It almost had to happen. Anticipating the need to promote hard to bring customers back, the Strip casinos have begun eliminating one of the biggest visitor turn-offs (even in good times): parking fees.

Last week MGM Resorts International announced that when it reopens, all of its casinos will return to free self-parking. A day later, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas followed suit. It’s expected that Caesars Entertainment will also eliminate charges, making parking free again at every casino on the Strip. Whether or not the change will be permanent is unknown; the MRI press release indicated that the rollback is “for the foreseeable future.”

Charges for valet parking are expected to remain in place.

New dates: With the previous planned opening dates for Treasure Island and Wynn/Encore having come and gone, the casinos have set new tentative opening dates. While some resorts say they’re still shooting for May, Venetian/Palazzo has reaffirmed intentions to open June 1 and that appears to be the most likely opening date. One good bet is that once one casino opens most of the others will be close behind.

PPE vending machines: Passengers at McCarran International Airport can now buy personal protective equipment (PPE) in vending machines.

McCarran says it’s the first airport to offer PPE items for sale from machines, with sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, gloves and various mask options priced from $4.25 to $14.50.

Shaky ground: As if things weren’t unstable enough, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake near Tonopah, Nev., was felt in Las Vegas last week. It rang in as Nevada’s worst earthquake since 1954, but being nearly 250 miles away, didn’t cause any injuries or damage.

Question: With restaurants now allowed to have dine-in customers, can you buy a drink in a bar?

Answer: As of now you can’t just walk in and buy a cocktail anywhere. Only bars that serve food are open and you can get drinks there, or in a restaurant, but only if you order food.

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