Épisodes

  • Are Prediction Markets a Threat to Gambling in Las Vegas?
    Jan 27 2026
    While Las Vegas is known as the gambling capital of the country, newer online vices are popping up that could be competition for our city's biggest offer – casinos. Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket allow users to "trade real-world events" by predicting anything from the outcome of a sporting event to the weather in New York City. It sounds a lot like gambling, but is it? Rick Velotta, assistant business editor at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, joins host Sonja Cho Swanson to discuss the legalities of prediction markets and the threat they pose to gaming companies. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    25 min
  • Do Political Families Still Have Power in Las Vegas?
    Jan 26 2026
    While Nevada has a long history of old family names in politics (think the Goodmans, the Reids), the list of candidates that have filed to run in 2026 in Southern Nevada contains a shockingly low number of legacy names. How much power do these famous families still hold? Co-hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler talk with UNLV history professor Michael Green to talk about the political dynasties of Las Vegas and if a legacy last name still matters as much as it used to. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    26 min
  • Nevada Senators Propose ICE Funding Diversion, School Start Times, and a New Sphere Goes Where?
    Jan 23 2026
    Amid rallying cries on the left of "defund ICE," the Senators from Nevada, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Jacky Rosen, have proposed a middleground solution: Diverting close to half of the $175 billion in Big Beautiful Bill funds earmarked for the agency towards local law enforcement. Will it work? And does it matter? Today, host Sonja Cho Swanson talks with Nevada Current editor April Corbin Girnus and writer Scott Dickensheets about the proposal, along with the valleywide impacts of later school start times for CCSD high schoolers, and why a proposed second Sphere in the DC suburbs has us feeling jealous. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    28 min
  • Swaps For Your Favorite Restaurants That Closed in 2025
    Jan 22 2026
    Because we have new restaurants popping up all the time in Las Vegas, that unfortunately means that we lose a lot of great spots too. So many of our favorite eateries closed in 2025, so City Cast Las Vegas contributor and man about town Brent Holmes joined host Dayvid Figler to discuss substitutes for the places they were sad to see go. Plus, they chat about what last year's closures say about the future of the Las Vegas food scene. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    26 min
  • What the CDC's Vaccine Shake-Up Means for Las Vegas
    Jan 21 2026
    Earlier this month, the CDC dropped several vaccines from its list of recommended childhood vaccinations. What does that mean for us here in Southern Nevada, and should we be concerned? Host Sonja Cho Swanson talks with medical epidemiologist Dr. Rosanne Sugay from the Southern Nevada Health District about how Nevada's vaccination rates stack up against neighboring states, and the challenges that providers face when talking about vaccines here in our purple state. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    22 min
  • Should Las Vegas Reopen Huntridge Park?
    Jan 20 2026
    Huntridge Park has been fenced off since 2020, stranded in the middle of Maryland Parkway and stuck in decades of controversy. Host Sonja Cho Swanson talks with Friends of Huntridge Park co-founders Freddy Godinez and Randy Mendre about the park’s turbulent history, from its postwar heyday to repeated closures tied to safety, access, and homelessness. They lay out why some neighbors would rather keep it closed — and why that might be a mistake. Plus, a bold vision for how this forgotten green space could become a cultural hub for downtown Las Vegas again, with help from UNLV landscape architecture students. Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    27 min
  • Did a Ban on Grass Kill Thousands of Trees? Plus, Another Master-Planned Community and Competitive Wing Eating
    Jan 16 2026
    Back with another Friday News Roundup, host Sonja Cho Swanson is joined by Battle Born Progress press secretary Jacob Solis and Nevada Independent opinions editor Andrew Kiraly to unpack the week's biggest and buzziest headlines. This week, they discuss the lawsuit against the Southern Nevada Water Authority over its ornamental grass ban and the new master-planned community coming to the northwest. Plus, Philly's wing-eating competition, The Wing Bowl, is coming to the Plaza Hotel this year. Learn more about the sponsors of this January 16th episode: Nevada Health Link The Neon Museum Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    32 min
  • Are Las Vegans Falling Out of Love With Pizza?
    Jan 15 2026
    A recent Wall Street Journal article spelled doom and gloom for the pizza industry, citing the closure of multiple chains and the rising cost to buy a slice. Are Las Vegans following suit? Longtime pizza industry veteran John Arena of Metro Pizza and Robby Cunningham, owner of the newly-opened Guerilla Pizza, tell us what Vegas customers want, why margins are especially precarious in pizza, and why Robby, despite what these forecasts say, is optimistic about jumping into the Vegas pizza business. Learn more about the sponsors of this January 15th episode: Nevada Health Link The Neon Museum Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Learn more about becoming a City Cast Las Vegas Neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.
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    20 min