What Las Vegas Casino's are to go in the next couple of years?

Question

Following the demolision of the Stardust casino - I just wondered what other casino's are lined up to go in the next couple of years? As I am sure at one point I heard several including Excalibur and Tropicana were, and also a rumour that the Stratosphere will go once Steve Wynn finishes building a Casino taller than it?

Answer 1

I would think the Frontier would be next followed by the Sahara. The Sahara was just sold to an investment group and the Frontier sold a few years ago. Now that Wynn is across the street from it the Frontier has got to go.

The Tropicana more than likely will come down in the next few years. Excalibur is a possibility but I would think it would be years away, I would think it more likely they would renovate.

I believe the Wynn building a hotel taller than the Stratosphere is meant to be a joke at Mr. Wynn's expense. The Stratosphere isn't going anyplace it only opened in April of 96 and they just finished a new hotel tower a couple of years ago.

The Riviera, Imperial Palace, Barbary Coast(now Bill's Gamblin Hall), are all possibilities. Though the IP and Bill's have very little land with them, the only way to go is up.

One that really needs to come down is Circus Circus, but MGM-Mirage has said no, it's staying. I don't understand this one because CC is a dump and there is a enough land available to build another mega resort there, possible even bigger and better than anything they have now.

The Lady Luck downtown is also a possibility, they say they are renovating it, but they sure are taking their time, and there has been much speculation that it's going to come down.

You have to remember this is Las Vegas, and anything is possible. At the opening of the Bellagio a writer said he hoped to live long enough to see it imploded. Another told him to be careful what he wished for.

~Jack~
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Answer 2

The New Frontier is next in line for demolition, currently scheduled for July. This is the only one that is 'certain'... and even still, they could change their minds.

There are rumors about the Sahara and the Riviera. I hope they leave those be for a while. It's gonna be really tricky to find reasonably-priced rooms near the convention center if they keep tearing down all the three stars on the north end. The most recent rumors say the new owners of the Sahara are planning renovations instead of demolition.

There are also rumors about the Imperial Palace (a recent acquisition of the Harrah's Empire) coming down. But my sources at IP say that property will still be around for at least another year. Of course, they might be wrong =) But Harrah's is still trying to get its hands on the Barbary Coast... and if they can do that, they will have a MAJOR chunk of prime mid-strip property, and will probably want to demolish to make way for a new mega-resort. If that pans out, Harrah's itself might be scheduled for demolition also, along with Flamingo. But again... just rumors. **EDIT: I was just informed Harrahs did get Barbary (now Bill's), that gives them about a solid mile from Harrahs all the way to Paris. I wouldn't be surprised to see them level the entire block from Bill's all the way to Harrah's itself. Those people must have positively rocked at Monopoly as kids.**

I don't think MGM Mirage has any plans for getting rid of the Excalibur. They like to have a variety of star-level properties, which is why Circus Circus isn't going anywhere for a while either. And MGM Mirage also currently has their hands full building their multi-billion dollar City Center next to the Monte Carlo.. a project that is tying up almost all of the construction workers in the valley and is scheduled for completion in 2009.

They really ought to tear down the Trop.. but they're not going to. The owners just made plans to sink several billion dollars into renovating it instead.


In short, they usually keep the properties open and operating until they have definite plans for what will replace it at the site. And rumors are always flying. A year ago everyone insisted the Frontier would be the next to fall... and lo and behold, Boyd Gaming wakes up one day in November and makes plans to crumble the Legendary Stardust to the ground.

Here is a link giving some current info:

http://www.rgtonline.com/Article.cfm?ArticleId=71093&CategoryName=Headline&SubCategoryName=News

Answer 3

Visited Las Vegas in October of 2006, and the cab driver said Circus, Circus.....was going to be demolished....that's what he told us....the Stardust, I never got to go there, but my brother and sister in law went and said there was hardly any action at all...no people etc. Still, I wish I would have gone just to see it.... I'm wondering about Lady Luck, downtown, supposedly closed for remodeling....I hope it reopens again! It was the first Casino I stayed in , in Las Vegas, and holds a lot of good memories for me. I hate to see the old Casino's go...so much history....and once they were all glitter..it's a shame!