Sportsbook Shutters at Golden Gate
The Circa Sports sportsbook at Golden Gate has quietly closed.
If you’re curious why the sportsbook at Golden Gate closed, we will provide a hint: “Have you seen sportsbook at Circa?”
The sportsbook opened at Golden Gate on June 1, 2019. The plan all along was for the sportsbook at Golden Gate to be temporary, until Circa opened next door.
It’s unclear what took so long (Circa opened in Dec. 2020), but Golden Gate’s sportsbook has been walled off and a bank of slots sit along the former entrance.
Sports fans can still use sports betting kiosks at Golden Gate, as well as the Circa Sports app.
The sportsbook at Golden Gate bore the Circa Sports name because that’s the brand owners Derek and Greg Stevens use for all their sportsbook operations.
Circa Sports also operates sportsbooks at The D (also owned by the Stevens), as well as The Pass Casino in Henderson, Legends Bay Casino in Sparks, Nevada and even at the Tuscany, near the Las Vegas Strip.
The Golden Gate’s sportsbook hasn’t been removed from the Golden Gate Web site, or the Circa Sports Web site, yet. News of the closure was first shared by John Mehaffey on the Twitters.
We trust the sportsbook at Golden Gate won’t be missed too much, as it was very small and was tucked into the back of a casino with limited floor space.
Circa’s sportsbook is roughly 50 feet away, and not many sportsbooks can compare to what’s billed as the “world’s largest sportsbook.”
Circa is a mecca for sports fans, and Golden Gate’s book was overshadowed by the one at its sister resort. This photo will help illustrate.
Sportsbooks don’t tend to generate much revenue for casinos (they’re an amenity for guests), and the space is much better used for slots. If there’s an exception to that rule, it’s Circa, but that’s a genuine spectacle.
As mentioned, Circa Sports has an app, so providing a physical sportsbook doesn’t seem as business-critical anymore.
Sports fans will still be able to view sports at Golden Gate, of course, as it has approximately 2.7 million TVs, all tuned into sports. If TVs still “tune into” things.
Golden Gate even has an immersive TV fountain attraction thingy.
The closure of the sportsbook at Golden Gate opens up some interesting possibilities for the space, one of which is food. Following some drama with its Du-Par’s restaurant (the owner of Du-Par’s was reportedly a tax dodger who left Golden Gate on the hook for hundreds of thousands in renovation costs), Golden Gate has been without a food option since 2017.
Golden Gate’s ownership isn’t saying dining is out of the question. We vote pizza.
Another option is less interesting, but the closed sportsbook could become a retail space.
Slots would work, too, especially if they’re as loose as our favorite Top Dollar machines in high limit. Just saying.
The closure of the sportsbook at Golden Gate is a move in the opposite direction of several other downtown casinos.
Fremont casino recently opened its FanDuel Sportsbook. (It’s operated by Boyd Gaming, but Boyd owns five percent of FanDuel, so it’s a branding thing.)
Downtown Grand opened a Caesars Sportsbook. See how it works with casinos bringing in other casino brands to operate their sportsbooks? It’s weird.
Plaza also did a refresh of its William Hill sportsbook. William Hill is owned by Caesars Entertainment. There will be a quiz.
While we are not a sports person, it’s clear casinos are placing a lot of value on their sports offerings.
With chatter of a potential move of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas, the momentum of Las Vegas as a “sports town” is likely to continue, despite our best efforts.
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