While gaming industry observers applaud SLS Las Vegas’ name change to Sahara, they also acknowledge that owner Alex Meruelo has plenty of work ahead of him.
Richard N. Velotta
Assistant Business Editor
Email: rvelotta@reviewjournal.com
Phone: (702) 477-3893
X: @RickVelotta
Richard N. “Rick” Velotta has covered business, the gaming industry, tourism, transportation and aviation in Las Vegas for 25 years. A former reporter and editor with the Las Vegas Sun, the Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner, the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff and the Aurora (Colo.) Sun, Velotta is a graduate of Northern Arizona University where he won the school’s top journalism honor. He became the Review-Journal's assistant business editor in September 2018.
For the next three years, Matt Maddox will have somebody looking over his shoulder on day-to-day operations of the new resort as part of a settlement reached by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in April and agreed to by the company in May.
With the opening of Encore Boston Harbor in the rear-view mirror, Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox can turn his attention to what’s next for the Las Vegas-based casino operator.
SLS Las Vegas owner Alex Meruelo has taken the Strip resort full circle, renaming the 1,720-room property Sahara Las Vegas in a flashy evening unveiling event.
Paul Anderson, the former executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, is joining Boyd Gaming Corp. as a senior vice president.
Vegas Nation Stadium Show host Ed Graney talks to business reporter Rick Velotta, who recently got a tour of the Las Vegas Stadium, and they go over all of the updates on the project.
A record passenger count at McCarran International Airport boosted tourism in May, but gaming numbers continued to lag on the Strip and statewide.
Reno, Los Angeles and Miami are among the added destinations for the low-cost airline out of McCarran International Airport.
Well-connected AEG Facilities has been named to manage the $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat Las Vegas stadium when it opens for the 2020 football season.
Eldorado Resorts’ acquisition of larger Caesars Entertainment Corp. would form an industry giant with 60 domestic casino–resorts and gaming facilities in 16 states.
Professional sports and the gaming industry took another big step forward with the NHL’s approval of casino owner Alex Meruelo acquiring the Arizona Coyotes.
Encore Boston Harbor, Wynn Resorts Ltd.’s entry into the New England market, opened its doors amid a flurry of daytime fireworks on a sunny Sunday morning.
Arrivals in new water shuttles and daytime fireworks will be part of Sunday’s opening of the $2.6 billion, 671-room Encore Boston Harbor in Everett.
Just as it looks like a replica of Encore Las Vegas, the inside of Encore Boston Harbor also looks like a replica of its Las Vegas sister property.
Work crews are now on the job 24/7, pressing to complete the 1.25 million-square-foot hotel-casino project and open the doors by December 2020.