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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, December 21, 2008

GOING VEGAS
Treasure Island sells for $775M

By Anthony Curtis

In what some believe is only the first of similar deals to come, the center-Strip Treasure Island has been sold for $775 million. It had been expected that MGM Mirage might sell off some of its properties and the buyer, Phillip Ruffin, was flush with cash after a juicy $1.24 billion sale of the New Frontier last year, in which he made nearly a billion-dollar profit. No major changes in the resort's profile or operations are anticipated in the near term. Treasure Island was conceived and built by Steve Wynn in the early '90s and has been the beneficiary of nearly $90 million in renovations over the past year.

SIGN GONE: Speaking of the New Frontier, the casino's sign, which somehow survived the resort's implosion, finally is gone.

ENCORE OPENS: If you're in Las Vegas tomorrow, you can attend one of the most significant resort openings in some time. Encore, the sister casino to Wynn Las Vegas, is expected to open tomorrow around noon.

FREE WINGS: Until Dec. 28, you can get free chicken wings at Hooters Casino. Sign up (or show an existing) Owl Rewards card at the players club booth and get a coupon for an order of 10 wings, which you can redeem from 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

BITE AND BITE: Mandalay Bay has rolled out an "All You Can Bite" buffet deal, running through Christmas Eve. For adults, $30 gets the parlay of one admission apiece to Shark Reef and the MBay buffet.

Q: You wrote that Legends in Concert would move from the Imperial Palace to Harrah's on Dec. 15, but it's still at the IP.

A: The move has been pushed back. The show will now remain at the Imperial Palace until Jan. 17, then open at Harrah's on Jan. 19.

For information about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and deals, see www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.