Bummer: Shiny New Southwest Las Vegas Resort Grand Opening Delayed

What a bummer! If you are looking forward to visiting Station Casinos’ shiny new resort in southwest Las Vegas, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. The grand opening for Durango Casino and Resort is being delayed a little over two weeks.

Specifically, Station Casinos’ newest resort was set to open on Monday, November 20^th. However, the grand opening for Durango Casino and Resort has been pushed back until Tuesday, December 5^th. That’s according to an article by Fox 5 Staff on Fox5Vegas.com. By and large, the original grand opening date was set back in August. But it appears the Southwest’s newest casino resort will need a little more time to get up and running to Station Casinos’ satisfaction.

The announcement about the delayed grand opening came on Tuesday, November 7^th. It appears the situation may have even caught Station Casinos by surprise. I checked the Durango Casino and Resort website at 8pm on Tuesday evening. Photos on their home page still show them opening November 20^th, 2023.

All in all, Station Casinos is handling this delay in the best way possible. All Durango Casino and Resort employees will receive their full wages and tips for the period of November 20^th through December 5^th.

In addition, room reservations for all dates from November 20^th through December 5^th will get “priority booking for future dates at the property or will be offered to be rebooked at a sister Station property.” That’s according to the Fox5Vegas.com article.

At any rate, the new Durango Casino and Resort was not scheduled to open until after the Formula 1 race weekend. At least they won’t have to deal with rebooking all the people in town for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. That would have been disastrous.

“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!” That iconic sign at the entrance to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip sums it all up. We live in a city that is home to some of the most amazing mega resorts and casinos in the world. It’s no wonder that four of them made the top 10 in a recent survey ranking the most popular casinos in America.

The latest study by Slots Of Vegas measures the popularity of over 300 casinos from across the United States. According to their information from Forbes, the casino industry in the U.S is worth over $53 billion dollars!

That pretty much proves that Americans love going to casinos, even if they choose not to gamble. Casinos have become hubs for restaurants, entertainment, and spas in many cities around our nation.

Basically, the study takes into account reviews on TripAdvisor.com. The casinos with the most “excellent” or “very good” reviews receive the highest scores.

With this in mind, it is great to see that Las Vegas resorts hold the top two positions on the most popular casinos in America list from Slots Of Vegas. Actually, it’s a three-way tie for second place. However, I bet if they had used a “best out of 100” scoring system instead of “best out of 10,” there wouldn’t be any ties.

Furthermore, it is also impressive to note that three of the top 5 spots are held by Sin City destinations.

Comparatively, the east coast casino hub of Atlantic City, New Jersey claims two “most popular” spots in the top 10. Other locations which are home to some of the most popular casinos in America include the states of Washington, California, Connecticut, and Alabama.

Without further ado, let’s check out the top 10 casinos on the list!

This Boyd Gaming property on West Flamingo Road in Las Vegas opened back in December, 1986. This casino scored a 7 out of 10 in the survey, and fans of the Gold Coast love the fact that the gaming floor features "Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, and the Koi Grand Fu Wheel."

https://www.foxwoods.com/

This property is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. It is based in Ledyard, Connecticut and it first opened it's bingo parlor in 1986. The casino opened in 1992, with the hotel opening it's doors in 1997. Foxwoods scored a 7.1 out of 10 to squeak into 9th place in this survey.

This property started out as the Howard Johnson's Regency Motor Hotel in 1966. Caesars purchased the property in 1977, renovated the hotel, and reopened as the second casino in Atlantic City. The name was finally changed to it's current incarnation as Caesars Atlantic City in 1987. This casino scored a 7.7 out of 10. Fans love the fact that they house over 3,400 slot machines. Additionally, the famous Atlantic City boardwalk is within walking distance from the hotel.

https://windcreek.com/atmore

I don't know about you, but I rarely think of Alabama when I think of casinos. However, Wind Creek Casino, owned by Poarch Band of Creek Indians, has a lot of fans in the southeast. They may not offer table games, but they do offer 1,700 slot machines and video poker machines, plus great dining, a golf club, spa, and live entertainment. This casino scored a 7.8 out of 10.

https://borgata.mgmresorts.com/en.html

Here's another Atlantic City favorite, owned by MGM Resorts International. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa opened its doors in July 2003 and is now the highest grossing casino in Atlantic City. It's also the largest hotel in the state, featuring close to 2,800 rooms. Furthermore, it's very close to the Jersey Shore, and also houses five indoor and outdoor pools on the property. This casino scored a 7.9 out of 10.

https://www.venetianlasvegas.com/

Businessman Sheldon Adelson developed The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas through his company, Las Vegas Sands. Doors opened in May, 1999, and The Venetian continues to attract some of the most famous entertainers in the world to it's state-of-the-art Venetian Theater. This casino scored an 8.5 out of 10.

https://thundervalleyresort.com/home

Just 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, California sits one of the fastest growing suburban areas in that state. Lincoln, California is now home to the Thunder Valley Casino Resort, which boasts 250,000 square feet of gaming space. It is located within driving distance of the very popular Napa Valley region of California. This casino scored an 8.7 out of 10 to become part of a three-way tie for second place in this study.

https://www.tulalipresortcasino.com/

This casino is owned and operated by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, and it's located in the Quil Ceda Village, Washington. The casino opened in June 2003, replacing a previous casino on that property which had opened in 1992. This casino is one of the largest in America, and some say, the most expensive too. It's proximity to the Puget Sound makes for great fishing, shopping, and dining expeditions. This casino also scored an 8.7 out of 10 to tie for second place.

https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en.html

Sitting on the former site of the famous Dunes Hotel & Casino in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip, casino owner Steve Wynn created this casino to be the jewel of the city. It cost $1.6 billion dollars to build this resort, which opened in October, 1998. It's famous fountain show in front of the hotel and casino has been featured in many television shows and movies, including Oceans 11. The Bellagio scored an 8.7 out of 10 to tie for second place.

https://mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com/en.html

It's the largest single hotel in the world...period. The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino boasts 6,852 rooms! And many of those rooms offer fantastic views of the fabulous Las Vegas Strip. The property hosts some of the biggest names and sporting events in the entertainment world in the MGM Grand Garden Arena. This casino scored a 9.1 out of 10 to take top honors.

Larry Martino is the long-time afternoon drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.

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