Red Rock Resorts, also known as Station Casinos, has shut down another one of its properties. The Wild Wild West Casino and Hotel was closed this past Wednesday.
The hotel and casino located on Tropicana Ave. have been temporarily shut down with future redevelopment plans by the owners. Scott Kreeger, the President of Station Casinos, conveyed this information through a memo to the employees.
Shutting down this property will enable us to fully exploit the site’s potential and that of the nearby area. Station Casinos has consistently evolved and expanded with Las Vegas. We are committed to continuing this growth and creating numerous excellent job opportunities throughout the valley as part of our dynamic development plan for the next decade.
Earlier, Play Innevada had reported the shutdown and planned demolition of three other properties owned by Station Casinos. Red Rock made an announcement in July about the closure and demolition of Texas Station, Fiesta Rancho, and Fiesta Henderson.
The Wild Wild West was a quaint casino, equipped with just 164 slot machines and devoid of any table games. Boasting 260 rooms, the hotel is managed by Day’s Inn.
Red Rock Resorts today
Properties of Red Rock Resorts are split into two divisions.
When most people think of full-service casino resorts in Las Vegas, Station Casinos usually come to mind. There are six Station Casinos properties scattered throughout the Las Vegas valley.
- Station Boulder
- Ranch of Green Valley
- Station Palace
- Station Santa Fe
- Station at Sunset
- Casino Red Rock
The company owns several properties that are exclusively casinos. Wildfire is their most well-known brand, but Red Rock also has a number of casino-only properties that are not part of the Wildfire brand. Wild Wild West was classified as a Wildfire property because it wasn’t operated by Station Casinos, despite being a hotel.
The following Wildfire casinos are 100% owned by Station Casinos:
- Anthem
- Boulder
- Mead Lake
- Rancho
- Sunset
- View of the Valley
The company also holds a 50% ownership stake in Barley’s, The Greens, and Wildfire Lanes.
Red Rock is presently undertaking the development of diverse types of properties. They are constructing a Wildfire casino-only property in downtown Las Vegas. In addition, they are also erecting Durango Resort in the southwest region of Las Vegas.
When redevelopment takes place in the Wild Wild West, expect it to transform into a full-service Station Casino property.
What’s next for Wild Wild West?
Wild Wild West occupies a 20-acre plot of land, adjacent to which is another 80-acre stretch owned by Red Rock.
The Wild Wild West land is situated on the west side of the I-15, just like Palace Station, but on the freeway’s opposite side from the Vegas Strip.
The 100 acres of land is relatively near to both T-Mobile Arena, located behind New York-New York, and Allegiant Stadium.
Kreeger stated that shutting down Wild Wild West would enable the company to “prepare the property for future development.”
He didn’t provide detailed plans about what the company will create. The potential for a property at this location, with such an extensive tract of land, appears limitless.
VIVA Station Casinos, a 100-acre project dream
Station Casinos had plans in 2008 to construct a massive development named VIVA on this land. The development was anticipated to be a colossal $10 billion complex, akin to the CityCenter by MGM Resorts.
Originally, the plan was to construct three casinos and three hotels on the property. In total, VIVA would have been able to offer over 5,000 hotel rooms.
Despite the abundance of casinos and hotels, there was still space to construct more on the land. A circulating rumor suggested the potential construction of an arena during the second phase of the project.
The VIVA project’s realization was hindered by a major economic recession and might never materialize. However, it underscores the potential that the land holds.
The Nevada Department of Transportation has already begun upgrading the roads in the area, with the I-15 Tropicana project recently commencing.
The plan for freeway construction is divided into four segments. The roadwork has started and is expected to be finished by 2024.
Accessing the VIVA land will be made easier by the final phase of the multi-year freeway construction.
Red Rock is doubling its portfolio
Red Rock announced the demolition of three casinos and subsequently acquired 127 acres of land south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Blvd. for $172 million. The company also has ownership of an additional 56 acres in the same vicinity.
Lorenzo Fertitta, Vice Chairman of the Board, stated during Red Rock’s second-quarter earnings call:
The plan is to essentially double the size of the portfolio by 2030 and continually introduce new properties.
The company seems to have a realistic objective. Following the recent shutdowns, it is now running only six full-service casinos.
This vision of reality is feasible due to the substantial amount of land Red Rock possesses around Las Vegas. The procedure for Station Casinos to expand its size twofold is already in progress.
Future Station Casinos properties around Las Vegas
The expansion process has already begun with the construction of Durango Resort, which commenced earlier this year. The completion of the property is anticipated to be before the end of 2023.
Kreeger stated that Station Casinos had already started planning the development of 47.3 acres of land in northwest Las Vegas when they announced the closure and demolition of three casinos. The property, currently referred to as Skye Canyon, is part of these plans.
Red Rock owns more land around the Las Vegas valley, in addition to the land on South Las Vegas Blvd. and the VIVA land.
The company has ownership of 58.2 acres of land situated at Flamingo Road and Town Center Drive in Summerlin, on the west side of Las Vegas. Additionally, the company owns 45 more acres in the Inspirada section of south Las Vegas.
Potential future properties of Station Casinos could include:
- Resort Durango
- Las Vegas Blvd South
- Canyon Skye
- VIVA
- Town Center/Flamingo
- Inspirada
Completing all six of these projects will double the number of Station Casinos properties in the Las Vegas Valley.
Achieving that 2030 target could be difficult, given that constructing smaller properties takes several years. The construction of larger casino complexes might take even longer.
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