North Las Vegas Casino Deadly Shooting Is Classified as Self-Defense

Posted on: December 7, 2022, 06:15h. 

Last updated on: December 7, 2022, 06:54h.

A man passed away last week from a prior gaming property shooting in North Las Vegas. He was wounded in the parking lot outside of the Lucky Club Hotel & Casino on March 12.

Lucky Club Hotel & Casino
Lucky Club Hotel & Casino, pictured above. The casino parking lot was the site of a shooting earlier this year. A wounded man died last week. (Image: Agoda)

Ellis Banks, 36, was shot in the neck. The shooter acted in self-defense and no charges are expected, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Banks was left paralyzed and a quadriplegic. He died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.

Banks could speak following the shooting. But he would not discuss the incident when asked by local police, according to North Las Vegas Police Public Information Officer Alexander Cuevas.

Police officers continued to investigate the shooting and determined no arrests were needed.

Based on the interview and video surveillance gathered from the Lucky Club, detectives concluded that the other party acted in self-defense,” Cuevas told the Review-Journal.

The name of the shooter was not released by police.

It is unclear if the shooter was injured. It also was unclear if Banks was armed with a weapon during the incident.

The casino is about a 10-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip.

Latin Theme

The casino’s operator, Fifth Street Gaming (FSG), is refurbishing Lucky Club Hotel & Casino into a Latino gaming property rebranded as Ojos Locos Sports Cantina y Casino. Renovations are expected to be completed next month.

The complex will feature a 10,000-square-foot gaming floor, 10,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor entertainment space, and a restaurant.

Latino performers, Mexican rodeos, and food festivals are expected to be featured at the renovated casino.

The Lucky Club will be known as Ojos Locos Sports Cantina y Hotel. It is a Texas-based sports bar chain, the report added.

Hispanic Market Focus

Las Vegas-based Fifth Street Gaming has traditionally catered to the Latino market for nearly two decades with brick-and-mortar offerings.

Even before the renovations, Lucky Club Hotel & Casino was popular with Nevada’s locals Hispanic community. It provided Latin Karaoke, Loteria (a Latin game of chance similar to bingo), and Mexican dining in Lucy’s restaurant.

Nevada has an increasing Latino population. The nearby states of California and Arizona also have large Latino populations.

Also, the Latino demographic is the fastest-growing group in the US. The US Hispanic population increased to 62.1 million in 2020, a jump of 23% over the prior decade, according to Pew Research.

Other gaming companies aren’t significantly competing with FSG on this front.

In addition to Lucky Club, FSG in Las Vegas includes the Downtown Grand Hotel and Casino, the Western, Siegel Slots & Suites, and the Silver Nugget Casino & Event Center.

The Silver Nugget Casino & Event Center also has a Latino focus. For instance, it has Mexican live bands and rodeo stars.

In addition, in March, Fifth Street Gaming Digital introduced JefeBet.com. It is a Spanish-language media hub and sports betting portal.

JefeBet’s content team is located in Argentina, Mexico, and Chile. The site’s articles and wagering insights are focused on American sports.