On Tuesday, the city council voted 4-1 to allow Boyd to move forward with a new iteration of the casino as part of the Reimagine Boulder Highway project. The Las Vegas gaming company told Henderson’s politicians that the project could be rolled out in phases. Build a Wild and demolish an existing site within 2 years.
Phase 2 could include building a new hotel on the old site, expanding the convention center, swimming pool and new casino,” 8 News Now reports.
Joker’s Wild opened in 1990 as the Cattle Baron Casino. It closed after three years and reopened under its current name in 1993. Boyd operates 28 playgrounds in 10 states, including 11 in his hometown, and is the dominant operator in downtown Las Vegas.
The evolution of the Henderson casino scene
Henderson is one of the largest incorporated suburbs of Las Vegas and is home to numerous casinos, most of which cater to Las Vegas locals.
The casino landscape is also rapidly changing. In addition to the proposed overhaul of Joker’s Wild, Red Rock Resort recently announced plans to demolish three casinos that were closed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and never reopened. One of this trio is Fiesta Henderson. Red Rock has shown a continued commitment to Henderson, where it remains the dominant local casino operator.
Additionally, earlier this month, Penn Entertainment said it would provide $206 million to double the size of M Resort, another casino hotel in Henderson. This is a sign of the operator’s commitment to the Las Vegas locals.
Claims from local residents of Las Vegas have become a major barrier to the influx of new residents to the area from states with high taxes, including California. Many of these new residents of Sin City are paying for real estate in cash. Combine that with income tax savings (Nevada doesn’t have any) and you have the resources to enjoy your casino experience.
Joker with a wild perspective
The second phase of the Jokers Wild effort appears to be related to the Reimagine Boulder Highway project.
Boyd’s plans include a new 50,000-square-foot casino, almost twice the size of the current casino. The second phase will add an additional 20,000 square feet of gaming space, bringing the total to 70,000 square feet with 1,200 slot machines and 12 table games.
A four-storey hotel with 114 rooms is planned for the second stage.
