LAS VEGAS – Sergio Portesan’s middle name is Elvis, and he has a tattoo of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on his left bicep.
The 26-year-old Colorado man visits this gambling and entertainment mecca every chance he gets, the last time for his birthday in January, weeks before casinos went dark as the coronavirus crisis deepened.
So no one was going to keep him from the reopening party that kicked off Wednesday – except his mother.
She’s a nurse in Minnesota, and Portesan wanted her blessing, given continuing coronavirus concerns.
“I was like, if you tell me no, I’ll cancel,” Portesan said. “She’s like, do it. It’s important to you. It’s historic. You’ll never see it again. You’re young and healthy.”