🖥️ Vegas casino hackers strike again

💰 Do We Need a State Income Tax?

Nevada lawmakers have about $191 million less than originally expected in preparing the state budget. [Nevada Independent]

• City Cast Las Vegas looks at the reasons behind the shortfall, what is being done to make up for it, and why some are suggesting it’s finally time — ugh — for a state income tax 😖 The discussion is part of today’s Friday News Roundup, along with a Sphere controversy and trouble with autonomous vehicles.

💰 Selling (Out) Nevada

Nevada’s only Republican member of Congress is defending his role in negotiating a budget amendment that would sell off thousands of acres of public land in the state. The problem: The money goes to the U.S. Treasury, not Nevada, breaking with precedent. Rep. Mark Amodei says it was the only way to get the amendment passed and the land release is needed to accommodate our state’s growing population. [Nevada Independent]

🌎 The Sphere’s High-Definition Revenue Drop

Sphere Entertainment says revenue was down 13% from the same time last year — and revenue from the Sphere itself dropped 8%. [Hollywood Reporter]

• Some reasons: Less money came in from in-house viewing experiences like “Postcard From Earth” and exosphere advertising, down after a spike in 2024 to hype the Super Bowl in Vegas. [KSNV]

💸 Vegas Casino Hackers, Back on the Attack

Remember the hackers who disrupted MGM Resorts and scored a ransom payment from Caesars Entertainment back in 2023? Well, they’re back at it — this time in London. The group known as Scattered Spider is believed to be behind recent cyberattacks on London department store Harrods and retailers Marks & Spencer. Vegas is safe. For now. [PYMNTS/The Wall Street Journal]

😎 It’s Friday!

You know what that means. It’s time for the latest Hey Las Vegas news quiz. The questions are based on stories in the newsletter over the past week. Have you been paying attention?

Here’s the first question to get you started:

Why did the Sphere’s parent company send a cease-and-desist letter to Beyoncé?

• For leaking information about a cancelled residency
• For discussing negotiations to play the venue
• For using the Sphere in unauthorized tour merchandise
• For using an image of the Sphere in a video played during concerts

Results will appear at the end.

We received some feedback on the location of Death Valley National Park in our story comparing national parks to national monuments.

While most of Death Valley National Park is in California, there is a portion of it that extends into Nevada. So it’s a bit disingenuous to say that Great Basin is our only national park and that Death Valley is "outside" of Nevada's borders.

— Jake K.

While most of the park lies within California, approximately 110,000 acres extend into Nevada, specifically Nye County, with a small portion touching Esmeralda County. Though this represents only about 3% of the park’s total area, it's still quite significant, and larger than Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

— Arnold Knightly, Public Communications Manager of Nye County

This is so timely. Our public lands are really under threat and scrutiny right now. I have been spending a lot of time making phone calls, writing letters and postcards, and otherwise urging our public officials to support protecting these lands. We are deeply concerned about the reduction of national monuments, historic sites, and other protected places.

— Shannon M., Friends of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Board Member

We also received a nice note on our recent City Cast Las Vegas episode on how to make friends in Las Vegas.

I haven't had many friends since moving here and even fewer since my wife passed. As a man in his mid-’50s, I find it incredibly difficult to make friends. I signed up for your newsletter and several of the Instagram accounts you mentioned. This podcast really motivated me to reach out and become more of a member of my community and hopefully make some friends.

— Jonathan M.

• This is a great time to point out, we’re having another free event coming up soon — a live podcast taping at the beautiful Rita Deanin Abby Art Museum. Tickets are free. So come hang with us on May 26 at 6 p.m.