During this week’s podcast, we speculated that if Harrah’s skirted Clark County’s permit regulations for renovations at Rio, they probably did the same at some of their other properties. Well, today comes news that 600 of the rooms at Harrah’s Las Vegas have been closed as a safety precaution as part of an internal investigation into the company’s remodeling practices. Most noteworthy is the revelation that “several larger remodeling projects at Harrah’s on the Strip took place without the necessary permits.” No word yet on what other Strip properties may be affected.

UPDATE: Clark County officials are now defending their role in this mess.

UPDATE 2: The story continues to unfold, as the county inspector get reassigned.

Since recording show #129, a couple news items caught our attention.

Since HET acquired all of the property on the east side of the Strip from Harrah’s to Paris, everyone has been awaiting the company’s “master plan” for redeveloping their holdings. Everyone assumed Imperial Palace would be the first to go. Well, don’t expect an implosion of IP anytime soon. A blurb at the bottom of today’s Inside Gaming column indicates Harrah’s is converting Imperial Palace to the Total Rewards players club—a sure sign IP will be around for awhile.

The Las Vegas Strip was the site of yet another shooting yesterday when a couple people got capped at Caesars Palace. The Las Vegas hotel and casino industry is pretty good at sweeping these stories under the rug quickly, but when multiple incidents occur over just a couple months, questions about safety on the Strip are sure to increase.

Las Vegas Review Journal reports that MGM Mirage will announce today the acquisition of the property across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Sahara as well as the land next to Circus Circus where Maxim magazine was planning to build.

MGM’s plans to redevlop the land include making Circus Circus “the gateway to our new development, similar to what Monte Carlo is to Project CityCenter.” If by “gateway” they mean “casino people walk past to get the the other properties in the area,” then this all makes perfect sense.

Owner Phil Ruffin has confirmed to Reuters that yesterday’s rumor that he is close to selling New Frontier to Elad Properties for $40 million an acre are indeed true.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Harrah’s plans to change Barbary Coast’s name to Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon after taking ownership from Boyd Gaming. The new name is apparently a tribute to Harrah’s founder Bill Harrah.

Boyd Gaming is trading Barbary Coast to Harrah’s for the land where Westward Ho formerly stood. The Nevada Gaming Control Board has recommended approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission of the transaction.

Update: The Review Journal now has a few more details.

After more than two months since the initial offer, Harrah’s Entertainment’s board of directors has accepted a $17.1 billion bid from Texas Pacific Group and Apollo Management to take the company private. What this means for the company’s Las Vegas Strip masterplan is anyone’s guess. Will major renovations go ahead as planned? Will pieces of the company be sold off over the next few years? Will the new owner be content to sit back and rake in big bucks for five or six years before taking the company public again? Stay tuned.

Details of the deal can be found here and here and here.

After months of speculation, it’s official. Prince’s 3121 and 3121 Jazz Cuisine open Nov. 10 at Rio in Las Vegas. Here’s what visitors can expect:

• Wednesdays: Prince Presents, featuring various artists TBA (friends of Prince and special guests). Ticket prices begin at $31.21.
• Thursdays: 3121 Latin Libido Night. $31.21 cover.
• Fridays and Saturdays: Prince Live. Tickets are $125.

Tickets will be available at the Rio ticket office and through Ticketmaster beginning later this week.

3121 Jazz Cuisine will open daily at 5 p.m., featuring a menu created by Executive Chef Lena Morgan.

Look for an announcement this week from Harrah’s about the long rumored Las Vegas club deal with Prince we’ve talked about on several recent podcasts. One detail that has not yet been widely reported is that Prince’s personal chef is getting his own restaurant too. Look for Rio to replace its steakhouse, Fiore, with the new place, which will likely be named 3121 Jazz Kitchen or something similar.

Apple Corps and EMI Music announced today the release on Nov. 20 of The Beatles LOVE album, featuring the music from the Las Vegas show of the same name. The album will be released on CD and DVD, with the DVD version containing a the album in surround sound with three extra minutes of music. This show and the music have been getting rave reviews, and The Beatles have a few fans, so this CD will probably sell a few copies.

One of our favorite restaurants, Michael’s, is relocating from Barbary Coast to South Coast (soon to be South Point), according to the Las Vegas Business Press. We heard rumors about this several weeks ago, but Boyd Gaming’s spokesman was unable to confirm the rumors at that time. Turns out it’s true. We’re glad to see this Las Vegas gem will be around for years to come.