MGM to end free-parking benefits for casino guests

The age-old Las Vegas tradition of allowing casino guests to park for free is under attack. MGM Resorts International has announced that it will institute a parking fee in the garages and parking lots at all of its Strip casinos. The fee will apply to both valet and self-parking and will be charged to everyone, including hotel and restaurant guests. There has been some indication that gamblers who reach a certain level of play will be exempted; however, details on that haven’t been disclosed. The charge, expected to be in the area of $10 per day, will be implemented in the “second quarter of 2016.”

New garage: In addition to the parking-policy overhaul, MGM announced that it will build a $54 million, 3,000-space parking structure to serve the new T-Mobile Arena. The structure will be behind Excalibur and is expected to be completed in 2017.

Super app: The Westgate Superbook has debuted its long-awaited mobile app. The app allows remote betting and will list all of the sportsbook’s Super Bowl props, which are expected to be about 400 this year. Anyone can fund the app, but you have to be physically in Nevada to make a bet.

WSOP dates: The 47th World Series of Poker will return to the Rio this year, running from May 31 to July 18. This year’s main event is scheduled for July 9-18, concluding with the final table in November.

Question: Will any Nevada casinos eventually offer daily fantasy sports betting a la DraftKings and FanDuel?

Answer: Sportsbook innovator Vic Salerno has applied for a license to legally operate a DFS program in Nevada. The goal is to offer contests by this year’s football season, with wagering available both at sportsbook windows and via mobile devices. Salerno ran the LeRoy’s sportsbooks that were acquired by William Hill last year, and has been at the forefront of many technological advances in the sports-wagering field.

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