What's New in Gaming

Things are looking up for a number of casino properties. MGM Resorts International posted its best post-recession revenue numbers in 2013. Las Vegas expects a dramatic rise in the number of meeting attendees this year, and the Reno-Tahoe area, long battling the effects of the lagging economy, posted its first increase in gaming revenue in seven years. These and other developments from major gaming destinations around the country are outlined on the following pages.

LAS VEGAS
Always a magnet for groups, this year Las Vegas is expecting 70 conventions not previously held in the city, with each slated to bring in more than 500 attendees. That should bring a projected 100,000 additional delegates to town. Three new shows in particular -- the American Library Association's annual conference, the American Wind Energy Association's Windpower and Solar Power International -- should account for some 50,000 attendees and $63 million in local nongaming revenues. 

And that's just new business. Nine rotating shows are coming back to Vegas this year, which should equate to more than 320,000 delegates and a nongaming impact of $404 million.

Following are some of the many venue developments and openings of note in the desert oasis.

The Cromwell Hotel and Casino will be the Strip's newest hotel when it opens next month, on the site of the former Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon. The 188-room property will include a 40,000-square-foot casino, a hotel lobby bar, a lounge, the first restaurant from chef Giada De Laurentiis, plus day-club and nightlife venues from developer Victor Drai. The property's res­taurant, Giada, will seat 260 and offer a private dining room for groups. Drai's Beach Club will include event space around the hotel's rooftop pool.

On the North Strip, the highly anticipated SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino is planning a Labor Day opening this year. The 1,622-room lifestyle property will debut at the site of the former Sahara Hotel and Casino. A collaboration by hotel and nightclub magnate Sam Nazarian, chef José Andrés and designer Philippe Starck, this luxury resort will comprise a casino and a number of high-profile restaurants, including The Bazaar by José Andrés and Katsuya by Starck. Among the hotel's more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space will be a 9,000-square-foot ballroom.

Also on the North Strip, the site of Boyd Gaming's abandoned Echelon development should soon come to life. Last year Southeast Asia-based Genting purchased the site for $350 million and now expects to invest as much as $4 billion to build a 6,583-room complex dubbed Resorts World Las Vegas. Construction should begin this summer on the property, which is expected to offer about 500,000 square feet of meeting space, a 175,000-square-foot casino, and about a quarter of a million square feet of retail and F&B space. Projected opening is slated for 2016.

The northern end of the Strip is fairly close to Downtown Las Vegas, which has seen a revitalization of its own in recent years. The area is home to the 634-room Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, which opened last November across the street from another recent downtown debut, the Mob Museum, and close to the popular Fremont Street Experience. The Downtown Grand has three restaurants, 2,400 square feet of meeting space and a 35,000-square-foot rooftop pool area known as Picnic.

Downtown also offers a burgeoning arts district, for which the Modern Contemporary Art Museum is in the planning stages. A $29 million capital campaign is underway for that project, which also will include the Center for Creativity art space and an outdoor event spot called Luminous Park.

Back on the Strip, MGM Resorts and AEG expect to begin construction this month on a 20,000-seat arena and entertainment complex stretching from the Strip to Frank Sinatra Drive, between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts. Designed to meet LEED Gold standards, the arena should be ready to host sporting events, concerts and more in early 2016.

Another big Strip attraction, Caesars Entertainment's $550 million The Linq, opened its first phase last December. The outdoor entertainment "neighborhood," between The Quad and Flamingo resorts, now features venues such as O'Shea's Casino, Brooklyn Bowl, the lifestyle-trend store Koto and the Purple Zebra self-serve daiquiri bar.

The Linq's main attraction, the 550-foot-tall High Roller observation wheel, will open this spring. The wheel has 28 cabins, each with a 40-passenger capacity. Cabins for the 30-minute ride can be booked in any quantity, up to a full buyout for groups. On-site event space will be available in a 2,500-square-foot venue alongside the wheel.

Investments also are being made in Vegas to support drivers of electric vehicles: Late last year, the Las Vegas Convention Center installed four charging stations in the Gold parking lot. The covered stations, funded with a grant from the Consumer Electronics Association, are free to use and will serve as prototypes for future stations, to be added as demand dictates. And in February, MGM Resorts began installing a total of 27 charging stations at its nine resorts in town, as well as at its corporate headquarters. Those stations will be available to employees and guests at no costs.

In other news, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has issued $50 million worth of bonds toward funding the Global Business District, a plan announced last year. The multiphase project will expand the convention center and make it the hub of a surrounding business district. Over the next 10 years, additional space will be created for exhibitions, meeting rooms and general sessions.

