Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand Sold: MGM Growth Properties and Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. have announced they have entered into a definitive agreement to form a new joint venture to acquire the Las Vegas real estate assets of the Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand for $4.6 billion. In addition, BREIT will purchase $150 million in MGP Class A shares. MGP will own 50.1% of the joint venture, and BREIT will own 49.9%. At closing, MGM Resorts International will enter into a long-term triple net master lease for both properties and provide a full corporate guarantee of rent payments….

This Week in Gambling is happy to share our schedule for filming in Vegas this coming Memorial Day weekend, and you’re invited to crash our set… if you’re in town. We will be shooting scenes with performers and tourists on the Strip and down on Fremont Street, and we welcome anyone to walk right up and jump in with us… if you like being on camera, of course. Our schedule is listed below, and we hope to stick to it as close as possible:   Thursday May 23rd, 2019: 4pm: We will begin at the iconic Las Vegas sign then…

The Las Vegas Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower is embracing a new era of its history as one of the most recognizable features on the Strip with a planned rebrand as part of the property’s ongoing makeover. The Stratosphere will be renamed as The STRAT Hotel, Casino and Skypod, it became known earlier this week. Nevada-based gaming company Golden Entertainment purchased the iconic property in 2017 and announced a $140 million renovation that kicked off last summer with casino floor upgrades. Mr. Arcana has further pointed out that while they will reimagine the resort “through a comprehensive remodel that spans”…

The possibility of having Major League Baseball in Las Vegas seemed unlikely six years ago. While giving a deposition in a New Jersey sports betting case, then-Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig spoke steadfastly against ever placing a franchise in Las Vegas and railed against gambling as “evil.” Today, a group is working with investors to build a stadium and bring a major-league team to Las Vegas. Those efforts come as Selig’s successor, Rob Manfred, calls Las Vegas a viable market for the sport and baseball’s decision-makers descend on the city for the league’s Winter Meetings at Mandalay Bay from…

The 18 Las Vegas poker rooms on the Strip took in $8.6 million worth of rake from their cash games in July this year. That’s according to Nevada state figures. The revenue was off slightly from the $8.9 million raked in July 2017. June of this year saw Strip-area poker revenue of $14.1 million, up more than six percent year-over-year. June’s statewide total of about $17.5 million nearly broke the single-month record. Over the 12 months prior to Aug. 1, 2018, the Strip-area poker rooms took in $79.5 million, up more than two percent compared to the same period a…

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 says it has reached a tentative agreement with MGM Las Vegas. The news was announced by the union – which covers half of the 50,000 employees threatening to strike in Las Vegas – in a tweet late Saturday. This comes after Friday’s announcement labour union and the other big casino employer threatened by the job action, Caesars Entertainment, was reached Friday afternoon. “BREAKING. We are pleased to announce that a tentative agreement has been reached with @MGMResortsIntl ,” read the late-night announcement on Twitter. “The historic new 5-year contract covers approximately 24,000 workers at…