It was a busy week for casino news in the United States. From Massachusetts to Las Vegas, let’s get you up to speed on the latest happenings:
Circa Resort Plan Revealed For Downtown Las Vegas
While the Las Vegas Strip tends to be the spot to land all of the new casinos and luxury resorts, it looks like downtown is getting a facelift. That’s because the Stevens Brothers – who currently own and operate the Golden Gate Hotel and D Las Vegas – are planning to open the Circa Resort and Casino.
There has not been a downtown Las Vegas casino built from the ground up since 1980. While some have been renovated, a new build is a rarity. This will be a fresh project on a property encompassing 1.25 million square feet as The Circa hotel plans to have 777 rooms. And in typical Vegas fashion, they’re looking to outdo the luxury and opulence of what’s currently standing, which is why they’re planning on a 44 stories high building. That would make it the tallest hotel building north of the Las Vegas Strip. Construction has already begun for the project, which will include a three-story sportsbook.
One of the highlights of the sportsbook operation is that it will include an in-house broadcast studio for the Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSIN). The Stevens brothers will have a 10 percent ownership share in the network, whose broadcasts and content-creation ventures are led by legendary sports commentator and broadcaster Brent Musburger, who was recently named the new play-by-play voice of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders (and soon to be Las Vegas Raiders).
This is great news for downtown Las Vegas, which has been a forgotten spot by many Vegas stalwarts and an avoided place by millennials. But if they build this up properly with luxury shopping, high-end restaurants and fun pool parties, this could start a new trend in downtown.
Massachusetts Completes Investigation of Steve Wynn, But Won’t Release Findings
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has ended its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against longtime gambling executive Steve Wynn and his company, Wynn Resorts Ltd. The commission, however, won’t yet release its findings for a very specific reason.
Nevada District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez has been asked by outside counsel to provide a written ruling regarding the release of information. Lawyers with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will evaluate that written ruling and then proceed, making a careful evaluation of what they can and can’t release.
It’s been a long, bizarre journey for this gambling resort, now called the Encore Boston Harbor. It’s still on track to open in June, as long as the Gaming Commission doesn’t pull their license.
Maryland Casino Player Frustrated By Payout Mistake
It’s been mostly good news and smiles out of the MGM National Harbor since it opened, but not this week. A casino player in Maryland was involved in a complicated situation inside the MGM National Harbor facility after she was unable to collect several thousands she had apparently won on the slot machines inside the casino.
According to local TV station WTTG, a woman named Cynthia Obie hit the jackpot on an unnamed slot, but left the building with no winnings because casino staff misread her social security number by one digit when performing data entry. Because the social security number was entered incorrectly, it in fact matched a separate citizen’s social security number. Upon retrieving that account, the casino saw that the other citizen was flagged for owing child support payments. As a result, the money was confiscated.
While you’d think that this is something that could be easily corrected, apparently not. MGM National Harbor has directed the player to the Maryland Department of Human Services, which administers the child support payments. Until she sorts it out with them, MGM National Harbor won’t be able to pay her out.