor all the games,

continued on next page

MAY 2020 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 11 Gambling continued … you can find multiple overlays daily, though not for big money, as the entry fees are mostly $3 and $5. However, Skilli is planning bigger events that mimic the table-advance poker tournaments with entries up to $50. If you want to play—free or paid—you can sign up through the link in the Game Room at LasVegasAdvisor.com; use the referral code LVA2020 to be eligible for a drawing we’re planning in July. n

A Problem in Tennessee

Recently released rules for sports betting in Tennessee mandate a min- imum hold of 10%. While it’s not completely clear what that means, at the least it would entail replacing -110 pricing with -125. It’s a move that will almost certainly stunt Tennessee’s sports betting potential by impelling bettors to out-of-state markets where standard pricing is offered. n

Gambling Notes

WSOP Postponed—As expected, the 51st World Series of Poker has been postponed. The world’s most prestigious poker tournament was scheduled to begin May 26 and is now targeting the fall, with exact dates and events to be determined. Walters Released—Renowned sports bettor Billy Walters has been released from prison. Walters was serving a five-year sentence for an insider-trading conviction and was scheduled for release in February 2022. News accounts indicate that the early furlough was due in part to the coro- navirus risk for inmates. SuperBook 2—The Westgate’s SuperBook brand is expanding out- side Las Vegas for the first time, thanks to a licensing deal with the Lodge Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado. Pending Colorado regulatory approval (and the NFL playing football), a Colorado version of the SuperContest is planned for this year; it will not be hooked into the Nevada contest.

Video Poker Lost and Found

The shutdown of the casinos also called for all gaming machines to be turned off. There are currently no active video poker games in Nevada. Bob Dancer’s free video poker classes are expected to resume in August. In the interim, be sure to check out Bob’s weekly Tuesday blog and the Thursday “Gambling With an Edge” podcast, with Bob and Rich- ard Munchkin, both at LasVegasAdvisor.com. n

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