Areas of Expertise
2277 stories by Corey Levitan
LOST VEGAS: Jai Alai, the Strip’s First Professional Sport
When Kirk Kerkorian opened the original MGM Grand Hotel (today's Horseshoe Las Vegas) on December 5, 1973, he wanted more than slot machines and showrooms. He wanted spectacle. So inside what was then the largest resort in the world, he built a...
VEGAS MYTHS BUSTED: Casinos Rig Your Cards
A recent viral video purports to show how casinos rig blackjack tables to guarantee player losses The sensors shown are actually RFID readers, which track player betting patterns and chip values One of last week’s most viral Vegas videos featured a guy...
NBA Collecting Player Cell Phones Following Federal Indictments — Report
Following federal indictments tied to multiple illegal sports betting schemes, The Athletic reports that the NBA has hired an independent law firm to oversee information preservation. That firm (Manhattan-based Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz) is requesting cell phones, messages and documents from...
UPDATE: Las Vegas Police Arrest Suspect in Piero’s Bombing
UPDATE: This article is no longer up to date. Click here to read the latest on the Piero's bombing. EARLIER: Las Vegas police say an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated outside Piero’s Italian Cuisine at 2:19 a.m. Thursday. The Las Vegas...
VEGAS DINING NEWS: Steaks Stripped from Caesars Palace Eatery, Red Rock to Swap New Restaurant for Old One
In March 2023, Caesars Entertainment and Tao Group Hospitality debuted Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace as an offshoot of New York City’s Stanton Social, which closed in 2018. But steak didn’t cut it for the owners -- at least not as...
Caesars Becomes 3rd Vegas Casino Company to Pay Millions for Same Illegal Bookie’s Gambling
This week, Caesars Entertainment became the third Las Vegas casino operator this year to be fined by the Nevada Gaming Commission for anti-money laundering failures related to illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The Reno-based company, which operates eight casino resorts on the Strip,...
5 Michigan Casinos That Shut Down but Transformed the Industry
Michigan’s gambling history isn’t just about the casinos that survived -- it’s about the ones that didn’t. These five defunct venues, ranked by historical impact, helped shape tribal sovereignty, urban gaming, and regulatory reform. Though gone, their legacies still influence how Michigan...
VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: The El Rancho Vegas’ Origin Story
EDITOR’S NOTE: “Vegas Myths Busted” publishes new entries every Monday, with a bonus Flashback Friday edition. Today’s entry in our ongoing series originally ran on February 25, 2025. One day in 1938 or 1939, Thomas Everett Hull -- who owned the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel...
Indicted Gambler Wins Major Las Vegas Poker Event, Exposing Industry Blind Spot
Poker pro Gal Yifrach won the 2025 PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Las Vegas Main Event on November 12. That wouldn’t be big news except that Yifrach is currently under federal indictment for operating an illegal gambling business and laundering its...
FALLOUT VEGAS REVENUE: Room Taxes, Gaming Fees, Rentals All Down in FY Q1
The LVCVA reported that tourism to Sin City was down significantly for the first quarter of the 2025-26 fiscal year Officials blame economic uncertainty and consumer anxiety for the downturn The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) delivered grim but expected...
