Golden Gate Casino Closing And Expanding But Mostly Expanding

Golden Gate Hotel and Casino will be closed from August 20 through August 25 while they finish the expansion of their casino floor. Last year Golden Gate owner, Derek Stevens, purchased La Bayou, Mermaids, and Glitter Gulch. The latter two properties will become part of the new Las Vegas Club (tentatively called 18 Fremont). La Bayou will become part of the casino at Golden Gate.

The expansion of the Golden Gate will double the size of the casino floor thanks to the space formerly occupied by an ally and La Bayou casino. Here are some specifics of the expansion:

• 100 more slot machines
• Fancy 24 foot tall TV tower
• Grand marble entrance on Fremont Street with velvet curtains
• A sweet chandelier
• The outside bar, OneBar, will be 20 feet longer

The expansion and renovations sound great. The best part of this expansion is that it shouldn’t take away from the table games area. The tight quarters where the table games are located is what makes gambling at the Golden Gate so much fun for me.

For the sake of not repeating myself you can read more adjectives about the renovations at the Golden Gate here.

Related: Hotel Review | The Golden Gate Suite at the Golden Gate Las Vegas

Park MGM Coming Together

Park MGM is the name of the casino that will be taking the place of the Monte Carlo. Renovations at have been underway since last year. Even though hotel room renovations haven’t started yet it looks as if we’re heading into the final push for planning. Park MGM is slated to officially open in 2018.

Last week we saw that Eater Vegas had some information about new bars being planned for Park MGM. This week Eater Vegas has uncovered even more renovation plans for Monte Carlo/Park MGM. MGM Resorts International is now planning construction towards the Vegas Strip end of the property.

It appears as though Eataly Las Vegas will be build around the area once used for Yusho. The existing plaza will be replaced with outdoor seating and kiosks. Hopefully, the final vision is similar to the cafe area at Sambalatte. While I expect a good design, I’m always nervous that a small kiosk-based shopping area could be something comparable to the Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops.

Predicting construction results is difficult a year in advance. I’m curious to see what the property looks like in a few months. The casino floor was overflowing with construction during my last visit. It’s difficult to even comprehend what the place will look like in two weeks, let alone a year.

Vegas Is BANANAS!

Extended Quick Hits!

I have something to say about most of the news in Las Vegas but not all that much. Today we’ll serve up most of the news like Nutter Butter Bites, my favorite casino vending machine snack. My favorite casino snack is Animal Crackers, but I usually forget to bring them. Anyway…

• • It looks as though minor league soccer will be coming to downtown Las Vegas. The city approved a USL (United Soccer League) team to begin play in 2018. This interview from ESPN Las Vegas is chock full information about minor league soccer if you’re curious. Read more about Las Vegas’ USL team here.
  • Tourists love legal marijuana even though it’s illegal to smoke in casinos. See and read more here.
  • Stripside Cafe outside of Caesars Palace has closed. Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen this winter.
  • Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken is now open at the Bally’s Grand Bazaar Shops. I’ve had chicken on a bone, chicken sandwich, and wings at various locations. The wings are my favorite item on the menu and the sandwich was my least favorite. As you’d expect with a restaurant on the Vegas Strip the prices are higher than non-Strip locations. The Vegas Strip menu appears to be about 15%-20% higher than the location in downtown Summerlin.
  • American Coney Island at The D expects to sell their 1 millionth hot dog this week. Yay? Read more here.
  • Best Western is celebrating its new partnership with the Stratosphere. You can earn some sweet reward bucks if you book a hotel room with Best Western. Read more here.
  • Lost in the hype of a UFC guy boxing in August is the fact that there’s a major boxing match slated for September 16 at T-Mobile Arena. Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady “GGG” Golovkin sold out quickly and there are tickets to see the fight on closed circuit TV. Watch parties will take place at Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo Resort, New York-New York, Luxor Hotel and Casino, and Circus Circus. Tickets are $75 (plus fees). Read more here.
  • Speaking of the Bellagio, it was featured in The Onion last week. Read “Report: Bellagio Voted Best Casino For Standing Around Too Nervous To Approach A Poker Table” here.
  • Did you know that a casino can ask you to leave for any reason they want as long as they’re not being discriminatory or unlawful? I don’t think this is new but it’s not something most of us think about on a regular basis. I heard about the Slade vs. Caesars Entertainment case listening to the latest episode of the Gambling With An Edge podcast. Read about the case at UNLV Law.
  • MGM Resorts International will join the S&P 500 this week. This index is the largest companies in the United States. This is probably a big deal for the casino corporation. Expect to see more business operations similar to what we’ve seen in the past two years as they continue to look for better quarterly earnings. Read the press release here.
  • Dave Chappelle is returning to Las Vegas on September 3. This show will take place at The Chelsea inside the Cosmopolitan. Consider this an intimate show as Chappelle last played Mandalay Bay Arena. Smaller environments for standup comedy are always better than arena shows. Read more about the weekend here.
  • The Rock N Roll Marathon returns to Las Vegas on November 11 and 12. The Goo Goo Dolls will be performing a concert for the runners. Read more hear. Fun fact: I first saw and met the Goo Goo Dolls in a barn in Central New York.
  • Minus5 Ice Experience (Bar) just opened its third location in Las Vegas. Pictures from the new location at The Venetian Grand Canal Shoppes look pretty cool. Read more here if you like ice.
  • I decided to read “How Instagram is reshaping restaurant design” on Verge before writing this column. I’ve noticed this design trend mostly at small restaurants off the Vegas Strip over the past couple of years. The Vegas Strip restaurants and bars are really just getting started using more “Instagramable” design elements. Expect to see more “cute” things in and around casinos over the next couple of years.

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