Casino Royale Las Vegas closing possible, but not confirmed

Tens of millions of people visit Las Vegas every year. Recognized as a tourist hot spot, Sin City attracts visitors from all across the globe, offering a wide range of gambling options, luxury hotel accommodation as well as a massive variety of restaurants, shopping outlets and entertainment options.

Sin City visitors speculate on Casino Royale Las Vegas closing date

While attracting visitors from around the world, Las Vegas evolves, constantly changing its landscape. There's an upside to the changes on the Las Vegas Strip, especially when it comes to the redevelopment of existing resorts and the demolition of older properties to clear the path for new venues.

This year alone, two iconic properties are undergoing extensive work and redevelopment. This summer, the demolition of the Mirage initiated permanent changes on the Las Vegas Strip. The property closed its doors on July 17 and its demolishment started soon after. That was a necessary process that would help deliver a brand-new hotel and casino resort on the same site called Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Similar was the faith of another iconic property, the Tropicana. Its demolition on October 9 once again sparked changes in Las Vegas. A ceremony with fireworks and a drone show was organized to commemorate the Tropicana in light of its demolishment.

Casino Royale Hotel and Casino, another recognizable and iconic property on the Las Vegas Strip is also set to undergo permanent changes very soon, judging by recent reports. Owned and operated by Tom Elardi, the property is located at 3411 Las Vegas Blvd S in Las Vegas, with recognizable properties such as Harrah's Las Vegas, The Mirage and The Venetian being in close proximity.

Similarly to The Mirage and Tropicana, Casino Royale Hotel and Casino is expected to undergo extensive redevelopment that will culminate with the building of a skyscraper-sized building nearly 700 feet tall, a report from KTNV Las Vegas suggested.

That is the case based on a project presented last year that was greenlighted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Reviewing the proposal, the FAA agreed that the building and operation of a new 699-foot tall structure at the site of Casino Royale won't affect air travel.

Casino Royale closure date uncertain

Discussion online on Tripadvisor from last year suggests that Casino Royale's reconstruction had to start in September 2024. However, there has been no confirmed Casino Royale Las Vegas closing date at this time.

In that line of thought, the aforementioned approval from the FAA has a deadline set for January 21, 2025. This, in practice, means that either works have to start by then or Casino Royale Las Vegas needs to extend that deadline. While visitors of the gambling capital of the world still wonder if a Casino Royale Las Vegas closing date will be announced soon, so far, the property hasn't confirmed any such plans.

Casino Royale is part of the old-style casinos in Las Vegas

The site that is currently used for Casino Royale's hotel, now part of the Best Western chain, initially opened as the Caravan Motor Hotel way back in 1964. In a rebranding effort, the hotel was renamed to the Caravan Travelodge in 1968 under an agreement with Travelodge.

The casino venue first opened its doors to visitors in 1978. Back then, it was known as Nob Hill Casino. Operating through late 1990, the casino became a hot spot in Las Vegas by offering some of the lowest stake limits on the Strip.

After its 1990 closure, Nob Hill casino went through a renovation before reopening in 1992 as Casino Royale. The redevelopment of the venue was completed by the famous Elardi family, who helped expand the gaming floor with the addition of table games and slot machines.

After that, Tommy Elardi, who owns a share of the Frontier hotel casino purchased the hotel part of the property along with the former Nob Hill casino. The deal with a $17 million price tag marked an important milestone in the venue's history as the hotel, casino and the adjacent Denny's were joined by a single facade, appearing as if they are several buildings that are seamlessly linked together.

More recently, in 2012, Casino Royale's hotel became a part of the popular Best Western chain. Currently, the hotel offers 152 rooms.

Casino Royale is anticipated to be the site of a new Las Vegas megaproperty

Undoubtedly, the Casino Royale Las Vegas redevelopment will bring further changes to the overall look of the Strip. This doesn't come as a surprise considering that historic casinos in Sin City undergo complete overhauls only to emerge as new shining stars.

While Casino Royale final days may be coming soon, it is yet to be confirmed when exactly the redevelopment will begin. In that line of thought, in the case of redevelopments or building of new casinos, hotel and casino operators usually release renderings and hint about some of the amenities their new property would offer. If that is the case for Casino Royale too, it would be interesting to see what this historic casino on the Las Vegas Strip will change into.

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