HARD ROCK MYSTERY

Who's the mystery investor making a run at buying the Hard Rock Hotel?

"It's not us," said Station Casinos spokeswoman Lori Nelson.

Reports circulated last month that Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone magazine was in town exploring a local deal, but my guess is that it's a well-connected Las Vegan with vast experience on the Strip.

Deutsche Bank gaming analyst Andrew Zarnett said it shouldn't be a surprise that Hard Rock owner Peter Morton would sell the property.

"He's always been an opportunistic seller," Zarnett said. "He's created a lot of value in that property, and clearly, it's a good time to take some money off the table."

The selling price "could be in the billion-dollar ZIP code," he said.

The big question making the rounds after the bombshell announcement was why Morton went public.

"Clearly, something leaked and he felt compelled to disseminate the information," Zarnett said.

Sources tell me Hard Rock execs have been putting out job feelers in the past two weeks.

"He had to go public because of the ($1 billion) condos project," a source said. "If he's selling, he can't be out soliciting people to buy condos."