Casinotoplists - News

The Best and Worst of Horror Films Set in Las Vegas

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 12:41:58 +0100

As it turns out, horror movies filmed in Sin City have turned out to be quite a gamble with some paying off huge and others coming up craps.

The Good

Fright Night (2011 Remake)

The 2011 remake of the 1985 horror classic Fright Night was set in Las Vegas with Anton Yelchin playing Charley Brewster and Doctor Who's David Tennant playing Peter Vincent.

This time Vincent is a magician who happens to be an expert on vampires. The story goes along the lines of the original with a vampire moving in next door to Charlie.

While fans of the original did not find the remake quite as entertaining, it still received favorable reviews with many thinking it had a clever mix of horror and comedy.

Resident Evil: Extinction

The third movie in the Resident Evil franchise saw Alice (Milla Jovovich) battle a series of clones that the Umbrella Corporation created in hopes of replicating her powers.

Parts of the film were based on Las Vegas (although filmed in Mexico) and the filmmakers did a fantastic job of making a post-apocalyptic Vegas in stunning detail.

Fans worldwide loved the film as it grossed $147 million, which was the largest grossing film of the franchise up until that point.

Resident Evil: Afterlife and Resident Evil: Retribution both surpassed that total.

The Bad

Vegas Vampires

Vegas Vampires was a film that had the misfortune of being developed five years before Twilight made vampires cool again. That might explain why Tommy "Tiny" Lister was cast in the lead role.

Don't know who he is? He's the bad guy in No Holds Barred. Lister plays a Vegas cop who is trying to take out a vampire king named Q. (No, John de Lancie is not in this film.)

The film is set in Vegas and is loosely based on a video game.

Unfortunately, poor acting and an even worse script remind us why vampires now have to sparkle to get our attention.

Leprechaun 3

Leprechaun 3 was a film that you knew was going to be lacking when it was the first film of the franchise to go directly to video.

This time, Warwick Davis' character is running around Las Vegas trying to get his lucky charms while terrorizing anyone who touches his pot of gold.

Kudos to David DuBos for a setting befitting the character, but the storyline was what made the film franchise more of a comedic horror franchise.

Warwick Davis apparently is one of the only ones who really liked the film as it was among his favorites to make. Critics were not as enamored with the film, however.

It's the worst-rated film of the franchise, which is quite the feat when you realize Leprechaun in the Hood and Leprechaun in Space came after this film.

Should Have Stayed in Vegas

Las Vegas Serial Killer

Anytime you see Ray Dennis Steckler's name attached to a film you know it's going to be bad, but Las Vegas Serial Killer takes bad to another level.

The film is actually a sequel to the 1979 film The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher.

Jonathan Glick is the crazed maniac that is released from prison after only a six-year sentence and heads out to Las Vegas to go on a killing spree.

Much of the dialogue was dubbed over in post-production like many spaghetti westerns did in the 1960s. Many of the scenes are excessively long with little impact on the plot.

Yes, there is a plot to this film, but most won't make it far enough into this film to figure that out.

The acting is poor and the script could have been better improvised by a high school drama department.

It's not surprising that some consider this one of the worst horror films in history. In this case, what is filmed in Vegas should be buried in the desert.

Amazing Things to Do in Las Vegas Outside of the Casino

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:08:51 +0100

But while Las Vegas is known worldwide for its gambling and entertainment culture, it's actually a diverse city offering much more to visitors and residents alike.

Check out some of the other amazing, family-friendly activities available for visitors to Las Vegas:

Vegas is For Families

Las Vegas is not just for gamblers and young co-eds as it also offers numerous family-themed activities throughout the city.

The Excalibur and Circus Circus are popular family choices due to their unique and playful offerings.

Circus Circus has Adventuredome, a 5-acre indoor amusement park complete with bumper cars, roller coasters, giant swings and more. The park is available year round.

At the Excalibur, families can enjoy the Tournament of Kings dinner theater. The Tournament of Kings is a live medieval jousting tournament held while guests partake in a "traditional-style" feast, meaning without silverware.

Sword fighting, jousting, dancing horses and more will keep kids on the edge of their seats.

In addition, there are numerous other family activities in and around Las Vegas including the Las Vegas Zoo, Children's Discovery Museum, Grand Canyon Tours and more.

Learn Something!

Believe it or not, Las Vegas has some amazing museums that give guests a unique perspective on history.

