Although the “official” kickoff of the pool season is traditionally pegged as Memorial Day weekend, almost all of the party pools are already in full swing.

Unlike the days when you had to be a hotel guest to get into a casino pool, many are now open to the public for swimming or partying. There’s usually a fee and drinks tend to be expensive, but these pools will be hopping all summer long as part of Las Vegas’ vibrant “Daylife” scene: Aliante, Aria, Artisan, Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Cromwell, Downtown Grand, Flamingo, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Hooters, The LINQ, Luxor, M Resort, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, Monte Carlo, Palazzo, Palms, Planet Hollywood, Plaza, Rampart, Red Rock, Silverton, SLS, Stratosphere, Tropicana and Venetian.

Toptional: This year nine Las Vegas pools are classified as “toptional,” meaning topless sunbathing by women is allowed (if not encouraged): Artisan (European Pool), Caesars Palace (Venus Pool), Encore (European Pool), M Resort (DayDream), Mandalay Bay (Moorea Beach Club), Mirage (Bare Pool), Stratosphere (Radius), Venetian (TAO Beach) and Wynn (Sunset Pool). Most charge admission fees for non-hotel guests.

Blackjack: If you want to play live blackjack by the pool, there are 10 casinos to choose from: Caesars Palace, Encore, Flamingo, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Mandalay Bay, Red Rock, SLS Las Vegas, Tropicana and Wynn.

Question: Will there be any exemptions at casinos with the new paid-parking policy when it’s implemented?

Answer: MGM Resorts International says that it will begin charging for parking at New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Bellagio, Aria and Vdara on June 6, with others following a few days later. Aside from locals, who will not have to pay until at least the end of the year, there will be no charge for stays of less than one hour and for members of specified high tier levels in the M life players club.

For more information about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and good deals, go to www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.