Saturday, December 12, 2015

Driving The Strip Video

The use of GoPro and other new HD cameras have given us some great footage of Las Vegas.

Today I came across this video from early 2015 giving us a glimpse of what it's like to drive up and down the Strip during the day:

Friday, December 11, 2015

Showcase Mall Sold

Over the past year developer Barry Fieldman has been selling off pieces of his Showcase Mall property near MGM Grand to New York real estate investor Eli Gindi and Jordache jeans founders the Nakash family.

The final plot was sold last week for almost $83 million, completing the $370 million buyout of the property.

Showcase Mall is known for a Coca-Cola store complete with giant Coke bottle, along with an M&M's World property. If you're dying to see a movie on the Strip, there's also a United Artists theater.

The sale of Showcase Mall has started speculation wondering if anything will be done with the property. I'm guessing not really. In spite of the relative kitsch of the property, it seems to be fairly busy most of the time. I can't see a serious real estate investor doing anything to jeopardize that.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Uber now at Las Vegas Airport

Uber is now fully authorized in Las Vegas, recently gaining approval to operate at McCarran International Airport.

It's been a long journey for Uber to get to Las Vegas. The service was banned, then briefly operated, and banned again before gaining approval first to operate outside of tourist areas, then moving into the resorts and now airport.

I've long thought that Uber, while a great service is somewhat unnecessary in Las Vegas. Taxicabs (annoying long hauling aside) are available everywhere so it's usually not a problem getting around.

That being said Uber has gained so much popularity in such a short amount of time that it's become the default mode of transportation for many people. It's very possible that young people in Las Vegas won't even consider cabs since they are so used to using Uber.

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Steve Wynn Buys his own Stock

Steve Wynn has never lacked self confidence. It should be little surprise that he made a big bet on himself, recently purchasing a little over 1 million shares of Wynn Resorts stock valued at just north of $60 million.

The news of the purchase sent WYNN stock up 13% earlier today, increasing a little over $8 a share to finish just shy of $70 a share.

The one million shares Wynn recently purchased now represent 9% of his total stake in the company. He now directly or indirectly owns 11.07 million shares worth around $775 million.

While many see Wynn's purchase as a strong buy signal, I'm not so sure.  While Las Vegas results are strong because of lower gaming odds, Wynn's results are more centered around Macau.

I think Macau is going to be a strong casino market for the long term, but there are a lot of question marks in the short term. A slew of new resort openings will likely expand the market in the long run, but could put pressure on existing resorts in 2016 and 2017.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

BYU and Utah in Las Vegas Bowl

The Las Vegas Bowl match-up is set. BYU and Utah will take their in-state rivalry to Las Vegas to do battle on Dec. 19, 2015, at 12:30 p.m. (PST).

The game is already sold out.

There has been a little controversy with the tickets as Utah fans are claiming that BYU fans had an unfair advantage in buying tickets since their team was announced to be playing in the bowl game much earlier.

Controversy aside, the Las Vegas Bowl is becoming one of the more popular bowl games, selling out in 8 of the last 11 years.

Monday, December 07, 2015

The Killers and Wayne Newton open Arena

Back in September it was reported that George Strait would be the first performer to open the new Las Vegas Arena in late April 2016.

While Strait will still be doing his shows, the first performance will actually be done by Las Vegas band The Killers on April 6, 2016 according to FOX5 Vegas.

Mr. Las Vegas himself Wayne Newton will be a special guest, and North Las Vegas local Shamir will also be on the show.

It's kind of cool to see an all Las Vegas lineup to open the arena, and ticket prices start at a modest $35 making this arena-opening show affordable for many.

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Impressions of Las Vegas Video

Las Vegas hyper-lapse video by Julian Tryba:

Impressions of Las Vegas from Julian Tryba on Vimeo.