For those that love stories of old school Las Vegas, you need to check out the Mob Museum downtown. The Mob Museum gives you a no-holds barred look at the history of not just the mob that ran the city but also the law enforcement officials that helped to end their reign.

For those of you wanting to give your kids a fun educational experience, try out the Discovery Children's Museum.

Unlike many museums, this one allows kids to interact with over 100 exhibits while teaching them about science, history and the arts.

The Luxor has one of the more unique museums in the city. "Bodies: The Exhibition" allows guests to examine the human body much the same way that a medical student would, with live exhibits.

Body and organ samples from around the world are on display here so it's not for those that might faint at the sight of blood.

Get Physical!

If you're someone that loves to do more than sit at a table and play cards, Las Vegas can more than fit the bill.

Whether you like to hike, run, ski or bungee jump there are plenty of things you can do in the Vegas area.

For the more adventurous visitors to sin city, Vegas offers both the Vegas zip line and two spots for bungee jumping. The downtown Vegas Zip Line offers thrill seekers the chance to zip over Glitter Gulch along an 800-foot controlled descent.

Vegas has two spots where folks can take their leap of faith. The first is Sky Jump at the top of the Stratosphere and the other is the "T-Tower."

The T-Tower is located near Circus Circus and is home to the largest double bungee platform on the planet.

If you love to run, then you want to try out the running trails over at Red Rock Canyon.

Red Rock has over 30 miles of running trails that stretch out over the 195,000 acre park. It offers some of the best views in Vegas and is a lot safer than running the street routes.

Mount Charleston is about 30 minutes outside of Vegas, but if you want to go hiking, biking, spend a night camping or go skiing, that is going to be your destination.

A natural oasis in the middle of the desert, Mount Charleston has excellent views and the best examples of plant life and wildlife in the region.

Vegas is for Pets Too

You may not know this but Las Vegas is one of the more pet-friendly cities in the United States.

Several major casinos and every property owned by Caesar's Entertainment allows guests to stay with them during their vacation to Vegas.

If your plans wind up sending you somewhere in Vegas that does not accept pets, no problem. Vegas also has several upscale boarding houses for pets including the Animal Inn and the A-V.I.P. Pet Resort.

Friendly, professional staff take care of your pets for a lot less than the "name brand" boarding houses.

Steve Wynn Helps Bankrupt Girls Gone Wild

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:53:29 +0100

The company that owns the Girls Gone Wild franchise announced early in March that it was filing for bankruptcy. The company has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, listing $50,000 in assets and $16.3 million in debt.

Company owner and founder Joe Francis founded Girls Gone Wild in the 1990s and reportedly built a very profitable business based on the premise of drunk girls on spring break doing all sorts of naughty things -- conveniently caught on camera, of course.

The company expanded from videos to magazines and online Web sites and Francis built up a mound of personal cash estimated at $150 million.

The empire began to crumble, however, after an epic gambling spree at the Wynn Casino that saw Francis run up a tab of $2 million in 2009 that he refused to pay.

Bizarre, Soap Opera-esque Storyline

Steve Wynn’s attempts to collect on the debt eventually turned into a bizarre soap opera-esque storyline, with Francis claiming that Wynn was guilty of deceptive practices at his casino and that Wynn had threatened to kill him with a shovel in an e-mail.

Francis described the e-mail as follows in an exclusive interview with Good Morning America:

"In all caps, and then exclamation points -- like a crazy person's email – [Wynn wrote], 'I'm going to hit to him in the back of the head with a shovel and have him buried in the middle of the desert,'" Francis said. "I was afraid for my life. He made it very clear that he wanted to kill me."

During the actual ensuing trial, however, Francis’ story fell apart, with Quincy Jones testifying that he never saw such an e-mail and Francis backtracking and saying that he only saw a flash of the e-mail in print form in a stack of other papers.

Jurors sided with Wynn and awarded him $20 million in damages; attempts to collect the money personally from Francis failed with the next step being to attempt to collect it from his company, which was the impetus behind the bankruptcy filing.

Some believe Francis emptied the corporate accounts in an attempt to hide the money and rid itself of the debts it lists as owed to Wynn.

4 Ways to Get Your Music Fix In Las Vegas

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:13:26 +0100

Dealertainment

There’s always plenty of free music to enjoy in Vegas casinos with songs piped into the casino floors at many major casinos plus live singers stationed throughout the gaming floor at some.

