New Casinos in Las Vegas

Las Vegas has been growing since the first casino appeared in the city back in 1906. The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, formerly Hotel Nevada, is still very much around, and hundreds of other properties have sprouted in the vicinity as well.

Today, we talk about a new casino developments in Las Vegas almost every year, with 2024 not bringing any new openings perse, other than the demolition of The Mirage and the Tropicana, as part of redevelopment efforts.

Most of the grand openings have been deferred to 2025, and in the meantime, the latest new casinos to open in Las Vegas were the Durango and Fontainebleau in 2023. Both of these properties deserve to be examined up close

The Newest Casino in LV is the Fontainebleau

Without a shred of doubt, when people ask, "What is the new casino in Las Vegas," they inevitably mean Fontainebleau. The casino opened on December 13, 2023, just a week after the Durango, edging out its competitor for the distinction of "newest" casino in Las Vegas by mere days.

Yet, making the property a reality was not smooth sailing. Construction began in 2007, and by 2008, the resort had completed its tower’s 67 stories, making it the tallest building in Sin City. However, trouble ensued soon after. The project lost funding, after several banks withdrew backing and prompted Fontainebleau to sue in retaliation.

Eventually, the project, which was estimated to be 70% completed was sold to Carl Icahn, a businessman and investor, who sold it to the Witkoff Group several years later in in 2017.

The sum of the deal was pinned at $600m, and the buyer intended to complete and open the property under The Drew Las Vegas name. These plans too soon sputtered and Jay Soffer, the owner of Fontainebleau eventually purchased the property back in 2021.

Despite the post-pandemic recovery posing another challenge, Soffer estimated that he could finally push for the completion and grand opening of the venue under the original name. He succeeded, with Fontainebleau Las Vegas becoming the newest casino resort in the city, with a sprawling casino gaming floor of 173,000 sq ft and as many as 3,644 hotel rooms.

The property is also the most expensive casino resort in the city, with its $3.7bn investment and understandably, there are great hopes pinned on the resort to deliver. Although the resort had a slow and even damaging start, Soffer has not given up on the property.

In a statement commenting on the proposed purchase of additional land for $112.5m near the resort, Soffer said:

"Almost six months into operations, we are already seeing positive and encouraging results for Fontainebleau Las Vegas. This acquisition, which is strategically located for future growth, underscores our confidence in the Las Vegas market. We look forward to disclosing more details in the near future."

The Durango – A Close Second

The Durango Casino and Resort is another storied project, and a close second for the title of the "newest casino" in Las Vegas. Now, to be perfectly honest, the casino is not really in Las Vegas but is located in the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley, a short 15-minute drive from downtown LV, and still part of the larger Las Vegas metropolitan area.

The project opened only a week before Fontainebleau on December 5, 2023, becoming one of two such properties to open that year. The casino sprawls on 83,178 feet of gaming space and features 209 rooms along with a 15-story tower.

You can immediately tell that the Durango Casino & Resort doesn't aim to evoke the same sense of grandeur in visitors as the Fontainebleau does but it is a distinct project in its own right, naturally. The project also goes a long way back to 2000.

Originally, the land that would become the Durango was bought by Station Casinos in 2000 with the original project far exceeding what it eventually turned out to be.

Station Casinos had hoped to host a 215,000 sq ft casino along with a 217-foot-tall hotel and as many as 1,000 rooms – a considerable downgrade to the original blueprint.

The company’s wings were clipped mostly because of financial considerations and changing market dynamics which made Station Casinos rethink their project. Concessions were made, and eventually the property opened more than twice as small as it was meant to be.

The Durango Casino and Resort opened nearly 24 years after it was first introduced as a concept.

New Casinos Coming to Vegas Soon

Predicting when a new casino will open in Las Vegas can be tricky, but it's clear that we have much to be excited about.

The ongoing redevelopment of The Mirage, which was acquired by Hard Rock International, is a major part of the city’s newest transformation. The new hotel will feature a guitar-shaped tower as part of a broader casino complex. This includes 3,044 hotel rooms, contributing to the evolution of the Las Vegas Strip.

Though a specific opening date has not been announced yet, it is expected that the grand opening could occur in late 2025 or early 2026. As the project progresses, more details will become available, and the timeline will likely become clearer.

With some luck, Las Vegas may see another grand opening of a casino resort before long.

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