Circa Resort and Casino opens its doors today

The newest and tallest building in downtown Las Vegas when Circa Resort & Casino opened its doors on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. to adults 21 and older, with facial coverings and temperature scans required due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to owner Derek Stevens, it is the world’s largest sports betting center and a six-pool rooftop swimming stadium that he expects will attract thousands of people a day.

The New Era is NOW. 🍾#CircaLasVegas is open and ready to bring you the time of your life. Thank you to our owner/CEO @derekjstevens, the partners, teams, and our incredible city for taking a vision and turning it into #Vegas history. We did it! #CircaReveal pic.twitter.com/qclaeHPVsF

— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 28, 2020

Circa is the first new property to open downtown since the Sundance in 1980, KXNT reports. That became Fitzgeralds, which Stevens and Circa co-owner, brother Greg Stevens, bought in 2011 and renamed D Las Vegas. The brothers also own the Golden Gate, which opened in 1906.

Circa construction took 20 months. Stevens declines to say what it cost because it’s privately owned. He said it’ll employ about 1,500 people.

The casino is geared for sports fans, while Stadium Swim aims to attract ticket-buying sun-seekers.

The registration area for the 777-room hotel features the restored original neon “Vegas Vickie” sign the Stevens brothers acquired along with the old “Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch” property on Fremont Street.

A pedestrian walkway crosses Main Street to an eight-story parking structure with almost 1,000 vehicle spaces that Stevens dubbed Garage Mahal.