Las Vegas Gaming Today

Gaming resorts and their reaction to the pandemic have been something of a bellwether for the hospitality and entertainment industries. The properties were some of the first to close en masse in mid-March, and they subsequently led the way in crafting the protocols that would be required for them to reopen. 

Wynn Las Vegas was one of the first companies to publicize guidelines, in the form of its 23-page Health & Safety Plan, initially released in April. Since then, every gaming and hospitality company has publicly shared its own roadmap for keeping guests and employees safe. 

Most casino resorts are subject to state mandates and restrictions, but not always: For instance, the tribal Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun, both in Connecticut, opened their facilities June 1, before the state-planned date, because they are on sovereign land. And as such, they were some of the first to demonstrate necessary measures for casinos — such as providing unique face coverings and other personal protective equipment for employees, and putting plexiglass dividers between gamblers.

For those eager to bring their meetings back to gaming destinations, local restrictions and mandates remain a moving target, even for tribal properties. For example, Pechanga Resort Casino, located in Temecula, Calif., did open its casino with limited capacity on June 1, but the resort and most of its amenities remain closed to the public. The property is following California state guidelines; planners can consult Northstar’s regularly updated state-by-state opening status roundup. Read on for a look at what’s happening now and what’s in store in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Back to Business in Vegas

Las Vegas casinos began to welcome visitors on June 4. Gaming companies have generally taken a phased approach, gradually opening more properties as demand warrants, and staggering the debut of amenities within their massive resorts. 

“The excitement surrounding the reopening has been a blessing,” said Chris Meyer, CEM, CMP, vice president of global sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, during Northstar’s recent Interact Las Vegas digital event, nearly three months after the venues closed. For a city that thrives on tourism and large gatherings, the shutdown was particularly challenging.

As of July 7, 257 properties had reopened, representing more than 122,000 rooms at full capacity, according to the LVCVA. It’s important to note, however, that the resorts are not operating at full capacity. Meetings of up to 50 participants are permitted, although properties weren’t seeing any substantial group business as of late July.

But as Meyer pointed out, the city didn’t go completely silent during the shutdown. “Construction continued unabated,” he said, “and that provided us an opportunity to really accelerate work on some of these properties.”

Here’s a look at what’s already open and what the ongoing construction promises to bring to the city over the coming months.

What’s Happening Now

The giants of the Strip have been reopening gradually this summer. By state order, all guests and employees must wear face masks whenever on the premises, except while eating and drinking. Also by state order, all bar areas and nightclubs remain closed. 

As of late July, MGM Resorts International had opened the following properties, each with a limited number of rooms and select amenities available: the Aria, the Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, the Delano (at Mandalay Bay), MGM Grand, Signature at MGM Grand, New York New York and the Vdara Hotel & Spa.

Caesars Entertainment has reopened the following resorts and attractions, also with limits on the number of guest rooms and amenities: Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace, the Flamingo, Paris, and the Linq Promenade and High Roller Observation Wheel.

Wynn Resorts has opened both the Wynn and Encore towers, along with as many venues therein as state restrictions would allow. The Venetian and Palazzo have opened, as well, along with on-site attractions, such as the iconic singing gondoliers on the canals of the Venetian.

A wide variety of off-Strip resorts are also open, making the most of their facilities while adhering to state restrictions. South Point Casino Resort, for instance, hosted a major Professional Bull Riders competition last month at the on-site South Point Arena. The event was closed to spectators but the competition went on nevertheless, with strict distancing protocols in place.

What’s New

The latest big news in gaming circles is the long-awaited closing of Eldorado Resorts’ $17.3 billion buyout of Caesars Entertainment. The combined company — which retains the Caesars name — is now the largest casino owner in the world, and owns and operates more than 55 properties across 16 U.S. states, including eight resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. The company also owns licensing rights for properties in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Canada and Dubai, as well as a golf course in Macau.

