Casinos Real Money News

The reopening of the historic 111-year old Golden Gate Hotel & Casino located in Fremont Street signals the resurgence of the growing gaming market in downtown Las Vegas.

The famous Las Vegas landmark, known for hosting the likes of Rat Pack members Sammy Davis Jr, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, underwent a massive expansion that started early Monday. 106 hours later, the doors opened once again, but this time to an area that was nearly twice the size of before – 5,000 square feet, featuring an attention-grabbing 360-degree, 24-foot “television fountain” that encases a multi-faceted crystal chandelier that is formed of beautiful spiral shapes, artfully cascading downward by the new entranceway to greet visitors coming in from the Fremont Street Experience. The increase in floor space meant that they were also able to add almost 100 new slot machines on to the gaming floor.

The iconic, non-stop outdoor beverage hangout, OneBar, also received a 20ft expansion, making it one of the longest bars in Las Vegas. It now features an impressive television wall staffed with beautiful dancing bartenders. No doubt this watering hole will continue to serve hundreds of thousands of visitors each day, being the perfect spot for anyone wishing to throw back a few drinks and check out the shows on Main Street Stage.

The renovation paid homage to the vintage Vegas glitz, but also mixed it up a little by adding a touch of Art Deco style by redesigning the new entrance on Fremont Street to include captivating 500-pound golden velvet drapes, enamoured with exquisite gold medallions inspired by the Jazz age.

Derek Stevens, CEO of Golden Gate said, “As the Golden Gate opens, this old-meets-new design creates a thrilling nostalgic feel evoking the spirit of the Rat Pack era with the excitement of our modern world.”

Stevens did not divulge how much the renovation cost, but gave praises to the Las Vegas City Council, Councilman Bob Coffin in particular, for their continuous encouragement in the development of downtown’s alleys.

“Councilman Coffin has always been a strong advocate for utilizing the space in a more productive manner,” Stevens said in an interview. “This is just a small space that had some really great ideas that turned into something special.”

This was the Golden Gate’s second big expansion since Stevens took ownership. The first happened in 2012 where he added a five-story hotel tower, a brand-new lobby, and also modernized the slightly dated exterior which had old whiskey bottles hidden within the walls from the previous renovation.

As part of the on-going revitalization of the entire Fremont Street, Stevens is also responsible for developing new hotel-casino project across the street from Golden Gate, where the Las Vegas Club is in the process of being demolished, set to finish by the end of the year.

The Fremont Street Experience itself is also expected to get an upgrade in the form of a new popular light show that will aim to dazzle visitors daily.