The Plaza Hotel & Casino will again host downtown Las Vegas’ biggest party to celebrate Cinco de Mayo starting at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 5, in and around its iconic Carousel Bar.

The Plaza’s Cinco de Mayo party is free to attend and will feature a variety of entertainment, including a Mariachi band, Folklorico dancers, and a DJ spinning top radio hits with a mix of Latin music, all under the bright lights of the property’s iconic Main Street dome. The high-energy fiesta will also feature downtown’s largest piñata.

Guests will be able to commemorate their fun by taking selfies inside the Plaza’s photo house that will include various festive props.

Fresh churros will be available for purchase from Churros 101 as well as street tacos and Mexican street corn salad (Esquites) from Fresh Mexican Grill.

Carousel Bar will offer drink specials all night long: Dos Equis on draft (a pint for $11 or 32 oz. for $14), the Kickin’ Caballo (Teremana Tequila, lime, chili agave, and ginger beer for $16), and a beer and shot feature with Dos Equis and Teremana Blanco Tequilla for $16.

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Next to Carousel Bar, Pinkbox Doughnuts will feature fun and delicious Cinco de Mayo-themed doughnuts.

There’s a timeless adage from NBA great Allen Iverson: “Practice?!” But now, almost ironically, AI (that is, Artificial Intelligence) will be helping us replicate big-time pressure in that very scenario.

Evenplay, an AI technology company based out of Las Vegas, has created a patented golf simulator application that creates challenges for all skill levels, with the intention of improving play performance through the use of cash rewards.

“What we have is a machine-learning algorithm that takes all of your shot data and says, ‘What are you going to do next from 175 yards?,’ and creates targets personalized for your skill level with money on the line,” said Sameer Gupta, co-founder of Evenplay. “If you practice with pressure, you’re probably going to get better faster.”

UNLV has partnered with Evenplay, taking on the task of studying the impact of rewards on skill level, and how well this experience translates the gains from practice into practical use on the real course.

“It sounded like a good opportunity to build a relationship and a bridge with this company,” said Chris Cain, director of the PGA Golf Management University Program within UNLV’s Harrah College of Hospitality. “And to see if we can continue to advance off-course golf, improve diversity in the consumer base, and think a little bit differently and daring, which is what UNLV’s all about.” 

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Upping the Ante on Research

The ability to create a feedback loop – one where you practice in the same conditions as when something’s on the line – is the goal: replicating the jitters that come from staring down a big putt, and then training yourself to handle the pressure before you step onto the course.

Evenplay does this by paying out money depending on the shot, using rewards as a way to create real stress in a controlled setting.

“What we have is a turn-key stress generator,” said Gupta. “Our model projects a thousand shots from every distance, with a target drawn where about half of your shots should be capable of landing. We’ve taken a skill-based activity and are able to predict what you will do next.”

The study at UNLV uses a more controlled version of the wagers. Randomly selected participants will receive various payouts such as lesson or UNLV Gift certificates based on their group assignments and the level of contributions to the study.

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“This is a skill-based gaming application that allows someone to make a bet and have fun doing it,” said Cain. “What we’re doing at UNLV is seeing if the variable payouts influence program retention – do they play longer or more often? Does this also influence skill improvement? Wouldn’t it be cool to have some sort of technology in place that actually uses gaming as a way to positively influence skill improvement?”

The study is made possible through UNLV’s Sports Innovation Institute (SII), and the College of Hospitality’s Center for Golf Management, in collaboration with the university’s International Gaming Institute. The SII acts as a hub for all of the faculty who do research in sports, enabling them to work together to find solutions to problems and advance the commercialization of products fitting that criteria.

“With Evenplay’s expertise, as well as the Sports Innovation and the International Gaming institutes, that trifecta makes for a pretty special partnership here in Las Vegas,” Cain said. “There are thousands of data points in every swing that UNLV is looking forward to analyzing to see if this really changes the way we practice.”

Growing the Game

It’s no secret that the game of golf is expensive and often exclusive. The National Golf Foundation estimates the cost of a full round at a public course in the U.S. was $43 in 2023. That’s just getting on the course. When you add hundreds and thousands of dollars into equipment costs, training, and lessons, the financial barrier to entry becomes quite imposing.

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“There are about 120 million people interested in the game and only 45 million participating,” said Cain. “Technology’s going to help close that gap, and being able to take lessons without being on the golf course will be part of the future, making it more inclusive, accessible, and affordable.”

Improving the accessibility of the game is one of the desired outcomes for the research, potentially showing a greater translation of the skills developed in a simulator using Evenplay to the course itself.

“It’s winter right now – nobody’s taking swings on green golf courses in Chicago,” said Gupta. “All of those players are using simulators indoors. We’re growing the amount of people who can engage with golf by changing how often people can meaningfully play the sport at all times of the year.”

Changing the game doesn’t end with golf. The patent for Evenplay features a baseball player swinging a bat, and the plan is to roll into bowling next. Its partnership and ongoing study with UNLV is only expediting the interest in this potential shakeup to the practice session.

“The ability of UNLV to effectively structure a relationship with the PGA is very impressive and unique in the market,” said Gupta. “And bringing that knowledge to a private company like ours is essential to our growth.”

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The results of Evenplay’s efficacy in providing measurable improvement to player skill will be shared as the study concludes later this year.

FBM® made a strategic stop on the road to Las Vegas by exhibiting the Jí Hǎo Link and Mythic Link slots at the OIGA Trade Show. The event took place in Oklahoma on August 13th and 14th, bringing together over 3,000 attendees, including visitors, exhibitors, and guest speakers, to celebrate the casino industry.

Following its debut in 2023, FBM returned to the OIGA Trade Show this year. The event gathered various key players from the American casino scene for three days of intense networking and reflection on the industry’s latest trends. As part of its ongoing consolidation in the US market, FBM showcased its slot games under the Jí Hǎo Link and Mythic Link product lines at booth 942.

Casino gaming enthusiasts attending OIGA had the opportunity to explore the entertaining experiences offered by ten different slot games over two days. Golden Lóng, Fortunate Héping, Eternal Fènghuáng, and Great Weiyan from the Jí Hǎo Link line were available to try on the Auria casino cabinet, while Eternal Kingdom, Ancient Tropics, Golden Voyage, Nature’s Paradise, Eternal Kingdom Origins, and Golden Voyage Origins from the Mythic Link line were displayed on the Galaxy II casino machine.

The outcome of the OIGA Trade Show was positive, as the products exhibited sparked networking sessions between Mike Medlin, Sales & Operations Manager at FBM, and the event attendees. Players and operators shared favorable feedback on the portfolio of casino games and cabinets showcased, opening promising prospects for future expansion in the US market.

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Next stop: G2E Las Vegas

The presence at the OIGA Trade Show provided a significant boost for the upcoming steps in FBM’s calendar. The FBM Group is continuing its intense preparation for G2E Las Vegas, where it will unveil new products for both the land-based and online casino segments. See you soon at Booth 2848!