Number 1 for Fun
Much has been said about WalletHub’s recent finding that Las Vegas is the number one most fun city in the US. While those who “get” Vegas agree wholeheartedly, folks in some places like Orlando, Florida or Atlanta, Georgia aren’t having it.
Which is understandable. It’s their city and they’ll raise a hue and cry if they want to. What this top five compilation seeks to prove is that Las Vegas has gone from not just being the gambling mecca of the world, but also its entertainment capital.
Sure, it doesn’t have the Big Sur or Disneyworld, but not everyone likes sand or mice. And what’s not to like – and love – about Vegas in 2023?
From pure Formula One fantasy, a poker tournament our own David Lappin described as heaven, to major casino resort revamps, a reignited gaming expo, and stars like U2 (and reportedly Beyoncé) lighting up The Sphere, VegasSlotsOnline News presents five 2023 happenings that more than back up WalletHub’s claim Sin City is number one for fun.
1. Formula One returns after 40 years
Despite its controversies, the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix in November showed the world what it’s been missing for the past 40 years. The ante started as far back as November 2022, with US Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson sharing a video of a Red Bull F1 racecar driving through Wynn Las Vegas:
F1 won an award for that stunt but it was nothing compared to the real thing. Everything about the Las Vegas Grand Prix was set to impress, with the circuit taking place at the end of the championship.
Although F1 had already crowned Max Verstappen world champion after the Qatar race, the tussle between the Dutchman and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was a real nail-biter.
While Verstappen took the spoils, organizers received plaudits for the 6.3km track, despite the valve cover incident that stopped a practice session, for which for some F1 fans have filed a lawsuit.
Vegas proved them wrong […] it was huge.”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton spoke for many F1 drivers and team principals in his applause for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, stating it “was one of the best races.” Hamilton added there had been those saying Sin City was too showbiz to host a major sporting event. “Vegas proved them wrong […] it was huge.”
Huge for the sportsbooks too, who saw record betting figures during the Las Vegas Grand Prix. But perhaps those who had the most fun where the spectators who, with tickets costing around $500, found ingenious ways to watch the race.
2. Fontainebleau stands tall
When Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino resort opened its doors this month, it was as if all of Nevada let out a sign of relief. The reason? The project had started back in 2007 when the recession stymied it, with the pandemic doing the same over a decade later.
But as Justin Timberlake and Keith Urban wowed audiences at the casino resort’s opening, Fontainebleau President Mark Tricano shared his excitement at “seeing the look on peoples’ faces” upon viewing the venue the first time.
According to WalletHub, Vegas might be a “flashy tourist destination for a fun weekend out, but it’s also the most fun city overall.” WalletHub ranked Las Vegas tops because of its sheer number of attractions and restaurants with 4.5-star ratings or higher.
As the first casino resort to open since 2021 in Las Vegas, Fontainebleau stands as a symbol of the city’s resilience and belief that people won’t let the good times stop rolling for too long.
Now those looking for a fun weekend can add Nevada’s tallest occupiable building to their bucket list, with the Fontainebleau coming in at 735 feet and 67 floors. As this video clip on X reveals, Las Vegas’s newest property includes 3,644 hotel rooms, a 150,000-square-foot casino, a night (and day!) club, seven pools, a spa, and 36 bars and restaurants combined:
As another sign of Las Vegas’s resurgence, Penn Entertainment hosted a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month that will see the M Resort Spa Casino double in size with a $206m upgrade.
3. 2023 WPT World Championship
After avoiding Las Vegas for 12 years, when VegasSlotsOnline’s David Lappin eventually bit the bullet in 2017, it was as if scales fell from his eyes. “As soon as you realize that naff is the point, you enjoy what the city has to offer both ironically and unironically.”
For David, however, the 2023 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas was an event the city can be proud of, stating the WPT has made a “poker heaven.”
The WPT was coming into the 2023 event guns blazing in a shootout against the EPT Prague and the inaugural WSOP Paradise, which were happening the same time.
second biggest overlay in poker history
For the WPT, it was all about winning hearts and minds, as it must have reassured itself after four Day 1s ended with 3,835 entries, resulting in the prize pool falling $2,417,000 short of the incredible $40m guarantee. It was the second biggest overlay in poker history.
David Lappin predicted earlier this month that the WPT would emerge from the Mexican standoff between the EPT and WSOP as the clear winner. As he reported Wednesday: “If Vegas is a scorched desert Inferno, then the WPT has managed to create an oasis in the Wynn, an end-of-year refuge for degenerates, a sublime wellspring of poker action. They have made a poker Heaven out of Hell.”
David added the WPT has created “a whole lot of good faith” in the 2023 tournament that he hopes will ensure the growth of the Vegas event in the years ahead.
4. 2023 Global Gaming Expo
For gamers, iGaming operators, exhibitors, and stakeholders, the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas was Mecca up until 2019, when it attracted a record crowd of 27,000 people. Thanks to COVID-19, the 2020 event was cancelled and only 13,000 delegates graced the 2021 G2E.
In 2023, however, that old swagger was back, with over 25,000 delegates walking through the doors of the Venetian Expo and Convention Center across five days this October.
Denstone Group CEO Oliver Lovat said the 2023 event was “….back to full-speed again. We’ve moved on from Covid. They were there to do business and get things done.” Indian Gaming Association (IGA) Conference Chairman Victor Rocha concurred, stating: “It felt like the pandemic never happened.”
Rocha added: “You can tell there’s a new energy in Las Vegas and that carried into G2E.”
This was backed up by American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Bill Miller, who said the blueprint for the world’s gaming industry was invented on the Las Vegas Strip. Mentioning the shows, restaurants, gambling options all under one roof, Miller stated the Vegas way of thinking “turned 110 acres of desert into one of the top tourist destinations in the world.”
5. U2, Wu-Tang Crew, and maybe Beyoncé
Along with Formula One, the other most spectacular event in the whole of the US in 2023 was the launch of the Sphere. Sin City’s hottest music venue opened in October when a crowd of 21,500 witnessed Irish rockers U2 christen the venue accompanied by unbelievable visual effects:
According to the WalletHub survey, Las Vegas is renowned for its musical performers and has “a very high number of music festivals and music venues” relative to other US cities.
What’s happened in 2023 is that stars the caliber of U2 are taking up residency in the city to join the likes of Adele, one of the highest paid performers in Las Vegas history. Forget WalletHub’s endorsement about Vegas, if Beyoncé gets a rumored residence at The Sphere, her fans state they will sell their trucks and forgo Christmas presents to watch the ex-Destiny’s Child singer perform in the desert.
Reinforcing the trend of a new wave of musicians coming to Las Vegas was news that the Wu-Tang Clan will start at residency at Virgin Hotels in February.
RZA, the leader of the iconic hip-hop collective, praised the Las Vegas’s entertainment factor, saying he was loving “where there’s a hub of art.”
If these five reasons don’t convince you about WalletHub’s claim for 2023, how about this for next year: The Wu-Tang Clan’s Las Vegas debut comes the same weekend the Allegiant Stadium hosts the 2024 Super Bowl.
Imagine that for a fun day out.