With zero casinos scheduled to open in the new year, it might seem like there isn’t much happening in Las Vegas. But in reality, it might be the calm before a storm of high-powered development between now and 2020.
One event taking place this year is the re-branding and name change of the Monte Carlo to Park MGM, but that’s just the start of a long list of projects that are either in progress or on the drawing board. They include the Sands football stadium, a new resort from Wynn Resorts called Paradise Park, the redevelopment of downtown’s Las Vegas Club, a 1.4-mile extension of the monorail, the expansion of the Convention Center into the space where the Riviera sat, and the monster Resorts World Las Vegas at center Strip.
Alas, Alon: One project that won’t be in that parade is Alon, the big Crown Resorts casino that was planned for the former New Frontier site. Crown has withdrawn its backing for Alon, leaving its developers to seek another financial partner.
70 for Flamingo: The Flamingo, pictured, celebrated its 70th anniversary last week without fanfare. The resort opened on
Dec. 26, 1946, with 105 rooms at a cost of $6 million. It’s easily the oldest casino on the Strip.
Power savers: Four experimental streetlights that draw energy from people walking on sensors implanted in the ground have been installed in the Arts District near downtown. They work on solar and kinetic energy, the latter of which is generated by foot traffic in the area. The lights also power environmental monitors, support video surveillance, have USB ports and are Wi-Fi hot spots.
Question: What effect has the emergence of Uber and Lyft had on Las Vegas’ taxi industry?
Answer: Taxi ridership in Las Vegas is showing steep declines due to the ride-services companies. November tallied 1.6 million taxi fares, down
19.2 percent compared with last year. There’s discussion that some fees may be eliminated to make the cabs more competitive.
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