Casino City’s Friday Five: Jackpots, openings and implosion edition

The implosion of Tropicana Las Vegas has been discussed for some time now but we finally have a date for the event. Before we get into that, we also have a six-figure jackpot winner out of Indiana, a seven-figure jackpot in Nevada, DraftKings acquiring an in-play betting company, and a new restaurant set to open at Caesars Palace.

Let’s begin with some winners:

5. Four Winds South Bend awards Bad Beat Jackpot
Seven people split a Bad Beat Jackpot worth $595,290 by playing No-Limit Hold’em on Thursday, 22 August, at Four Winds South Bend in Indiana.

Thomas from Indiana thought he had a winning hand with four 5s but lost to a player with four 10s, which triggered Four Winds’ Bad Beat Jackpot worth $595,290.75. Thomas won 50% of the jackpot, valued at $297,645.37 while the player with the winning hand, Chung, also from Indiana, won 25% of the jackpot, valued at $148,822.68. The remaining five players at the table from towns in Indiana including Bristol, Granger, Lake Station, and Star City also split 25% of the jackpot, receiving $29,764.54 each.

$595,290.75 Bad Beat Jackpot! 7 people split the Bad Beat Jackpot playing No Limit Hold’em on Thursday, August 22. Quad 5s lost to Quad 10s triggering the jackpot leading to the following payouts.
?? Player 1 $297,645.37
?? Player 2 $148,822.68
?? Remaining 5 Players $29,764.54 pic.twitter.com/aoeqcDsEpn

— Four Winds Casino (@FourWindsCasino) August 23, 2024

4. $1.1 million jackpot hit at Grand Lodge Casino
Last Thursday evening, a guest from San Francisco won $1,137,093 at Grand Lodge Casino, located in Incline Village, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe.

The lucky winner was betting $10 on the Five Times Pay version of Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin Deluxe.

“With this latest jackpot, the casino has paid out almost $9 million in Wheel of Fortune Wide Area Progressives,” said Grand Lodge Casino Director of Marketing, Jill Stewart.

3. Tropicana Las Vegas implosion date announced
Earlier this month, J. Todd predicted that the implosion for Tropicana Las Vegas would take somewhere between 30 September and 8 October from the info we knew at the time.

Well, he wasn’t far off at all after it was announced that 9 October will be the implosion date, pending final approvals. This implosion will give the Athletics the space they need to build their new Major League Baseball stadium.

Just before the event, which is taking place at 2:30 a.m. local time, the Athletics and Bally’s Corporation will host a fireworks show to celebrate the milestone moment.

2. Mokbar by Esther Choi to open this fall inside Caesars Palace
Mokbar by Esther Choi will soon arrive on the Las Vegas Strip, marking the chef’s fifth restaurant.

Set to debut inside the Forum Food Hall at Caesars Palace this fall, the quick-service establishment is inspired by Esther Choi’s Korean roots, combining traditional and modern takes on Korean cuisine.

“I’ve always had an appreciation for food, and developing creative dishes to connect cuisine and culture is something I’m very passionate about,” said Chef Esther Choi. “I can’t wait to showcase the delicious offerings at Mokbar to guests around the world who visit Caesars Palace.”

The fast-casual experience will feature classics like Pan-fried Dumplings, Buns, Fried Chicken, Bibimbap and Dumplings in Broth. Guests can choose from an array of ramen flavors and multiple rice bowl options.

We are thrilled to announce that @mokbar_nyc by @choibites will be opening inside the #ForumFoodHall at the Palace this fall!

This will mark the fifth location in the country and the first location on the West Coast. Mokbar will offer a diverse menu for both seasoned Korean… pic.twitter.com/nW7U12dR5f

— Caesars Palace (@CaesarsPalace) August 28, 2024

1. DraftKings acquires in-play betting company
On Wednesday, DraftKings announced that it entered into an agreement to acquire Simplebet, a sports betting provider of in-play micromarket content and pricing.

This transaction would allow for the integration of Simplebet’s proprietary machine-learning models into DraftKings’ pricing and technology platform to create accurate betting opportunities during every moment of a game.

“Live betting represents an area for potential growth for online sports betting, and the proposed acquisition would allow DraftKings to leverage Simplebet’s proprietary technology to create an in-play wagering experience that moves at the speed of sports,” said Corey Gottlieb, DraftKings Chief Product Officer. “And while we continue to elevate our product offering in this space, we are also committed to building technology that supports our robust consumer protection standards.”