Executives of a Las Vegas firm have waited a very long time to see their imaginative and prescient of constructing a brand new on line casino in Sparks fulfilled.
Now, the wait is almost over — and so they say it was price each minute.
The Nevada Gaming Management Board on Wednesday unanimously really useful approval of licensing Legends Bay On line casino, close to Sparks Marina Park Lake alongside Interstate 80, east of Reno.
Garry Goett, whose Southern Highlands-based Olympia Gaming opened On line casino Fandango in Carson Metropolis in 2003, is on the verge of opening the $120 million Legends Bay in August as soon as the Nevada Gaming Fee provides its closing approval, scheduled June 23.
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It’ll be the primary from-the-ground-up on line casino property to be constructed within the Reno-Sparks space in additional than 20 years.
The property — small by Las Vegas requirements — can have a 40,000-square-foot on line casino with 660 slot machines and 10 desk video games in addition to 300 workers.
It’ll even have a sportsbook operated by Derek Stevens’ Circa Sports activities, his first operation in Northern Nevada. Licensing for the sportsbook was unanimously authorised in a separate vote.
Goett plans to convey the favored Duke’s Steak Home idea from On line casino Fandango to Legends. “Duke” is Goett’s nickname.
High managers at On line casino Fandango will oversee each the Carson Metropolis property and Legends.
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‘Meals Truck Corridor’
Legends additionally can have a “Meals Truck Corridor” that can embody road eats served from meals vans akin to Pizza Genius (pizza, Italian meals and submarine sandwiches), Loco Bueno (Mexican meals) and Purple 88 (Asian delicacies).
The property additionally will embody the 24-hour LB Grill that Goett described as greater than a restaurant with a full-meal menu, and Craft 55, pouring 55 of the highest native and regional craft brews.
A Galaxy Theatres complicated with an IMAX display shares a typical wall with the on line casino property.
The on line casino might be adjoining to 2 inns Olympia already owns — a 104-room Residence Inn by Marriott and a 102-room Hampton Inn & Suites — and a retail middle referred to as the Shops at Legends. The purchasing middle’s anchor tenant is sporting items chain Scheels.
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In an interview after the 75-minute listening to, Goett stated Olympia took benefit of ready for the appropriate time to go ahead with the venture. The corporate had bought the land in 2007 and ready the property’s design in 2008. The Legends Bay On line casino and Scheels have been going to be the anchor tenants for the 120-acre Shops at Legends venture.
However when the Nice Recession took maintain, Goett’s workforce delayed breaking floor on the on line casino.
Over the following decade, Olympia opted to downsize the on line casino from a $500 million property to a $350 million property, ultimately arriving on the measurement it’s at the moment. Olympia reset the financing of the venture to greater than half fairness and 40 p.c debt. It broke floor in March 2021.
Affected person with financing
“We needed to be very affected person in getting good financing and an excellent fairness place,” Goett stated. “We’re very snug with our venture and I believe we’re bringing quite a lot of new and thrilling issues to Northern Nevada gaming.”
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With the inns and retail already in place, Goett believes his firm has completely timed the on line casino’s opening.
“This truly has been an excellent factor for us as a result of we have been imagined to be the anchors with Scheels,” Goett stated. “As a substitute, everyone else has constructed. The purchasing middle is stuffed up, and the inns are constructed and are massively profitable, and now we’re going to drop within the doughnut gap.”
Goett stated the Shops at Legends expects 12 million guests a 12 months and rents are up for the retail piece.
“Now, that complete factor is full, Scheels is booming and we stroll in and say, ‘Thanks for getting this all stuffed up,’” he stated.
Goett and Stevens have been mutually complementary of one another and look ahead to their partnership.
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“DC (Chief Working Officer Decourcy Graham) discovered Circa,” Goett stated. “He introduced Circa to me and we began speaking about it. Then I went down and checked it out and met Derek and we talked and I like the man. He’s obtained nice enthusiasm for his operation. He’s an incredible, thrilling and dynamic particular person. I like his operation down at Circa and I stated, ‘For us to have him in Northern Nevada and be in our new on line casino, what an ideal match.’ It’s a dramatic addition for us.”