"Dealertainers” at other casinos alsoalternate between dealing blackjack and other games and belting out various hits from the past.

Live Venues

Other casinos feature live music venues where bands and singers drop in during tours of the U.S. The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay and The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino are two examples.

Caesars Palace has made a name for itself as the semi-permanent home for famous singers such as Celine Dion and Elton John who schedule multiple concerts each year for fans and tourists to enjoy.

DJs and Clubs

If DJs and club-hopping are more your style, you’ll have plenty of chances to see world-famous DJs at clubs such as Ghostbar and Rain at the Palms, The Bank at the Bellagio, Tao at the Venetian and XS and Surrender at Encore.

Many DJs just fly in for a few shows with little warning so there’s no guarantee who you might see.

Music Festivals

As far as larger music festivals that you can plan a trip around, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) and the new iHeartRadio Music Festival are two of the biggest and most popular.

Both offer up the chance to see dozens of great acts and enjoy a huge party scene. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on Las Vegas to join in on the fun.

The Electric Daisy Carnival usually hits Veags in late June while the iHeartRadio festival runs in September.

Is the Airline Industry Ready for In-Flight Gambling?

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:30:00 +0100

AirJet Designs and Frédérique Houssard (the founder of design agency Designescence) have unveiled designs for a new concept called Casino Jet Lounge which includes a blackjack table -- complete with a dealer -- as well as high-end lounge chairs and a cocktail bar.

The Casino Jet Lounge would have its own dedicated space on certain planes and offer a very unique twist on the concept of in-flight entertainment.

"We're trying to bring back the glamor of the '50s and '60s a little bit; the kind you see in the James Bond movies," says Houssard.

So far no airlines have anted up to try the idea and it may be a tough pitch. Not only is space extremely limited on many flights but past attempts to introduce gambling on airplanes haven’t been met with much success.

Singapore Airlines briefly offered slot machines on some flights from Singapore to San Francisco in the 1980s. Swissair offered poker, keno, blackjack and other games via its in-flight entertainment system on some of its flights in the 1990s.

Ryanair passengers can buy scratch tickets on most flights and the airline has hinted that it’d like to offer online gambling via WiFi on some flights.

So far the cost has been prohibitive as far as offering both gambling games and WiFi on its low-cost flights throughout Europe.

Online gambling would seem to be a natural fit for airlines but they’d also be competing with existing online gambling sites now that WiFi is becoming more commonplace on flights.

The potential profits that could be made from running their own gambling sites also are outweighed for many airlines by the potential legal complications -- especially for flights over countries where online gambling is illegal.

Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants in Vegas

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:30:00 +0100

But many of the big casinos and hotels have diversified into providing world-class dining, entertainment and shopping options to lure visitors from around the globe.

Celebrity chef restaurants are especially popular, using the delicious combo of famous chefs and fine dining to deliver, for many tourists, the highlight of their stay in Vegas.

Below you’ll find some of our picks for the best celebrity chef restaurants in Vegas with an eye towards providing a range of cuisine and dining experiences. All are located in major Strip casinos for the ultimate in convenience.

Mesa Grill

Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill is located in Caesars Palace and provides his signature style cooking with plenty of Southwestern style dishes served up

Signature Dishes: Garlic Corn Tamale With Corn-Cilantro Sauce; Chipotle Glazed Ribeye; New Mexico Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin With Bourbon-Ancho Chile Sauce & Sweet Potato; Tamale With Crushed Pecan Butter

Craftsteak

Chef Tom Colicchio is the head judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. Carnivores will find plenty of juicy steaks to enjoy in his restaurant at MGM Grand

Signature Dishes: Kobe Beef; Diver Scallops

Lagasse’s Stadium

This casual restaurant is part sports bar/part restaurant. It serves up Emeril Lagasse's signature dishes at the Palazzo with outdoor seating on an enclosed patio available as well.

Signature Dish: Emeril's Steak Bam'Wich

Carnevino Italian Steakhouse

Also in the Palazzo, Carnevino is celebrity chef Mario Batali’s take on classic Italian dishes and steaks.

Signature Dishes: Dry Aged Steaks; Ribeye For Two; Lobster Crudo

Seablue

Michael Mina’s Seablue puts a Mediterranean spin on seafood and is yet another great celebrity restaurant found at the MGM Grand.

