Golden Gate casino unveils new high-limit gaming space

Golden Gate is expanding its casino floor with a new high-limit slot room, the latest investment in owner Derek Stevens’ effort to reshape Las Vegas’ oldest hotel-casino around slots and electronic gaming.

The new high-limit area will officially open with a ribbon-cutting on Friday afternoon.

Its debut comes about a year after Golden Gate eliminated its traditional live dealer table games and launched its nightly “The Night Starts Here” promotion.

The promotion reached about 65,000 unique participants during its first year, accounting for roughly 200,000 redemptions, according to Stevens. Golden Gate has given away more than $4 million in free play and served approximately 682,000 complimentary drinks through the promotion, he said.

“The premise behind ‘The Night Starts Here’ is the fact that we were trying to give something back to Las Vegas,” Stevens said Wednesday morning. “What we’re trying to bring back is a lot more fun and create a lot more value.”

Golden Gate’s new high-limit room also adds another layer to a building that has been repeatedly repurposed during its 120-year history. Part of the space was once a kitchen that was rediscovered during renovations after Stevens and his brother, Greg, purchased the property in 2006. More recently, another portion housed the risk room for Circa Sports, where oddsmakers worked before the sportsbook operation was moved elsewhere.

Moving a wall allowed Golden Gate to incorporate the space into the casino and connect the northwest corner of the property with its main gaming floor, Stevens said. The room features additional high-limit slot machines, lounge seating, wood finishes and low ceilings that give the space what Stevens described as an “old-school” feel.

The expansion follows one of the most significant gambling changes in Golden Gate’s recent history.

Last year, the casino eliminated its traditional live dealer table games and replaced them with slots and electronic table games. Stevens said at the time that the decision was influenced by the performance of electronic gaming at Circa and changing preferences among younger casino customers.

The transition also included the launch of “The Night Starts Here,” which lets customers check in and receive an envelope containing a promotional offer and a wristband for complimentary drinks from 6 to 7 p.m.

Stevens said the response during the promotion’s first year helped give the company confidence to make another investment in Golden Gate.

“We’re really trying to bring a lot of fun back to Vegas,” Stevens said. “And it’s working.”

Golden Gate opened Jan. 13, 1906, as the Hotel Nevada and celebrated its 120th anniversary earlier this year.