Each of the developments were part of a pivotal time for the Strip. Megaresort predecessors The Mirage and Excalibur opened several years earlier and proved to casino moguls that an attraction-based concept would bring a new crowd to Las Vegas.

The sale of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team could end the long stalemate over legalized sports betting in the state of Texas.

Adelson family has political influence, expertise in casino-resort developments

Experts cite the Adelson family’s political activism and deep pockets as potential game-changers to the Lone Star landscape.

The water is its own world. One and a half million gallons rest behind 11 panes of 4-inch-thick glass in a warren below the stage where Cirque du Soleil’s “O” plays at the Bellagio. This is the lighting tunnel — and when the 25th anniversary show begins in a few hours, spotlights will flood the water through these windows, highlighting the breathtaking acrobatics taking place above and below its surface.

Las Vegas Strip room rates and occupancy fare better with the Formula race revving into Las Vegas, according to tourism experts, though sports experts note that the race still faces hurdles to attract Americans in droves.

The famous fountains at the Bellagio won’t be very visible this week amid the roar of Formula One racing on the Las Vegas Strip, and gondoliers won’t be serenading tourists at the Venetian resort.

At $1.4 billion, the Powerball jackpot on the line Saturday night is the world’s fifth-largest lottery prize, due to higher interest rates, long odds, fewer ticket sales per drawing and, of course, luck.