A parade of MGM employees trailing a Springfield Police Department motorcycle escort led customers into the $960 million property that is MGM’s 28th casino resort and the state’s first casino-hotel on Friday morning.
Richard N. Velotta

Richard N. “Rick” Velotta has covered business, the gaming industry, tourism, transportation and aviation in Las Vegas for 25 years. A former reporter and editor with the Las Vegas Sun, the Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner, the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff and the Aurora (Colo.) Sun, Velotta is a graduate of Northern Arizona University where he won the school’s top journalism honor. He became the Review-Journal's assistant business editor in September 2018.
Nevada’s largest casino industry employer is preparing to enter the potentially lucrative New England market when the doors of its $960 million property open Friday at 11 a.m., local time.
The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday will consider placing Joseph Whit Moody on the list of excluded persons, commonly called the “black book.”
The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider levying a $250,000 fine against the company for four violations alleged by the state Gaming Control Board.
The aviation industry is growing, but historic dynamics to forecast where and how it will grow no longer apply because there are many new variables affecting it, an aviation expert said Monday.
Blake Scholl, who designed the aircraft and founded Boom in September 2014, said his airliner would be able to fly from Washington D.C. to London in 3½ hours instead of the more than seven hours it currently takes. San Francisco to Hawaii would take 2½ hours instead of five. Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles could be completed in just under seven hours instead of just under 15.
OK, let’s get this out right from the top because it seems this is what people around here care about most: Parking will be free at the new MGM Springfield and the company is encouraging visitors to downtown Springfield to use its seven-story, 3,400-space parking garage when they shop or have dinner in the neighborhood.
A year ½ after Centerplate took over the food-service contract at the Las Vegas ConventionCenter, it is helping to plan the new food outlet at the convention center’s $1.4 billion expansion andrenovation project.
Morphy Auctions accepts consignments and conducts auctions on a variety of antiques at its auction house warehouse on Arville Street near the Orleans.
Marriott International’s W Hotels Worldwide brand will leave SLS Las Vegas Friday after a 1½-year run as a four-diamond-rated “hotel within a hotel.”
Aviation consultants for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said Tuesday the authority’s key tourism strategy of attracting high-spending international travelers is working.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority hired the third CEO of its existence Tuesday, naming former state economic development director Steve Hill to replace retiring CEO Rossi Ralenkotter.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board sent CEO Rossi Ralenkotter into retirement Tuesday with a roaring applause, video tribute and $455,000 financial package.
While some casino companies were speculating about their earnings power as sports wagering unfolds nationwide and others were remarking about their chances of winning a gaming concession in Japan, the top executive of MGM Resorts International was frustrated.
Industry observers are anxious to find out if Wynn’s moves have been enough to dodge potential regulatory bullets and whether MGM’s garnered enough public support.




