Desert Gem

What is Desert Gem?

Hockey fans heading to Vegas Golden Knights games can now partake in way-cheaper stadium eats than the Athletic Club will offer. SMKD (Smoked Meats, Killer Drinks) BBQ has launched an upper-concourse food cart at T-Mobile Arena. Spearheaded by Top Chef Season 7 alumnus and Beat Bobby Flay champ Chef Alex Reznik (in partnership with Ogden Hospitality), the expansion builds on the success of SMKD’s brick-and-mortar location, which opened in November 2025 at 10895 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson.

Caesars Palace welcomes Barcelona’s SIPS Drinkery House, regarded by many as one of the world’s best bars, for a two-month pop-up at the Vista Cocktail Lounge from Oct. 31 through Dec. 31.

Stix Asia—the 18,000-square-foot food hall replacing the former Sundry food hall at UnCommons in southwest Las Vegas—announced its first three restaurants this week, all of which began in Tokyo: Ginza Bairin, founded in 1927; the Ramen Bario ramen spot; and Nanamusubi. The food hall is expected to open over the winter with a dozen concepts representing cuisines from around Asia.

About Desert Gem

The game is backed by a solid mathematical model, with a Return to Player (RTP) of 96.01%. That figure sits within the standard band for mainstream slots. In other words, this is steady core content rather than a high-volatility outlier.

The central hook is how PopOK layers a multiplier system onto such a small grid. A fourth reel applies multipliers ranging from 1x to 15x, increasing the value of connected wins.

The more distinctive element is the Ultra Bet feature. It gives players a stake-based lever over that engine. Ultra Bet removes the lowest value from the reel to improve the chances of landing higher multipliers.

What is Desert Gem?

During the lawmaking process, Full House’s exclusivity was stripped in favor of welcoming any company currently licensed as a commercial casino in the US to bid on the possible license. Lawmakers also threw in a one-time $150 million fee for the concession and a mandatory investment minimum of $500 million, all but ending Full House’s interest.

“The bill changed many times. We make money in Rising Sun. We always have, not a lot of money, but we make money. We continue to make money in Rising Sun. And we will continue to do that for our shareholders, as well as for the good of the state,” Full House CEO Daniel Lee said in March.

If any county approves its local casino referendum, the county government would be required to conduct a request for proposals and submit a winning project to the IGC.