Signature Dishes: Bacon Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass Tagine; Lobster Corn Dog; 8 Oz. American Kobe Beef Flatiron

Robuchon

Joël Robuchon might just be the king of the celebrity chefs in Vegas and his namesake Robuchon restaurant at MGM Grand takes fine French dining to new heights.

Signature Dishes: La Langoustine; Le Caviar

Nobu

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his signature restaurant can be found at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, adding some sushi flair to your dining options when checking out celebrity restaurants in Vegas

Signature Dish: Black Cod with Miso

Top Five Celebrity Gambling Binges

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 07:00:00 +0100

It takes a special kind of celebrity to crack our top five celebrity gambling binges list, though.

Tons of money + inflated egos can often be a perfect recipe for some epic gambling tales. And athletes are particularly prone to pop up on lists such as this.

That same competitive streak that helped Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley succeed on the court can lead to some pretty massive gambling losses as well when things don’t go their way.

Here are five of the most notable celeb gamblers:

Floyd Mayweather

Boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather is true to his nickname when it comes to huge sports bets. Mayweather often Tweets photos of betting slips for wagers he’s placed that are well in excess of $100,000.

He’s rumored to have bet millions on the Super Bowl and college football games from time to time but huge paydays for his boxing matches can easily fund his gambling habit -- for the near future at least.

Biggest Binge: Mayweather bet $1.1 million to win $1 million on an Oregon-Arizona St. college football game

Charles Barkley

The “Round Man of Rebound” claims to have gotten his gambling habit under control but he’s estimated that he’s lost over $10 million in total to what he calls a “stupid” habit.

Barkley would play just about any game in a casino and has bet big on sports but swears he’s drawn the line at basketball and never bet on it.

Biggest Binge: Barkley says he once lost $2.5 million in six hours

Phil Ivey

Many high-stakes poker players are notorious gamblers and none more so than Phil Ivey, who’ll bet big on nearly anything.

As far as pit games his main game of choice is craps, with plenty of tales of million-dollar losses and wins at the craps tables in Vegas.

He’s also a big sportsbettor, rumored to have lost millions betting on the NBA Finals over the last few years.

Biggest Binge: Ivey won $11.5 million playing blackjack at a London casino which the casino refused to pay due to suspicions about collusion.

Ben Affleck

Movie stars can get their gamble on too and Ben Aflleck is well-known for his love of playing high-stakes poker and blackjack.

He’s had success at the poker tables -- including winning the California State Poker Championship in 2004 -- but his craziest gambling hijinks have occurred at the blackjack tables.

Biggest Binge: Affleck was spotted on one trip to Vegas betting up to $60,000/hand at blackjack, going on a heater that saw him walk away with a cool profit of $800,000.

Michael Jordan

Jordan has made no secret of his fondness for gambling and he’s rumored to bet $1 million or more on high-stakes golf wagers.

Like Barkley, he’s taken some heat for his gambling ways when losses mounted but Jordan has plenty of cash to cover what he considers a hobby and a way to keep the competitive fires going.

Biggest Binge: $900,000 in gambling debts are rumored to have caused Jordan's "retirement" from basketball to play minor league baseball and avoid suspension.

Brazilian Football Star Ronaldo Leverages Fame for Sports Marketing, Rio Olympics

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:00:00 +0100

Ronaldo retired from football in 2011 at the age of 35 when numerous injuries over the course of his career finally became too much to overcome.

Hailed as one of the greatest football players ever, it wouldn’t be long before he was once again in the news as he’s been very active juggling business endeavors and a very busy personal life.

Nazario owns a 45% stake in sports marketing agency 9ine and is working with various big name brands such as Duracell and GlaxoSmithKline to ramp up their sports marketing campaigns.

Businesses from around the globe are targeting Brazil in preparation for the World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics and Ronaldo leveraging his fame and connections to help them get their marketing messages across.

9ine is also looking to tap into the rising popularity of poker in Latin America and has signed deals with poker players such as PokerStars Pro Team member Andre Akkari. Akkari signed with the company in early 2013 and will be representing 9ine at major poker events around the world.

Personal Life as Crazy and Impressive as Football Highlights

Ronaldo is no stranger to having to “spin” stories in a positive light as his personal life has had some highlights just as crazy and impressive as some of his football performances.

