Boyd to Build New Casino on Jokers Wild Site Near Las Vegas

Posted on: July 26, 2024, 10:19h. 

Last updated on: July 26, 2024, 10:19h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

Boyd Gaming announced Thursday its plans to demolish its Jokers Wild Casino in Henderson, Nev. and built a new casino, Cadence Crossing Casino, elsewhere on the 15-acre site. Construction is expected begin later this year and wrap by early 2026.

“We’re opening what I call a modest investment with the square footage and the slots and the food outlets that I described, but clearly with the opportunity to expand it,” Boyd CEO Keith Smith told investors on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

Cadence Crossing will have a 10,000 square-foot casino featuring 450 slot machines, multiple dining options, and live entertainment. The property will be designed with an eye toward potential expansion, which can include a hotel, additional casino space, and other amenities.

The cost for the new build was not revealed. However, it will be covered by a $100 million capital expenditure allocation on Boyd’s balance sheet.

Master Plans

When Casino.org first reported Boyd’s plans for the property in October 2022, it had intended build a  new Jokers Wild. But the new name comes from Cadence, a master-planned community adjacent to the casino site with 5,200 homes built and more than 12,000 planned.

“As the community grows, we can grow with it based on demand, so we feel pretty good about the opportunity,” Smith said on the call.

Henderson is a growing suburb east of Las Vegas with a rapidly changing casino landscape. Last year, Penn Entertainment broke ground here on an $206 million expansion of the M Resort Spa Casino that will double it size. And Red Rock Resorts demolished three Henderson casinos shuttered during the pandemic shutdown.

Jokers Wild opened in 1990 as the Cattle Baron Casino. It closed after three years and was reopened in 1993 under its current name. Boyd runs 28 gaming venues across 10 states, including 11 in its home city, and it’s the dominant operator in downtown Las Vegas.