Bryan Horwath

Story Archive

Loyal customers relish last visit to storied Las Vegas diner Vickie's
Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020
A retired Clark County School District grounds worker, Michael Turner has fond memories of eating lunch at Vickie’s Diner when he was in the neighborhood.  When he heard the throwback diner — on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Strat — was set to close ...
Remote check-in lets Las Vegas Strip hotel guests avoid lines, social distance
Monday, Aug. 17, 2020
When Yolanda Navarez visits Las Vegas, she walks right past the people lined up at the hotel check-in desk and heads straight to her room. A regular at MGM Resorts properties, she uses her phone to pull up ...
Pandemic is pushing players toward electronic table games
Monday, Aug. 17, 2020
Demand for electronic table games has spiked during the coronavirus pandemic, as some players want to sit by themselves and casinos seek a cheaper way to offer games like blackjack and roulette, an industry executive said.
Work resumes at MSG Sphere site on Strip, company says
Friday, Aug. 14, 2020
Construction has resumed at the site of the MSG Sphere on the Las Vegas Strip. Madison Square Garden Co. officials made the announcement during a quarterly earnings conference call Friday ...
MGM Resorts plans to reopen the Mirage on Aug. 27
Friday, Aug. 14, 2020
The Mirage will reopen Aug. 27, according to a news release issued today by MGM Resorts International. The Strip resort has been closed since ...
COVID-19 'most difficult' challenge ever for casino industry, AGA boss says
Friday, Aug. 14, 2020
“Gaming’s record popularity prior to COVID-19, as well as our resilience in the midst of such adversity, is evidence of the industry’s foundation for continued success."
Allegiant Stadium worker injured in boom lift mishap
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020
An Allegiant Stadium construction worker required medical attention this morning after a mishap at the site of the nearly complete $2 billion facility. The person, who was working on ...
Las Vegas restaurants struggling to survive pandemic
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020
When Gino Ferraro opened Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar some 35 years ago, he worked grueling hours with little help to get the fledgling business off the ground. Now, after being forced to cut back on staff to make up for lost business from the coronavirus pandemic ...
Eye-in-the-sky cameras assist in COVID-19 contact tracing for workers at Westgate
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020
From the moment someone steps foot on a Las Vegas resort property, they are being watched — from license-plate readers at garage entrances to hundreds of cameras trained on virtually every square inch of the casino floor. Surveillance operators behind the ubiquitous “eye in the sky” are on ...
A longtime Las Vegan aims to revitalize Showboat land with affordable housing
Monday, Aug. 10, 2020
The Showboat—which was nestled south of Charleston Boulevard and just west of what’s now Interstate 515—was a favorite gathering spot for Las Vegas locals.

