The first legal online poker site to open in the U.S. has closed. After ceasing operations in New Jersey in September, Ultimate Gaming pulled the plug in Nevada last week, ending an 18-month effort that failed to gain traction.

The closing is seen as another major negative for online gaming, which figures to also be adversely affected by the Republican victories in this month’s elections.

Two online companies — Caesars Entertainment’s WSOP and South Point’s Real Gaming — continue to deal in Nevada, while WSOP and several others are active in New Jersey. To date, online-gaming sites have fallen severely short of revenue projections in both states.

» Rascals to rock hard: Country band Rascal Flatts is the latest to sign on for a miniature residency at the Hard Rock. The band will play nine dates between Feb. 25 and March 14, with tickets starting at $39.50 (plus fees).

» Sayonara Sirio: Following the closing of sister restaurant Circo at Bellagio, Sirio at Aria will close Dec. 6. A new, as-yet-unannounced restaurant will open in the space.

» Kabob Korner klosed: Another long-running downtown dining player is down. Fremont Street East’s Kabob Korner has closed. Its neighbor Uncle Joe’s Pizza closed last month.

» Happy b’day: For those who keep track of such things, the Mirage’s 25th anniversary was Saturday. The opening of the resort in 1989 is generally considered the demarcation point between "old" and "new" Las Vegas.

QUESTION: Is the Venetian putting up its (fake) ice rink again this year?

ANSWER: The Venetian is not re-creating its synthetic skating rink. The same goes for operators of the rinks downtown and at Sunset Park. It looks like this year’s options will be limited to the rink at Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool, which debuts this week, and a second rink at Caesars Palace, for which an opening date has not been announced.

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