Nowadays, when people find money, cell phones, and other things, they won’t always return it. So imagine being in a very busy airport, and everyone is rushing to get somewhere, and you see these two Caesars Palace Casino branded envelopes on the floor, seemingly stuffed with something (Hint: MONEY). Perhaps you just walk on by, or pick it up, and take a peek inside. You see it’s a substantial amount of money. A person in this position would contemplate taking it, and running, but not the actual person who found himself in this exact situation.

Thanks to the honesty of Mitch Gilbert from Colorado, the owner of the 10K was given back his money.

Mitch Gilbert told CNN “Some people thought I was crazy to give it back. I had to give it back. It wasn’t my money to start with.” He added that “It was $10,000 held in two sealed Caesars Palace envelopes and left December 6 by a passenger at the airport in Las Vegas.”

Gilbert actually waited for about 40 minutes when he figured what was in the envelope, and he kept his eyes peeled for that distressed look on someone’s face, who looks like they may have lost their substantial casino winnings. Unfortunately, no one came around, and he flew home with the envelopes, only opening them when he got there to see that they each held $5,000 each.

The owner was finally found, and a very appreciative Ignacio Marquez thanks Gilbert for his honesty.

What an interesting way to kick start a grand opening; doing it on New Year’s Eve! That’s what Hyde Bellagio has planned to make their mark. The new club is just one of three that will be making its debut for 2012. Besides Hyde Bellagio kick starting their grand opening on New Year’s Eve, the Mirage’s 1OAK will also be doing the same, as well as the RPM Nightclub at the Tropicana.

Operator of Hyde Bellagio, Sam Nazarian has expressed that they hope the new club will help change the standard club model that Las Vegas’ has. The Hyde Bellagio has a lot of hopes riding on it, especially for Nazarian’s SBE Entertainment Group, as this is their first Las Vegas nightclub venture.

SBE’s Food and Beverage Vice President, Oliver Wharton commented on the changing scene of nightclubs, saying “This whole club is a paradigm shift. Where clubs have gotten bigger and louder, we wanted to go back to luxury, sophistication and hospitality.”

The Hyde Bellagio is modelled after a high end Italian Villa. The shelves are decorated with books and framed photos, there’s a room divider that features an image of a staircase, and the typical DJ booth is unique, as it doubles as a fireplace as well.

What a place and what a way to kick off 2012

Las Vegas will soon be home to ALL kinds of gambling, and it’s about time!

Of all states to offer online gambling and online poker, Nevada should be the first one to do it, and by the looks of it, they will be! The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved poker regulations for an intrastate system in Nevada.

Gambling is a huge part of Nevada, and to be able to offer gambling at brick and mortar casinos, and not be able to offer it online seems rather silly, especially for a state that is known to be home to a place like Las Vegas.

Online gambling legalization is taking quite some time in the United States, and what has happened is that individual states, such as Nevada, have pursued intrastate systems for online poker. Legally at the federal level, it is still illegal to gamble across the nation, but if a state allows for it, then a state can offer it exclusively to residents of the state, and not beyond.

Once Nevada starts offering up an intrastate system, other states will likely follow, and it will be a domino effect. It would not be surprising if most states started offering up an intrastate system, and then suddenly, the federal government wants to lift the nation wide ban online gambling.