Once a key cog in the Las Vegas marketing wheel, Monday Night Football parties are now almost nonexistent. Rather than throw parties in ballrooms, the casinos now rely solely on their sports books to draw crowds. And they do. Busiest are Las Vegas’ two premier sports books at Circa and Westgate.

However, one long-running Monday football party lives on at South Point, where a big crowd gathers in the showroom for $1.50 hot dogs, $2 draft beer and drawings for $1,000. Rivaling South Point is the Sapphire gentlemen’s club, where $25 admission gets a visitor an open bar and a full buffet, all with the game playing on multiple screens.

Circa contests: On the other side of the coin, football contests get bigger every year. Circa’s Survivor contest drew 14,266 entrants this year, the most ever for a football contest in Las Vegas. At $1,000 per and a guarantee of all entry money going into the prize pool, the winner-take-all format will award just under $14.3 million to the winner or winners (if there is a tie). The Circa Million contest drew 5,817 players at $1,000 per entry. The guaranteed prize pool of $6 million is $183,000 more than the amount collected, which is a favorable situation for players.

New sports book: The Suncoast’s conversion of its showroom into a new sports book was completed just in time for the start of the football season. It features a nearly 16-foot-tall curved video wall with 1,700 square feet of total high-definition screens. The former sports book is currently being converted into a bingo room.

Question: Can the Rain Man suite at Caesars Palace be rented for parties?

Answer: Yes. The circular room that was made famous in the 1988 movie “Rain Man” can be rented for parties, or just for a swanky weekend, but you’ll have to get your wallet out. Rates fluctuate, with a recent one-night rental for a wedding going for $1,800 per night.

For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.