Bally's announced late this evening that they are closing their Sports Book until at least September, possibly until the beginning of October.   According to hotel spokesperson, Deanna Pettit, remodeling is NOT the reason.

Guests visiting the 285-seat sports book are being directed to the sports book inside the neighboring Paris Las Vegas resort.  That means they are closing the Sports Book just before the Final Four games and if they stay closed until Oct. 1st, they will miss the kick-off the NFL and NCAA seasons as well as Major League Baseball pennant races.  Then we also have to factor in the Kentucky Derby as well as the Indy 500 in May.  Is this due to the downturn in the economy affecting the Strip and/or is Harrah's in rougher shape than they want us to know?

Both Bally's and Paris Las Vegas are owned by Harrah's.

And in other Las Vegas news, developer Jim Rhodes who has developed Rhodes Ranch and other master planned communities around the valley filed for bankruptcy today. 

Developer James Rhodes tonight filed a petition for bankruptcy on behalf of many of his key businesses, including Rhodes Design and Development Corp., listing $100 million to $500 million in assets and liabilities in the same range.

The developer filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, which allows the companies to continue operating while their finances are restructured.

Look for developments on both stories in the morning.