A new name and look for PokerStars VR, Grand Sierra Resort courting an NCAA team with a new arena, and a pending strike in Las Vegas are some of the short stacks CardsChat picked up in the latest orbit of poker news.
Las Vegas culinary and bartender unions authorize strike
Members of two Nevada unions that represent culinary and bartenders overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike 12 days after contracts with casinos expired. Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, which represent 60,000 workers in both Las Vegas and Reno, voted Tuesday. Workers and casinos in Reno are not impacted.
Just about all the casinos in Las Vegas will be affected if the workers picket.
The unions are asking for better pay, a reduced workload, and revised of safety protections, among other things.
PokerStars VR rebranded
Flutter, the company who owns PokerStars, is rebranding its virtual reality product, dropping the emphasis on “poker” for Sin City as part of a full scale overhaul of its free-to-play casino game. It’s now known a Vegas Infinite.
From the press release: “The launch includes a brand-new and bespoke 3D virtual cityscape for players to enjoy as they explore Vegas Infinite’s personal player suites, luxury casinos and exclusive rooftops escapes.
As part of this, the team has added blackjack, roulette, slots, craps, and the proprietary Rocket Rush to an extensive in-game portfolio, while bringing poker fans Spin & Go poker, MTTs and the flagship poker tournament series, the Metaverse Poker Tour (MPT).”
Besides “gambling,” players can explore “luxury suites and dressing rooms” — for a subscription fee.
All this is doing one thing: Making me feel very old. Also, bespoked people?
Florida poker room sues state
The owner of a poker room has petitioned the Florida State Supreme Court to “invalidate the gaming agreement between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe claiming it illegally expands gambling in Florida,” according to the Miami Herald.
West Flagler Associates, Ltd., the owner of Bonita Springs Poker Room near Fort Myers, says the agreement, which is basically a legal maneuver to bypass the state’s constitution, would give the Seminole Tribe a sanctioned monopoly of the state’s online sports betting market.
Grand Sierra Resort will build arena
Grand Sierra Resort in Reno announced it will invest $1 billion in its 140-acre property over the next 10 years. It’s the largest private capital investment in Reno’s history, according to the company.
A big chunk of that billion will be used to build a 10,000 seat arena ,which may be the next home court for the University of Nevada, Reno’s basketball team.
“The University of Nevada, Reno is excited to explore the opportunity to partner with Alex Meruelo and Grand Sierra Resort as they develop a state-of-the-art arena and entertainment district that is unprecedented in Northern Nevada,” said Brian Sandoval, UNR’s president. “The new arena will include amenities that create a fan and game experience that are second to none.”
A hotel tower with 800 rooms will also be built, bringing the total number of rooms up near 2,700.
