Late last year, Red Rock Resorts (aka Station Casinos) teased the idea that the company was considering a new Las Vegas casino.
This was a surprise for two reasons. First, Durango Station never got off the ground when originally planned more than a decade ago. Second, four of its casinos — Texas Station, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho and Palms — hadn’t reopened since closing due to the spread of COVID-19 in 2020.
Since that earnings call, Station Casinos has sold Palms. The other three casinos remain closed with no plans to reopen. After selling the near-strip money pit Palms, Station Casinos returned to the idea of building another locals casino.
Last week, the company received approval from Clark County to build a new casino and hotel on land it owns near I-215 and Durango Drive in the rapidly expanding southwest area of Las Vegas. Unlike the original plan for a Durango area casino, it appears Station Casinos will move forward with this property.
Station Casinos moving ahead with new casino plans
In a blog post for the new property, Bob Finch, chief operating officer of Station Casinos, said the following:
“We thank the Clark County Commission for their support of the Durango project. For over forty-five years, we have been the go-to local casino and entertainment destination in neighborhoods across the valley, and we are excited to share our vision for the next generation of Station Casinos properties with residents in the Southwest.”
Station Casinos will break ground on the construction of the new Durango Resort in the first quarter of 2022. Construction will take 18-24 months. The property could open by the end of 2023 as previously discussed.
The target opening date should be announced shortly.
What to expect at Durango Resort
While the name has changed from Durango Station to Durango Resort, the idea for the property remains the same. Durango Resort will be a smaller locals focus casino hotel geared towards customers in the area.
The gaming floor should be around 83,000 square feet of slot machines, table games, a state-of-the-art sportsbook and whatever new games are available. This isn’t small, obviously, but it’s also not a large gaming area. For comparison, the gaming floor at Palace Station is just over 120,000 square feet.
Durango Resort will have a small hotel tower with just over 200 rooms. Last year the company mentioned they’re already considering a second hotel tower with 500 rooms, but that’s looking far into the future and not part of the opening plan.
Much like other Station Casinos properties, Durango Resort will have a resort pool space with private cabanas and an event lawn. The latter makes for a great space to host concerts along with food and beverage festivals.
Station Casinos is planning four full-service food and beverage outlets. Durango Resort will also have a food hall that features a variety of fast-casual local favorite restaurants and eateries.
One thing missing from the new plan for Durango Resort is a potential shopping district. The company previously mentioned partnering with a retail developer to add a place to shop that would be “The District” at Green Valley Ranch, another Station Casino. This could still be in development.
Station Casinos moving forward
Station Casinos is moving forward in a new direction. The company sold Palms, which was geared more towards tourists. The company is keeping Texas Station, Fiesta Henderson and Fiesta Rancho closed while it focuses on its Las Vegas casinos that generate the most revenue.
It’s building the new Durango Resort for locals in the fast-growing southwest part of Las Vegas. Station Casinos still has more than 300 acres of land to build a casino or sell to raise money if necessary. The land is located in different parts of Las Vegas:
- 105 acres: Tropicana Avenue near Las Vegas Boulevard
- 58 acres: Flamingo Road and Town Center Drive
- 57 acres: Las Vegas Boulevard and Cactus Avenue
Each of these masses of land could be attractive to anyone looking to build a new casino. The land on Tropicana is close enough to Allegiant Stadium to include parking for Raiders home games, a casino, a hotel, a retail complex and more.
During earnings calls in the past, Station Casinos reps have mentioned most of their business comes from guests who live within three miles of a property. Moving forward with Durango Resort shows Station Casinos is more focused than ever on their core Las Vegas local customers.