About 20 minutes from the Strip is the master-planned community of Lake Las Vegas, where the former Ravella Lake Las Vegas is now the Hilton Lake Las Vegas. The upscale 349-room property offers a 30,000-square-foot spa and 92,500 square feet of meeting space, including an 11,813-square-foot ballroom. - MICHAEL J. SHAPIRO

 NEW JERSEY

With casino gaming revenues from Atlantic City resorts down from the previous year's earnings ($2.9 billion in 2013 vs. $3.1 billion in 2012) for the seventh year in a row, lawmakers in the state are hoping to boost earnings with other gaming options. Last November, online gaming became legal in the Garden State, and initial predictions expected it to bring in $160 million in state tax revenues; in March, Gov. Chris Christie's administration revised the estimate down to $34 million.

In another attempt to expand gaming, the State Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee approved a resolution in December 2013 to create a commission to study the idea of expanding gambling to Bergen County, most likely at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.

Meanwhile, in March, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement revealed that Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment has filed documents inquiring about a gaming license for Atlantic City. At press time, there was speculation among politicians and the press that Hard Rock was among the parties interested in purchasing the Revel Casino Hotel, the 1,800-room luxury gaming resort that debuted in 2012 and emerged from bankruptcy last May. To date, neither Hard Rock nor Revel has commented on the rumor.

The 804-room Atlantic Club Casino Hotel was shuttered in January following its late December 2013 sale for $23.4 million to Tropicana Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment. According to press reports, the buyers do not plan to operate the property, thus reducing  the total number of gaming resorts in Atlantic City to 11.

Ground has been broken for the new Harrah's Resort Atlantic City conference center. The facility, adjacent to the 2,590-room gaming resort in the city's Marina District, is set to open next year with 125,000 square feet of meeting and event space. At present, Harrah's has 10 meeting rooms totaling 25,000 square feet.

The Margaritaville complex, based on the brand created by famed entertainer Jimmy Buffet, debuted this summer at the 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel. The venue includes the Five O'Clock Somewhere Bar, retail stores, and the LandShark Bar and Grill.

A deal to sell the former 500-room Claridge Casino Hotel in Atlantic City to a Florida real-estate developer has been completed. The property, which opened in 1929, most recently was part of Bally's Atlantic City; it will be closed for renovations and operate as a non-casino hotel when it reopens in May.

Bally's Atlantic City has renovated its casino floor layout, adding new chairs at its gaming tables and colorcoding its slot locations. The property has 1,760 guest rooms and 80,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The 2,079-room Tropicana Casino & Resort has wrapped up a $2 million renovation of its Royal Swan Ballroom. The property offers 122,000 square feet of meeting space. - LISA A. GRIMALDI

MISSISSIPPI
Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant Biloxi announced plans for a new 250-room hotel, to open in spring 2015. The casino, which now has 19 table games and 800 slot machines, also will see an expansion and revamp, in addition to a new pool, a spa, a steak house and expanded meeting space.

The Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Miss., opened the $8 million Buffet Americana last year. The 13,500-square-foot eatery emphasizes fresh made-to-order meal stations and offers a variety of dishes, including wood-fired pizza, Mongolian barbecue and Tikka skewers. The resort has 1,200 guest rooms, 30,000 square feet of conference space and 50,000 square feet of gaming.

The Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi completed its $32.5 million expansion earlier this year, featuring a new 154-room hotel tower that brings the total room count to 479. Among amenities are a pool, a spa, a fitness center, several entertainment venues, more than 1,300 slots and 50 table games. Function spaces include a 9,000-square-foot theater, a 4,600-square-foot event area and several meeting rooms. - MICHAEL C. LOWE

 PENNSYLVANIA

Total gaming revenue from Pennsylvania's 12 casinos topped $3 billion for the third straight year in 2013, although it dipped a bit, by about 1 percent, from 2012. Leading the way was the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, with more than $14 million in total gross revenue. Not coincidentally, the Sands has 183 game tables, more than any other property in the state.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold hearings next month concerning a potential casino license for a proposed harness racing facility in the western part of the state, north of Pittsburgh. The Lawrence Downs Casino and Racing Resort, a joint venture between Endeka Entertainment and Penn National Gaming, has proposed the venue, with plans for as many as 1,500 slot machines, about 50 table games and a number of F&B outlets. Stay tuned for further details.

The Gaming Control Board hopes to award the remaining Philadelphia casino license within the next one to two months. Five applicants are vying for the prize, and losers will be able to appeal the decision. It could be another two to three years before a casino opens for business, according to the board.

The state's newest gaming facility, the Lady Luck Casino at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, opened in July 2013 with 600 slots, 28 table games, and a casual restaurant and lounge. The resort covers 2,000 acres in the Laurel Highlands, in the southwestern part of the state. On-site are six lodging options, including the 42-room luxury boutique Falling Rock hotel, plus extensive meeting and event facilities.

Pittsburgh's Rivers Casino will reach its fifth birthday in August and will offer special events throughout the summer to celebrate. Nearby, a 10-story, 135-room Fairfield Inn & Suites Pittsburgh North Shore is being developed, making it the third hotel between PNC Park and Heinz Field. An opening date has yet to be announced.

