First zipline flying 114 feet over the Las Vegas Strip

The Strip’s first zipline, Fly Linq, opened last week. Riders ascend 12 stories on an elevator, harness up and start their ride 114 feet over the Strip. Either seated or flat and face-down “superhero-style,” riders travel nearly 1,100 feet in 30 seconds, then land on a platform near the base of the High Roller observation wheel.

Fly Linq is roughly 250 feet longer than Slotzilla, the zipline above Fremont Street in downtown Vegas. Riders must weigh between 80 and 300 pounds. Flights cost $25 seated and $35 superhero. Between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m., they go up to $30/$40 (save $5 by buying tickets in advance online).

Union contracts complete: With a tentative undisclosed deal between the Culinary Union and downtown’s The D and Golden Gate hotels, labor-contract negotiations with every property have been ended. Although they were drawn out, the negotiations were completed without any major work disruptions.

Beer deal changes: After abandoning its long-running dollar-beer deal late last year when it raised the price to $2, Casino Royale has raised it again to $3 on all bottled beer. The good news is that Heineken and Corona were formerly $5 and are part of the $3 pricing, which is still a bargain for the Strip.

Question: I’ve read the Las Vegas sports books lost almost $10 million on the NFL games last week. Don’t bookies make a profit no matter who wins?

Answer: Only if their books are balanced, meaning there’s close to an equal amount bet on each side of a game. Sports books often find themselves unbalanced, which leaves them open to taking a loss. Since the public bets predominantly on favorites, when most of the favorites cover the pointspread, the books can lose, which is what happened last week.

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