Making progress

Two new casinos that have been under development in Las Vegas are closing in on their opening dates.

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is planning to open on January 15, while the Circa Resort & Casino obtained a license from the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday and is set to start public operations on October 28. 

These updates come at a time when there are not too many positives for the casino sector in Las Vegas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism numbers and revenues are down, with facilities having to operate at reduced capacity.

A couple of firsts

Virgin Hotels announced on September 24 that its first property in Las Vegas will be ready to open in January. Located east of the Strip, it is situated on the site of the former Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 

Richard ‘Boz’ Bosworth, CEO and president of the property’s owner, JC Hospitality, spoke about the timing of the development, noting how most of it has been during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

what the hospitality workforce here has endured has been devastating.”

He said: “We somewhat dodged a bullet with that and my team members are coming back a little later than we would have liked and they would have liked, but what the hospitality workforce here has endured has been devastating.” 

The Hard Rock Hotel shut its doors for redevelopment on February 3, with the initial plan to have the new facility ready to go in November. Virgin Las Vegas is hoping that its opening will be a boost for the area and help with the recovery efforts. 

The casino floor will be 60,000 square feet and will be operated by Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, with Betfred looking after the sportsbook. This will mark another first, as it is the first time that a casino in the tourism corridor of Las Vegas will be operated by a tribal gaming group. 

Significant downtown development

The Circa Resort & Casino is the first facility to be built from the ground up in downtown Las Vegas in about four decades. After successfully obtaining a license from the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday, the Derek Stevens-owned property plans to open its doors to the general public on October 28, two months earlier than originally expected.

the largest project Stevens has been involved with to date

The Nevada Gaming Control Board had given its recommendation for the license approval on September 9. Thursday’s vote by the commission was unanimous. Stevens has obtained nine licenses over the past 12 years for different properties in the state. Circa will have 511 rooms and is the largest project Stevens has been involved with to date.