Your Daily Guide

🧑‍🎨 The Case for a New Arts District in Vegas

Anything that’s successful will inspire imitators — and that could be true with the Downtown Arts District. The neighborhood feels a little full these days, especially with rent, parking and other expenses on the rise. We still love the Arts District — but is there another part of town that’s ready to capture its original spirit? I joined the latest episode of City Cast Las Vegas to list three contenders for the next Arts District in Las Vegas — and I hate to sound like Buzzfeed clickbait, but #2 might surprise you. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

🏍️ Daredevil Stunts Are Cool Again at Caesars Palace

Yesterday’s wind didn’t stop X Games gold medalist Colby Raha from channeling Evel Knievel and jumping over next to the Caesars Palace fountain to celebrate the opening of Omnia Dayclub. Watch the video. [KLAS]

👋 Prediction Market Conference Leaves Vegas

The Aria casino is no longer hosting a prediction market conference, which is kinda like saying a roadrunner will no longer host a coyote convention. Predict 2026 blames pressure from Nevada gaming regulators, who deny involvement. [CoinDesk]

• Prediction markets, which allow users to buy shares in the outcome of future events, are accused of operating as an unregulated form of gambling, leading to temporary-ish bans for Kalshi and Polymarket in Nevada. [KRX12]
• A bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate proposes to ban prediction market contracts tied to sports and casino-style games, but has yet to be heard in a committee meeting. [USiGamingHUB]

🏒 Knights Lose Draft Pick for Dumbest Reason

After beating the Anaheim Ducks to clinch a spot in the Western Conference Finals last week, you’d think the Golden Knights would be excited to talk about it. But the team violated league rules by refusing access to the press after the big win. Coach John Tortorella was slapped with a $100,000 fine and the team lost a second-round pick in next month’s draft. [KSNV]

• Game 1 between the Knights and the Colorado Avalanche is Wednesday. [ESPN]

It’s hard to miss the ever-growing campus of Switch alongside the 215 in the Southwest Valley. The buildings make an eye-catching impression with bright pops of red against pale shades of grey — almost like an Air Jordan reimagined as architecture. Business must be good, right? But what’s it all about?

🔌 Flipping the Switch

Self-described as the "Fort Knox of data,” Switch designs and operates data centers in not only Las Vegas, but Reno, Atlanta, Grand Rapids, Austin, and Houston. The business is all about the storage and protection of high-volume digital data, but has branched further out into AI infrastructure and high-density computing over the years. Clients include big names like Google, ebay, FedEx, and on a local level, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and even the City of Henderson.

🔐 Tight Security

Switch has a reputation for being a high-security compound with rumours of military-style protection, including drones and even the recruitment of former Navy Seals to hold the digital fort down. However, the company keeps tight-lipped on security details, preferring to neither confirm or deny the gossip.

🤔 Who’s Behind This?

Switch was founded by Rob Roy (yes … real name) in 2000, based on his own patented tech innovations. The company went public in 2017, raising $531 million in an IPO, but went private again when it was acquired by DigitalBridge for $11 billion in 2022. There has been talk about offering another IPO with a value estimated at $40 billion in 2024. The figure would surely be higher today as stocks related to AI are booming — but are arguably overvalued. Switch could easily cash in now, but might be better off in the long run by waiting for things to settle down first.

👍 Is Switch Good or Bad? 👎

A general wave of resentment against data centers is growing across the country. (Boulder City is fighting one now and Reno is pausing on approving more.) But Switch isn’t quite the resource-sucker others are. The headquarters and “The Core” Las Vegas campus add up to more than 2 million square feet — and it’s all powered by the company’s own solar power operation in North Las Vegas. The panels alone cover 275 NFL football fields.

• Nevada laws are still struggling to keep up with the data center boom. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]