For the first time in more than a decade, a new hotel-casino has been announced for the Las Vegas Strip. An Israeli hotelier plans to build a $350 million resort, Astral, across from Mandalay Bay on property currently occupied by a Motel 8. Astral will feature 620 rooms, a four-level underground parking garage, a sky lobby on the 32nd floor, a nightclub and a rooftop pool with a day club. The Motel 8 has reopened and is expected to operate until spring 2020 when construction begins. The last casino to open on the Strip was the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2010.
Bellagio exhibit: Bellagio has unveiled a new floral exhibit in the Conservatory. The spring 2019 display highlights spring in Japan, with two traditional Shinto-shrine torii gates, a row of cherry blossoms, two red-crowned Japanese cranes and a towering replica of the Osaka Castle, one of the most iconic and historic castles in all of Japan. The Conservatory is free and open 24 hours a day; the Japanese Spring exhibit will remain until June 15.
58-cent bagels: Sadelle’s at Bellagio sells bagels for $3 apiece. Bagelmania (855 E. Twain Ave.) sells a dozen bagels for $15 and they’re superior in both quality and selection to Sadelle’s. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a dozen at Bagelmania are just $6.95 (58 cents each). If you call ahead, they’ll take your order and have it ready when you get there.
St. Paddy’s Day jackpot: The luck of the Irish was with a guest from Hawaii who hit a jackpot for $1,030,000 on St. Patrick’s Day. The jackpot was hit after only five minutes of play at downtown’s Plaza on a Monopoly Millionaire machine.
Question: Which team is the March Madness betting favorite?
Answer: Duke is the favorite to win the NCAA basketball championship at +225, followed by Virginia (+500), and Gonzaga (+575). The long shots, which may have been eliminated by the time you read this, are Gardner Webb and North Dakota State, both at +650000 (6,500-1).
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