It’s just a few weeks more until Kendra Wilkinson & Hank Baskett come together in the bonds of holy matrimony. So how has the engagement between the former “Girls Next Door” star (and aspiring stripper pole saleswoman) & the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver been going? Judging by recent pictures, rather swimmingly:

(Fortunately Kendra comes equipped with her own flotation devices)

THE 700 LEVEL via VEGAS NEWS splashes up some snapshots of how the happy couple spent their Memorial Day weekend - by soaking up the sun & plenty of attention at the Wet Republic pools of the MGM Grand in Vegas.

But you can’t expect Kendra to go canoodling around in a bikini without some moral support from a fellow Playboy pal. Luckily, “GND” co-star Holly Madison just also happened to be in town:

(Talk about bosom buddies)

Lovely. And there’s more photos of Kendra ‘n’ Holly ‘n’ Hank after the jump.

Read more…

As you know by now, the biggest boxing fight of the year ended in total embarrassment the other night for Ricky Hatton, who couldn’t even last six minutes in a ring with Manny Pacquiao. I was in Vegas last week and ran into a number of British fans who had made the trip all the way across the pond to see their boy fight. I’m sure they were really happy with how that turned out.

So, knowing that he had let down thousands of fans who had traveled thousands of miles to see him, not to mention the millions of people back in the U.K., Hatton had to be pretty devastated, right? Well, if by “devastated” you mean hanging out with with his leggy girlfriend the next day at the MGM Grand pool and throwing back a few Guinness like he doesn’t have a care in the world, then I guess he was.

Video link, and photos of the girlfriend, after the jump.

Read more…

Anyone who’s been to Las Vegas over the past 10-15 years surely has heard the name Danny Gans, if for no reason other than that his face was on ads plastered all over the Strip. Sadly, the impressionist and singer who thrilled audiences at the Mirage and Wynn Las Vegas over the past 10+ years died early this morning of unknown causes at age 52.

Gans was never that well-known outside of Las Vegas, but he was one of the top acts on the Strip for years. He was also an all-American college baseball player at Cal Poly-SLO and batted .234 for the minor-league Victoria (BC) Mussels in 1978. Injuries ended Gans’ dreams of playing professional baseball, but before becoming a Vegas legend, Gans would go on to be a part of one of the most famous sports films of all time.

Read more…

As we reported earlier on SbB, Delaware is set to legalize sports betting by the start of football season. Well, consider the floodgates officially open. A New Jersey lawmaker is suing the federal government to overturn it’s ban on sports wagering.

After a study that predicted a $10-billion-a-year business that could add $100 million annually to New Jersey’s coffers, it was a no-brainer for the financially strapped state. But the ban wouldn’t just affect the Garden State; it would allow every state to decide whether to legalize it. So this might be one Supreme Court case you’ll be able to eagerly follow on ESPN’s Bottom Line.

What are the odds of Jersey having a case? It’s not a bad bet, actually.

Read more…

BIG LEAGUE STEW serves up this pic Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillen at an exhibition game in Vegas:

As you probably know, Sin City’s fortunes are suffering because less companies are spending time & money in their gambling wonderland - such as Wells Fargo, which canceled their corporate casino junket amid criticism connected with receiving a $25 billion taxpayer-funded bailout. Read more…

Well, it finally happened: Former Giants coach Jim Fassel convinced a football team that he deserves another shot at being a head coach. Here’s the catch: That team isn’t in the NFL, and it’s not even in the NCAA, either.

(Hey, coaching in Vegas can’t be any more awkward than his ESPN spots.)

According to the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, the former Super Bowl runner-up agreed to become the head coach of Las Vegas’ entry into the UFL, the new upstart professional league that is designed to rival the NFL. The UFL is slated to start operations next fall, and while league sources wouldn’t confirm Fassel was on board, UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue wouldn’t deny it, either, and quickly added that there were, “upcoming announcements about the league.”

Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? And by “ominous,” we mean “desperate”  on the part of Fassel. How is it that a man who, by all accounts, was one whisker away from becoming head coach of the Redskins last winter falls all the way back to taking a job in a start-up league? And what kind of a career move is a UFL head job, anyway? Do we have any idea whether this league is even going to be solvent for a single season? Last time we checked, the XFL actually played a couple games, emphasis on “couple”. The UFL hasn’t played a single matchup yet, has yet to hold a draft or officially announce stadiums where teams are playing, and its opening weekend is a mere eight months away! Heck, they don’t even know all the cities that are going to be involved. It’s a total mess.

Read more…

Sure, I’ve read over and over again about how bad the economy is. I know that people are losing their jobs, businesses are shutting down and people are hurting. But this story in the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL really brings it home: apparently, things are so bad that millionaire athletes can’t afford to “make it rain” at Las Vegas nightclubs. Damn it, we’re bailing out Detroit, why can’t we bail out Las Vegas?

Branden Powers, a partner and director of marketing at Poetry nightclub at the Forum Shops at Caesers, saying that Vegas is “drying up” in terms of big money spenders coming to exclusive nightclubs. He estimated that business was off by 25 to 40 percent in December, and the practice of big shot athletes “making it rain” by tossing wads of hundred dollar bills into the crowd is almost non-existent:

Read more…

When you go to Las Vegas with the guys there are generally only three things on the agenda: gambling, golf, and women.  To a lesser extent eating and sleeping are also part of the plan, but only if they don’t get in the way of the previous three.  Well, now you can have all three at once.

(Assistance with the ballwasher is here!)

I mean, when your out on the golf course with your buddies it’s pretty commonplace to have some side action on the round, especially when you’re in Vegas.  Of course, the only problem when you’re out on the golf course is that there generally isn’t a lot of women hanging around, and the ones that are generally aren’t the type you want to concern yourself with.   Thankfully that’s about to change thanks to a joint venture between Walters Golf and Par Mates.

Read more…

Joe Navarro’s job used to be figuring out if someone was lying about knowing where Osama bin Laden was hiding. He’s given up that job for one much more important: figuring out if someone’s going all in hoping for a high card.

(I interpret this pose as saying, “Buy My Book.”)

The former FBI body language expert will be in Las Vegas for a World Series of Poker Academy session, teaching players how to read their opponents. Considering we haven’t caught bin Laden, and poker is apparently a real sport now, I guess Navarro made a good career change.

Read more…

In 1995, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson & friend Ronald Goldman. Exactly 13 years later, the Juice has finally been found guilty of something.

(Hark! Who’ll look for Nicole’s killer now?)

The LOS ANGELES TIMES reports that Simpson has been found guilty on all 12 counts for his role in an armed robbery of sports memorabilia sellers in a Las Vegas hotel room last year. The verdict was announced late Friday night - as not to interrupt the Red Sox’s exciting Game 2 win over the Angels, we suppose.

So, what awaits O.J. now? A slap on the wrist? 200 hours of community service as a casino greeter? Well, it could be a lot more than that:

Read more…