Gaming

How much does it cost to build a Strip resort?

The Las Vegas skyline is seen from the top of the Bellagio.

The Genting Group got a steal on the Strip land it bought this week to build Resorts World Las Vegas, a 3,500-room Chinese-themed resort. The Malaysian company paid Boyd Gaming only $350 million for the 87-acre site of the imploded Stardust and failed Echelon. By comparison, Phil Ruffin sold the 36-acre New Frontier property in 2007 for $1.24 billion, a Las Vegas record.

8 March 2013
By Ron Sylvester

Las Vegas lab that tests casino games plans to add 100 jobs over the next two years

Executives and invited guests cut a ribbon during the opening of the BMM Testlabs new world headquarters in Las Vegas, Thursday, March 7, 2013. From left are Wendy Anderson, vice president of group marketing; Mike Dreitzer, COO of BMM Americas; Sandra Storm with her husband, Martin Storm, BMM global president and CEO; Sonia Joya, representing Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, and Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak. BMM employs more than 200 people in 12 countries and operates 11 gaming labs, serving more than 400 gaming jurisdictions.

On Thursday, BMM Testlabs conducted an open house at its new world headquarters in Las Vegas. About 100 gaming professionals toured the company’s facility at 815 Pilot Road in a warehousing and manufacturing area south of McCarran International Airport.

7 March 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Construction under way for SlotZilla, part of new downtown zip line

Construction crews work Wednesday, March 6, 2013, to build support pylons for the 12-story takeoff tower that will launch riders along the Slotzilla permanent zip line at Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas. The $11 million attraction is set to open in June.

Concrete is cracking and heavy machinery is rumbling, moving tons of dirt, as construction is under way to build a permanent zip line in downtown Las Vegas.

6 March 2013
By Ron Sylvester

888 Holdings would team with Treasure Island to offer online poker

The Strip-side property opened in 1993.

Two more companies took a step toward joining Nevada’s interactive gaming license club Wednesday after the state Gaming Control Board unanimously approved recommendations for foreign and domestic operators.

6 March 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

New Genting megaresort expected to be big boost for the Strip

An artist rendering of the planned Resort World Las Vegas at the site of the old Stardust.

In the go-go 1990s, when it seemed like announcements about new casino megaresorts were annual occurrences, the prevailing wisdom was “the more the merrier” and “a rising tide raises all boats.” But that philosophy came into question in the late 2000s as Las Vegas and the rest of the country weathered the worst economic downturn in recent history.

5 March 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

Boyd Gaming revenue up but misses Wall Street expectations

Boyd Gaming Corp.'s Suncoast hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

Boyd Gaming increased revenue but saw shareholder earnings slip while missing Wall Street expectations.

4 March 2013
By Ron Sylvester

Asian-themed megaresort planned for old Stardust site

An artist rendering of the planned Resort World Las Vegas at the site of the old Stardust.

An Asian gaming powerhouse is planning a $2 billion Asian-themed mega-resort on the Las Vegas Strip where the old Stardust was imploded and the stalled Echelon was planned.

4 March 2013
By Richard N. Velotta

It's poker only for online gambling in Nevada, for now

Casino industry representatives and exhibitors watch an online poker game during industry's G2E conference, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, in Las Vegas.

Ask gaming lobbyists what Assembly Bill 114 does, and they’ll tell you it legalizes online poker in Nevada. But the bill — which the Legislature rushed to the governor’s desk in a record-breaking seven hours last month — actually says nothing about poker. Instead, it legalizes “interactive gaming,” a term that would open the door to all kinds of online gambling — slot machines, blackjack, roulette. But for political reasons, and to some extent competitive reasons, Nevada’s industry wants to focus only on poker.

3 March 2013
By Anjeanette Damon

Only the big fish allowed to swim in Nevada's online gambling pool

Surrounded by Nevada legislators, Gov. Brian Sandoval signs an online poker bill into law, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. The law will allow Nevada to move ahead with online poker in the absence of federal action.

The bill Gov. Brian Sandoval signed does not open the floodgates for online gambling; it cracks the door a smidgen. The Nevada Resort Association won big with the new law after a slow, dozen-year push to ensconce protections for big casinos in online gaming laws and regulations.

3 March 2013
By Andrew Doughman

Workers picket outside Cosmopolitan over lack of contract

Members of the Culinary 226 Union protest outside the Cosmopolitan on Friday morning, Mar. 1, 2013.

Lines of workers chanted, carried signs and yelled at people trying to walk into the Cosmopolitan on Friday, protesting the property’s lack of a contract with the Las Vegas Culinary Union.

1 March 2013
By Ron Sylvester

As trend wanes, Las Vegas casinos fold poker rooms

The South Point poker room is shown in this 2010 file photo.

The Tropicana hoped to step back into the big leagues when it opened its poker room in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, touting it as the coolest in town. But that same morning, federal agents shut down the three biggest online poker sites on the Internet.

1 March 2013
By Hannah Dreier, Associated Press

Judge deals setback to New Jersey's sports gambling effort

A federal judge upheld a 21-year-old law prohibiting sports betting in all but four states, dealing a setback to New Jersey's attempts to revive its struggling casino industry by grabbing a piece of what has become a multibillion-dollar industry, both legal and illegal.

1 March 2013
By David Porter, Associated Press

MGM Resorts announces plan for 20,000-seat arena

MGM Resorts International wants to build a privately funded, 20,000-seat indoor arena behind the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts that would feature boxing, top-draw headliners and special events.

1 March 2013
By Las Vegas Sun Staff

Station Casinos eliminates many of its highest-paying video poker machines

Tourists play video poker at Green Valley Ranch Resort in Henderson. Owner Station Casinos led the locals market in profits during the third quarter of 2012.

Station Casinos is updating its video poker offerings with new machines that let players customize backgrounds and the way cards are dealt. But at the same time, the casino company is removing many of its highest-paying video poker games. For years, Station has been known for having some of the best video poker payouts in Las Vegas. But over the past few months, several full-pay machines — those with payouts of 100 percent or more — have disappeared.

1 March 2013
By Ron Sylvester

Bellagio Spa Tower rooms get fresh look, green features

Bellagio recently completed the remodel of all 928 rooms and suites in its Spa Tower.

The Bellagio has finished remodeling 928 rooms in its Spa Tower, including three new spacious suites.

27 February 2013
By Ron Sylvester
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