He’s been linked to a string of models and actresses over the years -- including fathering a child with Brazilian footballer Milene Domingue. His marriage to Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniela Cicarelli lasted all of three months after a $1 million wedding.

In 2008 he managed to get entangled in a transvestite prostitution scandal. Ronaldo dropped off his girlfriend and then unknowingly picked up three transvestite prostitutes and checked into a motel.

When he discovered they were men he tried to pay them off but one allegedly insisted on trying to blackmail him in exchange for $30,000. Ronaldo refused to pay and shrugged off the incident when it became public, claiming that he liked to have a good time and blaming it on bad decisions stemming from a recent surgery.

Hachem and Warne Poker Charity Event Brings Out Stars

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 08:30:00 +0100

Raising money for the Shane Warne Foundation, the January 20 event saw plenty of celebrities and poker pros try their luck at the tables at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

Warne and girlfriend Liz Hurley were of course there along with Joe and Tony Hachem, Annette Obrestad, Robert Williamson III, Glenn Robbins and Andy Lee.

Warne is better known for his cricket prowess but he’s been a regular feature at big poker events such as the World Series of Poker and the Aussie Millions in recent years.

A sponsorship deal with online gambling operator 888 features Warne heavily in various marketing campaigns.

Joe Hachem is a former chiropracter and WSOP Main Event winner who has remained active in poker circles, winning nearly $12 million in poker tournaments in his career.

Changing the Lives of Underprivileged Children

The Shane Warne Foundation was launched in 2004 with the following goals for its poker charity event per a recent press release:

“With the support the Foundation receives from Crown, the event just keeps on getting better each year. It’s proving to be one of the biggest charity days of the year, but it’s important to remember why we do it. The Shane Warne Foundation raises funds for seriously ill and underprivileged children. As an umbrella foundation, we fund many children’s charities, which need our funding to continue the work they do.”

About 100 players took part in the 2013 poker charity event with the winner of each starting table moving onto the finals. Neither Warne or Hachem would make the final eight players. Amateur Mike Turnley defeated 2012 APPT Melbourne runner-up Keith Walker for the win.

The 2013 Joe Hachem and Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament raised over $300,000 for the Shane Warne Foundation.

Great Casino Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:30:00 +0100

But don’t completely rule out a night of romance at the casino.

With a little thought and planning you can have a great date and you might just be able to sneak off for some gambling action yourself.

1. Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

It’s hard to go wrong with diamond jewelry if you want to go big with a gift for your special Valentine. It’s easy to find stores and jewelers just a few steps away in many Vegas casinos.

Sure, you’ll pay more when buying jewelry at the Venetian mall or the shops at the Bellagio, but she’ll appreciate the extra effort and attention.

You can also pair the gift with an amazing meal at one of the many world-class restaurants Vegas has to offer.

2. Vegas, Baby, Vegas

This one applies to both guys and girls, but sometimes the best Valentine’s Day gift (especially for couples) is a trip to Vegas itself.

Make sure that special someone knows the trip is the gift and who knows? If you win big at the blackjack tables or at roulette, you might just splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime fancy dinner and some beautiful bling.

3. Dinner and a Show

Vegas is known for the great restaurants and entertainment options in its mega casinos but you’ll find plenty of other casinos around the world that offer fine dining, movie theaters, shows, concerts and more.

Sometimes the best restaurant in town might just happen to be in a casino, so make sure you focus on that selling point. (And don’t mention that there’s a great poker tournament running later that night as well...)

4. Couples Spa Package

You can never go wrong with a full day of pampering at a high-end spa. Vegas casinos and hotels are known to have some of the best spas in the world and their sheer size and luxury will definitely add to the experience.

From body scrubs to hot rock massages to cooling eye therapy you can guarantee she'll find something from the spa menu she'll like.

She might not be that happy about sharing it with you, but either way you'll likely win.

5. Life on the Wild Side

This takes the right kind of special someone, but for a nice change of pace you might offer them a proposition.

You’ll spend however much you’d typically spend on Valentine’s Day gifts and a date ... or they can choose instead to take that cash and head off to the casino with you to see how much they can turn it into

We're not going to say it isn't risky... but isn't that what romance is all about? Win or lose, you'll have a very memorable story to recount when you get home.

They’ll usually opt for the traditional date but sometimes it’s fun to be wild and crazy and throw caution to the wind, especially if you’re not normally the gambling type and don’t visit the casino very often.