Frontier Airlines to furlough 245 Las Vegas workers Oct. 1
Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020
More than 200 Frontier Airlines employees could be laid off at McCarran International Airport in October ...
Sahara Las Vegas sues blogger over closure claims
Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020
The owner of the Sahara has filed a defamation lawsuit against a Las Vegas blogger over a post saying ...
Official: Tropicana’s September opening could be delayed
Friday, Aug. 7, 2020
The CEO of Tropicana’s parent company on Thursday hinted that the Las Vegas resort might not open as planned ...
Sisolak takes steps to address unemployment insurance backlog
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020
Gov. Steve Sisolak has named former state lawmaker Barbara Buckley to lead an effort to reduce an unemployment insurance benefits backlog. Sisolak today also announced ...
Amid pandemic gloom, Las Vegas housing market 'on fire'
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Nevada home prices continued to inch higher in July, according to a new report. The median price ...
Sahara accused of violating virus social distancing protocols
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020
Nevada gaming officials have accused the Sahara of violating state-mandated coronavirus social distancing guidelines. In a two-count complaint filed Monday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board cited ...
Wynn sees dip in drive-in visitors as virus spikes in region
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020
With fewer people flying to Las Vegas because of the coronavirus outbreak, Wynn Resorts, which operates the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore on the Strip, has depended on ...
Builders overcome remarkable challenges to deliver Allegiant Stadium
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020
When the Raiders kick off their debut season in Las Vegas next month, they will do it in one of the NFL’s most expensive stadiums. And like any team that has overcome adversity to become champions, the construction team that built Allegiant Stadium battled remarkable challenges to finish the project on ...
Fertitta: Four closed Station Casinos properties might not reopen
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020
On June 4, the company reopened more than a dozen properties after nearly 80 days of closures out of coronavirus concerns. But the Palms, Texas Station, Fiesta Rancho and Fiesta Henderson remained closed ...
Boyd Gaming capitalizing on Stardust name with new app
Monday, Aug. 3, 2020
David Schwartz, a professor and gaming historian with UNLV, said there’s no question that the Stardust brand continues to be popular today.
Southern Nevada real estate pros reinvent the way they do business during pandemic
Monday, Aug. 3, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause upheaval and uncertainty in Southern Nevada's economy, Vegas Inc takes a look at the local real estate market. Uri Vaknin, a Downtown Las Vegas condominium developer, spoke with us about the challenges the real estate market has faced, and how it has adjusted.

M Resort in Henderson will lay off 300 employees in August
Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020
The layoffs, like others in Southern Nevada this year, were blamed on the chilling effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the casino business.

AVN Awards, Vegas' porn expo, latest to go digital for 2021
Friday, July 31, 2020
A popular adult entertainment awards show became the latest Las Vegas convention to announce an all-digital format for 2021. It which was scheduled to take place ...
California visitor wins nearly $2 million at Caesars Palace
Friday, July 31, 2020
A visitor to Las Vegas is nearly $2 million richer after hitting a pai gow poker jackpot at Caesars Palace today. The player, a California resident who did not want to be identified, hit ...
Allegiant Stadium nearly built, but will fans get to come watch Raiders play?
Friday, July 31, 2020
The construction of Allegiant Stadium is mostly finished. Builder Mortenson-McCarthy announced today that it received a certificate of occupancy for the ...
Nevada casinos, small businesses seek protection from coronavirus lawsuits
Friday, July 31, 2020
The Nevada Resort Association is pressing state lawmakers to pass legislation to protect casinos from unfounded coronavirus-related lawsuits it says could shut them back down. In a letter to Gov. Steve Sisolak this month, the association said it is seeking “targeted and limited safe harbor from ...
MGM’s Hornbuckle named permanent president and CEO
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Bill Hornbuckle has been named permanent CEO and president of MGM Resorts International. Hornbuckle, a longtime MGM employee who has ...
Official: CES can’t wait to be back in Las Vegas in 2022
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
In May, organizers said they planned to go ahead and hold some events in Las Vegas next year, but the thinking changed as COVID-19 cases spiked around the world ...
Former MGM exec: Expect an NBA team in Las Vegas
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
The former CEO of MGM Resorts International expects Las Vegas will get a National Basketball Association franchise within the next few years. Speaking today at ...
Tavern owners in Las Vegas try to hang on as coronavirus curbs chip away at business
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Like many other Nevada bar owners, Roger Sachs is frustrated. After being hit with state-mandated business restrictions to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Sachs, who owns three Steiner’s pub locations in Las Vegas, is burning through savings and ...
Permanent layoffs expected for many workers in MGM entertainment division
Monday, July 27, 2020
A “large majority” of the employees working in MGM Resorts International’s entertainment and sports division is likely to be permanently laid off at the end of next month ...