South of the city, in Washington, Pa., a 155-room Hyatt Place Hotel is under development. Plans call for the property to connect to the Meadows Racetrack and Casino via pedestrian bridge. The hotel began construction last December on four acres next to the casino and racetrack and is scheduled to open for business in spring 2015. The hotel will be the eighth property to spring up in the two-mile corridor between two major interstates in the booming region. - M.J.S.

The Reno/Tahoe area is seeing positive signs of economic recovery: Gross gaming revenue on the Nevada side was up 3.5 percent year-over-year for 2013, the first annual increase since 2006. And Monarch Casino & Resort Inc., which owns Reno's 824-room Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, reported its best financial performance ever in 2013.

Signs of growth likewise can be seen in Reno's MidTown district, just south of downtown, where new restaurants and breweries are popping up.

In terms of gaming venues, the JA Nugget, formerly known as John Ascuaga's Nugget, was sold last December. The new owners, Global Gaming & Hospitality and Husky Finance, plan to completely revamp the 1,500-room property to the tune of up to $50 million. The owners also intend to open new F&B and entertainment outlets, including Gilley's Saloon, Dance Hall & BBQ, later this spring. The new venue, which, of course, will include a mechanical bull, will be in the space formerly occupied by Trader Dick's restaurant and lounge. The Nugget has 110,000 square feet of meeting space and nine restaurants.

Reno's 1,993-room Grand Sierra Resort and Casino continues its ongoing renovations and will open a $15 million nightclub in July that will include an indoor pool, three full bars, 31 VIP tables and infrastructure to support major entertainment acts. The property already has unveiled $30 million worth of renovations since it was sold in 2012. The resort has 200,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.

In South Lake Tahoe, the Horizon Casino Resort closed on April 1 to undergo a $40 million renovation project. New owners Jon and David Park intend to reopen the 539-room property before the end of the year under a new name, Park Tahoe Casino Resort.

Also in South Lake Tahoe, the 400-suite Lake Tahoe Resort recently debuted approximately $5 million in renovations, including upgrades of all guest rooms. - M.J.S.

 MASSACHUSETTS

It has been two and a half years since the Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill allowing casino gambling in the state, but the Massachusetts Gaming Commission still hasn't determined who will run the three resort casinos allowed by the measure.

Voters in the state have been very vocal on the proposals, rejecting projects in East Boston, Palmer and Milford last November. The East Boston plan at the Suffolk Downs race track remains active, as the race track lies partially in the adjacent city of Revere, whose residents approved the project.

Track officials have since partnered with the Mohegan Sun gaming company to move the project entirely to Revere. A proposal from Wynn in Everett also is in the running. That license is now expected to be awarded in May or June.

In the west, it's likely that a project for Springfield, spearheaded by MGM,  will be the winner, as no other proposals are active. That license is expected to be announced in May. The resort would include a 250-room hotel, 45,000 square feet of meeting space and a 125,000-square-foot casino.

In region C, in southeastern Massachusetts, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's Project First Light in Taunton is the top contender for a license, and a compact between the tribe and the state was approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in January. - S.B.

 CONNECTICUT

New ways to spend your winnings are coming to the 1,200-room Mohegan Sun Casino Resort in Uncasville, which is adding a retail complex called the Downtown District. Ground will be broken later this year on the 200,000 square feet of entertainment, shopping and dining options, to debut in early 2015. The casino resort itself features 1,200 guest rooms, the 22,000-square-foot Elemis Spa and 100,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 38,000-square-foot Uncas Ballroom.

Construction on the Tanger Outlets at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket continues, with opening slated for April 2015. The 75 outlet stores will form a corridor connecting the resort's 825-room MGM Grand at Foxwoods  to its 825-room Grand Pequot Tower. Meanwhile, work updating the concourse area inside the casino should finish up in July, adding more shopping and dining such as a Starbucks, Regina's Pizza and Pequot Bay Seafood.

Other overnight accommodations at Foxwoods include the 312-room Great Cedar Hotel and 280-room Two Trees Inn. The hotels offer a combined total of approximately 150,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 50,000-square-foot, column-free Premier Ballroom. Nongaming fun can be had at the G Spa at MGM, the Norwich Spa at Foxwoods and the Lake of Isles golf course. - SARAH J.F. BRALEY

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort, about an hour north of San Diego, is now Harrah's Resort Southern California. The property will wrap up work on a $160 million renovation this month and now features a new 403-room hotel tower (bringing the total guest room count to 1,065), a cocktail lounge and outdoor amenities, including several swimming pools and a 400-foot lazy river. The complex also has a 23,000-square-foot convention and entertainment center, which accommodates up to 1,000 guests for a banquet.

Last year, the Viejas Casino, 30 miles east of San Diego, opened a new $36 million hotel next door with 128 guest rooms. Additional amenities include a pool and lounge area with private cabanas, a fitness center and a business center.

The Pechanga Resort & Casino, near Temecula, Calif., unveiled a multimillion-dollar renovation of its 22,000-square-foot hotel lobby and two restaurants earlier this year. Two more dining outlets were added to the 517-room hotel and casino complex. - M.C.L.