Gaming Company Plans to Build Casino in Southern Nevada

Posted on: December 9, 2020, 03:26h. 

Last updated on: December 9, 2020, 04:13h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

A new hotel-casino could be coming to Henderson in Southern Nevada, pending City Council action next week.

Henderson City Council
The Henderson City Council is expected to vote next week on a new casino project in the city. Henderson is just south of Las Vegas. (Image: USA Today)

Las Vegas-based Marnell Gaming Management is seeking to buy about nine acres of land north of M Resort in Henderson, which is just south of Las Vegas.

Marnell is proposing to build a hotel-casino at the site, according to a City Council agenda item. The company is anticipating an investment in the project of about $250 million, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The city bought the land in 2019 for $4.1 million to determine what ultimately would be built there, the newspaper reported. The property has been appraised at $6.5 million, but the city plans to sell if for $4.3 million.

Next week, the City Council is set to hear a resolution to formalize its intention to sell the land. The city then would work with the gaming company on an agreement for the project, according to the Review-Journal.

Raiders’ Headquarters

The Marnell project in Henderson is happening at a time when other major construction is occurring in the Las Vegas Valley.

In October, Circa Resort opened at Fremont and Main streets in downtown Las Vegas. It is the first hotel-casino in 40 years to be built downtown from the ground up. The property’s gaming areas opened Oct. 28. Many of the resort’s 777 hotel rooms are scheduled to be available later this month. Circa is an adults-only resort.

On the Las Vegas Strip, construction on Resorts World Las Vegas is nearing completion. Hotel executives have said the resort will open next summer. The 3,500-room property is being built on the west side of the resort corridor at the site of the now-demolished Stardust Casino. This site is near Slots-A-Fun and Circus Circus.

Development projects also have taken place in Henderson.

A 120,500-square-foot practice facility for the new Henderson Silver Knights ice hockey team recently opened in the city. The Silver Knights are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. The National Hockey League’s Golden Knights play their home games at T-Mobile Arena on the Strip near Park MGM.

The Las Vegas Raiders’ headquarters also is in Henderson. This is the NFL football team’s first season in Southern Nevada since moving from Oakland.

Tourism Slowdown

Even as new resorts are being built, some existing hotel-casinos in the Las Vegas Valley are having trouble filling up vacant rooms during a pandemic-related slump in tourism.

The Palazzo recently became the latest resort on the Strip to close its hotel tower because of low consumer demand. Until further notice, the tower is closed every day of the week. The gaming areas will remain open.

Other properties on the Strip are accepting hotel room reservations only on weekends. These include the Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, and Mirage.

Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, also on the Strip, is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.