Faith Lutheran student nails ACT with top score
Monday, July 27, 2020
When Faith Lutheran High School’s Ashley Michel took the ACT college-entrance exam the first time, she did well. But she knew she could do better. She just didn’t realize how much better. On her second try in June, Michel 16, earned ...
'Winner, winner': Gambler hits $320K jackpot at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas
Sunday, July 26, 2020
A guest playing high-limit slots on Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas won $320,000 ...
CEO of Fremont Street Experience stepping down
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Patrick Hughes, president and CEO of the Fremont Street Experience, is stepping down Oct. 31 after more than four years in charge of the downtown Las Vegas ...
Las Vegas 'in a very difficult place' until air travel recovers, Sands exec says
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s president and chief operating officer said Wednesday that operating a big resort on the Strip is, for the time being, an exercise in futility.
Several Strip casino operators reducing staff amid pandemic
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Several Las Vegas Strip resorts have announced jobs reductions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Wynn Resorts, which operates Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, and ...
Clark County commissioners give approval for high-speed rail line to SoCal
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
An ambitious plan for a high-speed passenger train from Las Vegas to Southern California moved another step closer to reality today following a vote by ...
New Caesars CFO: Some job cuts coming, but company is 'bullish on Las Vegas'
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
The merger of Eldorado Resorts and Caesars Entertainment Corp. will result in a reduction of jobs, but the new company plans to make cuts as “compassionately and transparently as possible." Before layoffs resulting from the coronavirus pandemic ...
California woman wins $875,000 playing slots at Las Vegas airport
Monday, July 20, 2020
A visitor from California took home nearly $875,000 after hitting a jackpot Friday at the Las Vegas airport. The woman, from Torrance, Calif., was playing a ...
Curaleaf company president: Nevada could lead cannabis into the mainstream
Monday, July 20, 2020
Curaleaf Holdings is close to becoming the nation’s largest cannabis chain. Its president, Joe Bayern, talked to us about how the industry is navigating COVID-19 ...

Tough economic times bring out entrepreneurial spirit
Sunday, July 19, 2020
It’s sometimes the jolt of difficult economic times that lead people to make a career change. A bad economy can lead to innovation and investment in promising ideas, said Jeff Saling, co-founder and executive director of StartUpNV, a nonprofit ...
Garth Brooks concert for Allegiant Stadium in Vegas remains scheduled for August
Friday, July 17, 2020
A concert by country music star Garth Brooks is apparently still on for next month at Allegiant Stadium.
Vdara luxury hotel at Aria reopening Thursday
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
MGM Resorts International’s Vdara Hotel and Spa will reopen Thursday. The hotel, a luxury brand at the Aria on the Strip, has been closed since mid-March because of the ...
Tropicana Las Vegas set to reopen Sept. 1
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Tropicana Las Vegas will reopen 10 a.m. Sept. 1 after being closed since mid-March out of coronavirus concerns.

Reeling from pandemic, Boyd Gaming laying off at least a quarter of its workforce 
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Boyd Gaming Corp. is permanently laying off at least 25% of its employees because of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the company said. Furloughed employees who have not ...
Mohegan brand eager to make splash in wake of the Hard Rock Hotel
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
The former Hard Rock Hotel property in Las Vegas remains on schedule to open before Jan. 1. Representing its first foray into the market, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment ...
Aviators, Summerlin cope with consequences of lost baseball season
Monday, July 13, 2020
This summer has been quite different for Las Vegas Ballpark in Downtown Summerlin. Instead of packing in 9,000-plus fans during a 70-date home schedule, the second-year ballpark for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators has sat mostly empty because of the coronavirus pandemic. On June 30, Minor League Baseball announced ...
Less crowded these days, Las Vegas airport adjusts to new normal
Sunday, July 12, 2020
While waiting for her luggage at McCarran International Airport, Christina Esposito of San Diego said she was concerned about traveling in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. But she and her friend were on a mission, headed to South Dakota to buy ...
G2E trade show is latest coronavirus casualty in Las Vegas
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
This year’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The trade show, which drew ...
Las Vegas-area home prices unfazed by pandemic
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
“The demise of the housing market due to COVID-19 was highly overrated. The Las Vegas housing market is alive and well."