Las Vegas visitors rose in March more than in any other month in its history, thanks to college basketball tournaments, car races and conventions. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported that 3.7 million people came to town last month, up 4.3 percent from March 2013. Tourism officials say convention attendance was up 21 percent, mainly because the CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction convention. The event happens every three years and drew nearly 130,000 people. Room rates shot up for the month of March. The average daily rate hit $134, up 21 percent from the same time a year ago. Gambling revenues…

The Verge – They won’t have neon signs, drive-thru windows, or 24-hour wedding chapels attached to them. But Las Vegas marijuana dispensaries will be massively profitable tourist attractions that could deepen the entire nation’s relationship with weed. At least that’s the hope of the 109 applicants who entered the heated competition for Vegas’ first medical marijuana dispensary and grow-room licenses in time for Tuesday’s deadline. Nevada voters legalized medical marijuana way back in 2000, but the state only recently enacted regulations to allow people to open pot businesses legally. Unincorporated Clark County — not to be confused with Clark County,…

Penn National Gaming, which owns M Resort, is again looking at the Strip for possible expansion opportunities. During a conference call Thursday with analysts to discuss the casino operator’s first quarter earnings, Penn National CEO Tim Wilmott was asked about reports that Australian casino company Crown International was interested in buying the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for $2 billion. Wilmott said he thought the figure “sounded high.” If Penn were to get into the bidding for the Strip resort, which owner Deutsche Bank reportedly wants to sell, it would probably be with a partner. Wilmott added that Penn is “not…

Las Vegas Review Journal – A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bank in New York wouldn’t discuss an Australian press report Monday that the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas could be sold to a company controlled by billionaire James Packer. Germany’s largest bank, which opened the 3,000-room Cosmopolitan in December 2010 after it foreclosed on the project’s original developer, is reportedly seeking a buyer for the resort. The Cosmopolitan has never turned a quarterly profit. The Brisbane Times reported that Crown Resorts, which is controlled by Packer, was planning to “lodge an expression of interest” for the Cosmopolitan by Tuesday. Bloomberg News recently…

Card Player – Deutsche Bank is in talks with potential buyers of the Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip, Bloomberg reported this week. The bank has owned the property for a handful of years. Germany’s largest bank could be looking for more than $2 billion for the casino, hotel and resort, and has attracted at least four possible bidders, the report said. The property’s actual value could be around $1.5 billion. According to the report, the complex “cost more than $3.9 billion to build and has never turned a profit…The Cosmopolitan reported 2013 earnings—before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization—of $103…

Gambling 911 – Don’t tell this to the throngs of people who love Las Vegas but Sin City has just registered at number 10 on the SmartTravel “10 Most Disappointing Vacation Destinations” list. It could be worse we suppose. “Is there any place more depressing than the inside of a casino at three in the morning? Fluorescent lights, a thick haze of cigarette smoke, and the stink of desperation don’t really add up to a dream vacation,” SmartTravel’s Caroline Morse wrote in her review. “Whether you’re losing your money by gambling it away, paying for obscene amounts of food at…