Episode
MGM & Caesars Are Leaving Wall Street — The New Era of Las Vegas + Rio's Questionable Buffet!
- Published
- Jun 3, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 970
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mtm-vegas-fun-interesting-absurd-sides-of-vegas-4143793/episodes/mgm-caesars-are-leaving-wall-street-the-new-era-of-las-vegas-rio-s-questionable-buffet/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/mtm-vegas-fun-interesting-absurd-sides-of-vegas-4143793/mgm-caesars-are-leaving-wall-street-the-new-era-of-las-vegas-rio-s-questionable-buffet.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Save big on Vegas with Las Vegas Advisor — get 10% off a membership with code MTM (new members, affiliate): lasvegasadvisor.com I went on vacation and they sold Las Vegas. Live from Montenegro this week because the news would not wait — both of the Strip's biggest operators are heading toward going private. Barry Diller's People Inc. (the former IAC) has put a non-binding, all-cash offer on the table to buy the 73.9% of MGM Resorts it doesn't already own at $48.30/share — an ~$18 billion deal — and take the company private. Pair that with the Caesars / Fertitta Entertainment take-private we covered last week, and Las Vegas may be entering a brand-new era owned by the billionaire class instead of Wall Street. Is that good or bad for the guest experience? I make the case. Plus: the Cromwell has officially reopened as the Vanderpump Hotel (new lampshades, the Gigolo cocktail garden, and why it's still the best Caesars property to base yourself at), the Rio's new $27 buffet that's drawing comparisons to a highway motel breakfast, and a little Star Trek: The Experience nostalgia. Episode Guide: 0:00 They sold Vegas while I was gone (live from Montenegro) 0:25 Cromwell is officially the Vanderpump Hotel 1:44 Inside Vanderpump: the Gigolo bar & saved Cromwell chairs 2:50 Best Caesars property to base at — comps, parking, rates 3:30 The "headless man" at Park MGM 3:47 Star Trek: The Experience & the onion ring tower mystery 4:31 Rio's new buffet: the Hyatt Globalist breakfast backstory 5:24 $27 for THIS? Rio vs. the Carnival World Buffet 6:46 Hyatt keeps letting standards slip 7:08 The big one: two Strip giants going private 7:42 Barry Diller's People Inc. bids $48.30/share for MGM 8:50 Hornbuckle stays — what the deal needs to close 9:44 Why Diller wants MGM 10:28 Big picture…