Anthony Curtis

Summertime in Las Vegas traditionally means low room rates, and that applies to the summer of 2026. A survey conducted last week by LasVegasAdvisor turned up 34 hotel-casinos with base rates of $50 and below. Lowest of all were Excalibur and OYO, with a $7-per-night base rate (resort fees tack on $45 and $51, respectively, to these numbers). Las Vegas casinos with hotel rates of $40 or less were also found at Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, Binion’s, California, Circus Circus, the D, Ellis Island, Excalibur, Fremont, Golden Gate, Golden Nugget, Luxor, Main Street Station, New York-New York, Orleans, Palace Station, Paris, Park MGM, Plaza, Rio, Sahara, Silver Sevens, Treasure Island and Virgin. Rates change quickly and these are weekday base prices that may be subject to any combination of taxes, booking charges, and especially, resort fees. But they’re an excellent place to start if you’re trying to track down good room deals over the next couple of months.

The Main Event of the 57th World Series of Poker is in progress, drawing 9,208 players who put up $10,000 for the entry fee or won their way in through qualifying tournaments. That’s a slight 5.4% drop off from last year and the second consecutive yearly decline. However, it still ranks as the fourth largest Main Event field of all time, reinforcing the fact that poker continues to be a powerful draw. It also suggests that fears that the change in the tax laws for gamblers would depress participation were at least somewhat exaggerated. The prize pool is more than $85 million, with $10 million going to first place. All nine final-­table players will win $1 million or more and the top 1,382 finishers will be in the money for at least a $15,000 prize. The new Poker World Champion will be crowned during final-table play that will begin Aug. 3.

After a long quiet period, a couple delays and with no prior notice, the Las Vegas area’s newest casino is opening this week. Club Fortune North in North Las Vegas has already had a soft opening and will open fully to the public on Wednesday. Formerly the Poker Palace, the building has undergone a $20 million remodel and includes a restaurant and bar (no hotel). The casino is slots-only and there’s also a Boomer’s sports book.

While a single Las Vegas-area casino opening was expected last week, a second surprise opening took place on the same day. To be accurate, it was more like two casino reopenings on Wednesday, the expected one being Club Fortune North in North Las Vegas, which occupies the same (renovated) space that was formerly the Poker Palace. The surprise reopening took place 40 miles west of Las Vegas in the border city (with California) of Primm, where Primm Valley Resort & Casino reopened under new ownership after closing in early July. The Primm Valley opening came completely unannounced and coincided with the Club Fortune debut. While neither casino is located in Las Vegas proper, the dual openings in such close proximity of one another represent a rare, if not unique, occurrence for any casino area.

It’s been announced that Paramount has sanctioned the development of Top Gun Vegas, an attraction based on the blockbuster movies starring Tom Cruise. A 2-1/2-acre site near the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign has been purchased for $12.5 million to create an immersive experience that will include the Hard Deck bar featured in “Top Gun: Maverick,” along with other elements from the “Top Gun” movies. Whether or not it happens remains to be seen, as this attraction was previously slated for a location next to The Strat and never materialized. However, given that the project site has been purchased, the effort appears to be on better footing this time. A projected completion date was not announced.

The 12-acre parcel of land on the south end of the Strip, which was to be home to a second observation wheel and is distinguishable by the two concrete columns that have stood in the space since 2014, has been sold to a local real estate developer for $70 million. The developer has big plans for the acreage, including a heart-shaped 874-room hotel-casino, giant heart-shaped LED marquee, Fremont Street Experience-like covered pedestrian plaza, theater and 265-foot-high “midair restaurant” that will incorporate those concrete columns. No financing details or building schedules have been divulged, but the land has been secured.

Lucas Jumalon, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Spokane, Wash., emerged from a starting field of 9,208 players to become the new World Series of Poker Main Event champion and take down the first prize of $10 million. Jumalon needed only 17 hands to oust Lauri Saaskilahti from Finland in heads-up play; Saaskilahti earned $6 million for the runner-up finish. Jumalon’s victory makes it four straight wins by American players in the Main Event. He’s the second- youngest player ever to win the championship; Joe Cada won it in 2009 when he was 21.

The recently opened Club Fortune North may be located in the building that was formerly the Poker Palace, but you wouldn’t know it after its complete renovation and transformation. Located in North Las Vegas, the former Poker Palace has been transformed from a dingy, rundown space to a sparkling and modern casino. Features of note include all new machines (no table games); one of the longest bars anywhere in Las Vegas, running along the perimeter of the casino; and 99-cent ice cream, soft or scooped. Parking is free and opening promos include no ATM fees and a refund of losses up to $100 when you join the players club. It’s worth the short drive from downtown Las Vegas to take a look.

Summer tends to be a slow period in Las Vegas and schedules are often cut back, but it doesn’t typically mean significant closures. It has this summer, however, as the closing of two major productions and one long-time staple were announced within weeks of one another. The surprise closing of the Cirque du Soleil production Mad Apple at New York-New York was noted previously in this space. On its heels came word that Awakening at Wynn Las Vegas will have its last performance on Oct. 10. Awakening went through two restarts, but never took hold and this time, the closing is permanent. Completing the trifecta, Menopause The Musical has closed at Harrah’s. Menopause had time and grade on the others, having become the longest-running scripted musical ever in Las Vegas, notching 7,458 performances. There’s been no word about replacements for any of the three.

After eight months in a court-ordered receivership, the Downtown Grand has been sold. Vegas Ventures LLC, based in Boston, was selected from a roster of 45 parties that signed confidentiality agreements. Vegas Ventures immediately deposited $2.7 million in earnest money on the unannounced purchase price and indicates that it intends to assume the existing lease with the current operating company, which should serve to avoid disruptions during the ownership transition. The sale is expected to be approved by the court at a hearing this month.