Downtown Las Vegas putting in the work
Downtown Las Vegas has not had it easy since the first casinos and hotels opened in the 1930s & 1940s on the Strip. The new shiny mammoth buildings quickly stole the show from the original settlement.
With the Fremont Street Experience and many other efforts, Downtown kept trying to revive the original Las Vegas and attract tourists, guests and gamblers.
Some developments are already in progress, such as the construction of a third tower at the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino and the $32 Million renovation of the Fremont Street Experience.
Circa Resort & Casino
The most exciting effort though comes in shape of a new 44-story casino resort, called “Circa”, the first new casino building in Downtown in 40 years.
Once finished it will be the highest building north of the Strip. The Circa will be erected on the former site of the Las Vegas Club, Mermaids Casino and the Glitter Gulch topless club, which were demolished in 2017.
The project was originally referred to by its address “18 Fremont”, but has been revealed early January as the “Circa” by owner Derek Stevens, who also shares ownership and operations of The D, The Golden Gate Casino Hotel and the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center with his brother Greg.
During the presentation on 10th January, a flashy promo video was presented with slogans like “Honoring the pioneers of the past, defining a vision in the present and making our mark on the future” and “The time of your life”.
Honoring the past and making a mark on the future
Stevens puts emphasis on the history of Las Vegas and wants to pay homage to its pioneers. The name Circa represents a connection with the past. And while nostalgia is the game, don’t be fooled. This resort will boast with an amazing array of top-notch entertainment and hospitality.
777 guest rooms, very heavily focussed on suites, a 2-level casino, a rooftop pool deck with six pools and a massive screen for viewing parties of sports events, five restaurants and what is going to be the biggest sportsbook of Las Vegas. The 3-storey Circa book is going to take the crown off the SuperBook at the WestGate Casino.
A lot of pride is being shown for the 9-story parking garage called “Garage Mahal”, that will keep in mind and accommodate for the car-sharing industry.
The Strip is never sleeping, however, and while Downtown Las Vegas is pouring a lot of energy into re-establishing itself as a great holiday destination, developments are also underway on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Resorts World Las Vegas on track for 2020 opening
Besides renovations of the SLS and the Stratosphere, the big news at the north end of the Strip is the construction of Resorts World.
Once the iconic Stardust stood on this site and after its implosion in 2007 construction began for the Echelon. However, when the recession hit, this project was abandoned. The skeleton of a building on dusty wasteland was an eyesore for years.
The land was purchased by the Genting Group in March 2013 for $350 million and besides a colourful groundbreaking ceremony with a Chinese touch in 2015, it has been fairly quiet around the project.
In late 2017 construction began and slowly but steadily progressed. The building of this resort is the first creation of a mega casino complex in almost a decade since the opening of the Cosmopolitan in 2010.
Resorts World is expected to have 3,400 rooms in two 60-floor towers. These towers however were ground for a lawsuit from Wynn Resorts as they looked very similar to their own two buildings. Genting agreed to change some designs however in order to differentiate the resorts more from one another and the lawsuit is settled.
What about poker?
Both resorts, the Circa and Resorts World are planned to open in December 2020.
WSOP visitors will have to wait until 2021 to check out the new casinos. And so far there is no information to be found on poker rooms.
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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