In Las Vegas, the company’s newest facility, Caesars Forum, is complete and ready to host meetings. The 550,000-square-foot conference center is home to two 110,000-square-foot pillarless ballrooms, two 40,000-square-foot ballrooms and 100 breakout rooms. The highly configurable space provides plenty of room for distancing, as does the 100,000-square-foot Forum Plaza, the facility’s adjacent outdoor space. About 8,500 Caesars-operated hotel rooms provide access to the Forum, which is surrounded by Harrah’s Las Vegas, the Linq Hotel + Experience and Flamingo Las Vegas. The open-air Linq Promenade provides more dining and entertainment options alongside the Forum Plaza.

Plenty of new meetings options also recently debuted at the Wynn Las Vegas, in the form of a 400,000-square-foot expansion to the convention space. A new two-level structure overlooks the redesigned 18-hole golf course, providing 300,000 square feet of space. The project nearly doubled the overall event space available at the Wynn and Encore properties to 560,000 square feet. 

In addition to an 83,000-square-foot pillarless ballroom and a 2,500-square-foot luxury hospitality lounge, new open-air options include the 20,000-square-foot outdoor pavilion and 20,000-square-foot event lawn. All meeting space at Wynn is powered by renewable energy, sourced from the nearby 160-acre Wynn Solar Facility.

The trend to provide outdoor event options in Las Vegas is likely to serve the venues well in the era of reducing virus risks. The recent MGM Grand Conference Center expansion also added some open-air space, in the form of a 5,500-square-foot outdoor courtyard. The $130 million expansion brought the facility’s total meeting square footage to 850,000 and added a whole floor of health-focused Stay Well Meetings rooms in the process.

What’s Coming Soon

Details of the upcoming National Football League season might still be mired in uncertainty, but Allegiant Stadium, the brand-new home of the relocated Las Vegas Raiders, is still on track to be unveiled this month. The 65,000-seat, state-of-the-art domed facility will be well equipped to host smaller events as well, with a wealth of private spaces and luxury suites throughout. As of press time, the venue was still scheduled to celebrate its opening with a Garth Brooks concert on Aug. 22 — for which more than 65,000 tickets were sold in less than 75 minutes when they went on sale. Current restrictions would, of course, make such a gathering impossible, but as Meyer of the LVCVA said, “We’re keeping our fingers crossed on that one.”

Other major projects include the expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center, which will add the new West Hall and another 1.4 million square feet to the facility’s footprint. When finished at the end of this year, the complex will cover more than 5 million square feet, with 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space — making it the largest convention center in North America, according to the LVCVA. Unfortunately, the massive Con­sumer Electronics Show, which was going to use that space in January, was cancelled on July 28.

Work by the Boring Co. also continues on schedule on the autonomous-transportation system under the convention center grounds. The innovative, $52.5 million endeavor is the first commercial project from the Elon Musk-owned enterprise and is set to debut in January. Two tunnels are being constructed to connect the entire 200-acre convention center campus, which passengers will be able to traverse in less than two minutes. In June, Wynn Las Vegas and Boring submitted a land-use application to design another tunnel that would connect the Wynn resort with the convention center system.

The city’s shutdown was advantageous to the construction timeline for Circa, the first new resort to be built in downtown Las Vegas since 1980. That 777-room property is now slated to open on Oct. 28, slightly ahead of schedule. 

The massive Resorts World complex, still planning to debut in the summer of 2021, recently announced it would partner with AEG on a 5,000-seat, on-site theater with an extremely spacious, 13,550-square-foot stage. Meanwhile, room designs progress for the 3,500-room resort, which will host three Hilton brands across three towers — Conrad, LXR and Hilton Hotels, respectively.

One project that has been delayed by the pandemic is the unique MSG Sphere, the $1.66 billion, ball-shaped, 17,000-seat entertainment venue being built next to the Venetian. A collaboration between the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Madison Square Garden Entertainment, the project shut down in April and has yet to restart, and a new completion dated has not been set.