Station Casinos to close Wild Wild West, its fourth Nevada property earmarked for demolition

Casino operator Station Casinos is planning to close another one of its Las Vegas properties. The business intends to shut down its Wild Wild West venue at midnight on Tuesday. Thus, the hotel-casino will join Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho and Texas Station – three casinos that never reopened after the pandemic began, and which are also set to be demolished.

Located on Tropicana Avenue, west of Interstate 15, the 260-room Wild Wild West will be closed with further plans to demolish and redevelop the property. The company first confirmed the news to its employees via a Friday memo from parent company Red Rock Resorts, which was later shared on Twitter.

The message, written by Red Rock Resorts President Scott Kreeger, announces that the company will be closing Wild Wild West Casino and Hotel “in order to reposition the property for future development.” According to the memo, closing the venue will allow the company to “maximize the potential of the site and the surrounding area.”

Red Rock Resorts has owned the small casino since 1998, which has only 164 slot machines and no table games. Its 260-room hotel is managed by outside partner Day’s Inn. The operator plans to combine the 20 acres of land on which the Wild Wild West sits with an adjoining 80 acres for a project yet to be announced.

The following communication was sent to Station Casinos team members. pic.twitter.com/qFRgLuOKR0

— Station Casinos (@stationcasinos) September 2, 2022

“We believe that this is the right decision at the right time for this property,” the text reads. “Station Casinos has always adapted and grown with Las Vegas, and we will continue to grow and generate great jobs across the valley as part of our exciting development strategy over the next 10 years.”

As the company closes its Wild Wild West casino, employees at the venue will be offered jobs at one of the company’s other properties. “We would like to recognize and thank the Wild Wild West team members for their commitment to Station Casinos and for having made our guests feel welcome over the years,” the memo further says.

Last year, Station Casinos reached an agreement with transportation officials on a $305 million rebuild of the Interstate 15-Tropicana Avenue interchange that would not affect the company’s development of the Wild Wild West site. At the time, Station officials confirmed plans to build a “megaresort” there, recalls Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The new decision to close Wild Wild West adds to an active year for Station Casinos, which has already taken its first steps to tear down Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho and Texas Station. The three hotels, which remain closed since the pandemic, were first earmarked for demolition in July, with the intention to sell the land beneath them.

There are visible signs of work at the shuttered properties, with a mix of excavators, construction trailers and asphalt in the parking lots, reports Review-Journal. The company has also begun clearing regulatory hurdles: the city of Henderson issued a permit Wednesday for the demolition of Fiesta Henderson; while the city of North Las Vegas issued a permit on August 9 for Texas Station. An application was also filled with North Las Vegas for Fiesta Rancho.

In August, officials for Red Rock Resorts made public their ambitions to “basically double” the company’s portfolio by 2030. “We have an unparalleled growth story that will allow us to double the size of our portfolio and position us to capitalize on the very favorable long-term demographic trends and high barriers to entry that characterize the Las Vegas locals market,” said at the time Stephen Cootey, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Thus, while the company moves forward with its closures and demolitions, it also advances its plans for new properties. The locals-oriented casino operator purchased 126 acres south of the Strip at the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Cactus Avenue for $173.4 million in July, potentially eyeing a new resort. Additionally, construction continues on the Durango hotel-casino, located on Durango Drive, south of the 215 Beltway, in the southwest valley.

Station’s upcoming Durango Casino & Resort is expected to cost $750 million, and is slated to include 200-plus rooms, a casino floor spanning more than 73,000 square feet meeting and banquet space and four restaurants, according to recently made available plans. The company broke ground on Durango in March, and construction is set to be completed in the fall of 2023. A scale model of the forthcoming venue is on display at Red Rock Casino.