The Golden Gate opened its latest addition today, debuting a 5,000-square-foot expansion to replace a gritty downtown alley previously separating the casino from the gift shops to the east of the property on Fremont Street.
Local dignitaries, including Mayor Carolyn Goodman, City Council members Michele Fiore, Bob Coffin and Ricki Barlow, and executives from other downtown casinos attended the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The expansion also lengthened Golden Gate’s outdoor bar on Fremont Street along the front of the property.
Derek Stevens, the Golden Gate CEO, said the idea to take over the alley and expand the casino came after he and his brother/partner, Greg Stevens, had finished purchasing several properties across the street from the Golden Gate.
“We saw this alley here and it was a dirty alley and we thought, ‘OK, we could do something better,’” he said. “And we were able to work with the city and get that done and as soon as we knew we could get that done we started the design process and got that going.”
The expansion adds 91 slot machines to the casino floor to give the property 400 machines. The upgrades also include opening the wall between an older section of the casino and the new area for an employee dining area.
The expansion is not the only project the Stevens brothers are working on. They are also in midst of demolishing those structures they purchased across the street from the Golden Gate to clear the way for a new downtown resort.
Stevens said he is still determining the theme and motif for the new property.