Reel Star

How to play Reel Star

Several local businesses signed on to celebrate the rewritten history, including Naked City Pizza, Naked City Audio, and Naked City Sweets.

“The subject is interesting to me because the gap between the sunny, titillating legend and the grim reality of the counter-story are so distant from one another,” Carlson said. “To put it in personal terms, I want to believe the sun-tanning showgirl story, because the alternative is depressing.”

Look for “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on Casino.org. To read previously busted Vegas myths, visit VegasMythsBusted.com. Got a suggestion for a Vegas myth that needs busting? Email corey@casino.org.

What is Reel Star?

“You can go the combative route and ban something that’s federally regulated,” he said. “But what you’ll end up with is a bunch of customers in Texas just going offshore.”

The committee also heard from Brianne Doura-Schawohl, a nationally recognised problem gambling expert. One study cited by Doura-Schawohl found that 52% of Gen Z respondents include sports betting and prediction markets as part of their long-term financial plan.

She also criticised a Kalshi competitor for offering a function that allows minors over 17 to link an investment account with the ability to buy and sell event contracts. A former legislative director for the National Council on Problem Gambling, Doura-Schawohl described the opportunity as “very dangerous” for teenagers susceptible to harm.

About Reel Star

UPDATE: Carrot Top (real name: Scott Thompson) remains hospitalized in Las Vegas following what is now widely being reported as a suicide attempt on Friday (Sept. 18). On Sunday afternoon (Sept. 20), a rep for the beloved longtime Strip comedian told TMZ he “is now awake, breathing on his own and continuing to improve, surrounded by his family and those closest to him.”

All Carrot Top shows at the Luxor have been canceled at least through Saturday (Sept. 26).

In other Carrot Top news, Brian Evans—the man accused in a lawsuit filed by the comic of extorting him over a sex tape—told TMZ he denies ever threatening to release the tape. He claims it was erased from a USB drive “in accordance with the prior settlement”—a statement that TMZ did not elaborate on—and that he’s “sorry that Scott apparently did something to hurt himself.”

EARLIER: Carrot Top, the comic with the longest-running current Strip residency at more than 20 years, was rushed to a hospital on Friday (Sept. 18) after what TMZ reported as a suicide attempt. 

His publicist, Jami Schlicher, confirmed only that he is recovering and receiving care. She asked for privacy on behalf of his family and close friends and did not address the reported cause.