Stevens stated the enlargement of Circa Sports activities from its 5 Southern Nevada places and its Iowa and Colorado digital operations into Northern Nevada was a matter of “the celebrities lastly aligning.”
He stated he took a workforce to tour the Legends web site and instantly knew he needed to be there.
“No empire goes to be full with out a location in Northern Nevada,” Stevens advised board members in his 10-minute listening to.
He expects 12 Southern Nevada workers will transfer to Northern Nevada to function the brand new e-book.
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Hashish snag
Whereas the board vote for Legends was unanimous, there was one snag within the listening to that by no means reached the extent of derailing licensing.
Man Inzalaco, a member-manager of Olympia with a 39.6 p.c funding in Legends, was requested about his previous funding in a hashish firm.
Nevada insurance policies ban gaming firms and their executives from investing in marijuana operations.
Inzalaco, beforehand licensed along with different Olympia gaming tasks, stated he “foolishly” invested within the marijuana firm.
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“I ought to know the foundations and laws,” he advised board members. “I cannot make a mistake like this once more.”
Inzalaco self-reported the matter and rapidly divested from the hashish firm. Board member Phil Katsaros stated the matter was totally investigated and he drafted a letter signing off on the problem being resolved.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Observe @RickVelotta on Twitter.
Grass Valley, CA – January 8, 2025 – Nevada County fire agencies have mobilized to assist in combating the Palisades Fire, a fast-moving wildfire in Southern California that has prompted widespread evacuations and significant firefighting efforts.
In a coordinated response, the following Nevada County resources have been deployed to the incident:
Higgins Fire – Brush 23
Ophir Hill Fire – Engine 523
Penn Valley Fire – Brush 44
Nevada County Consolidated Fire – Brush 89
North San Juan Fire – Engine 6168
Grass Valley Fire – OES Engine 4609
These engines and their crews are part of a regional mutual aid system designed to provide critical support during large-scale emergencies. The Palisades Fire has already consumed thousands of acres, challenging firefighters with steep terrain and unpredictable winds. Nevada County’s highly trained personnel are working tirelessly alongside other fire agencies from across the state to protect lives, property, and natural resources.
“We are proud to contribute our skilled crews and equipment to assist in this critical situation,” said Sam Goodspeed, Division Chief of Nevada City Fire Department. “This is what mutual aid is all about—neighbors helping neighbors, even across great distances, when the need arises.”
While Nevada County fire resources are committed to the Palisades Fire, the agencies remain fully staffed to address any local emergencies. Additional personnel and resources have been made ready to ensure the safety of Nevada County residents.
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Editor’s note: Real-time updates on the Palisades Fire are posted here.
A 1-inch butterfly that can only be found beside hot springs near the Nevada-Oregon border will soon be awarded federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, the law meant to protect plants and animals at risk of extinction.
The bleached sandhill skipper’s largest population is found at the Baltazor Hot Spring — a spring that’s located next to what is planned to become a geothermal energy plant.
Some environmentalists worry that the 84-acre plant operated by Ormat, which has received all required permits from the Bureau of Land Management, could alter the flow of nearby groundwater. Ormat’s media representative did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The final environmental assessment for the project does mention the bleached sandhill skipper, with some facilities moved to accommodate the habitat. The BLM ultimately declared that any impacts to the species would be “unlikely and minor,” and Ormat committed to doing assessments of the species every year for the first five years of the project.
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“The wetlands these butterflies need to survive will dry up and blow away unless we can protect the water that sustains them,” Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “Endangered species protections can help ensure this rare butterfly is still here for future generations.”
Only about 1,000 of the butterflies were found in recent annual surveys, according to the nonprofit conservation organization. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to list the species in 2012.
With the proposal for protections on Tuesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service began a 60-day public comment period. Within a year, a final rule awarding protections will be issued.
In Southern Nevada, the Mount Charleston blue butterfly is another species that has similar federal protections.
The new proposed protections are paramount for the longstanding fight to protect rural Nevada’s water, according to Donnelly.
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“The bleached sandhill skipper needs the same thing to survive that we do: water,” Donnelly said. “With these endangered species protections, we aren’t just protecting charming little butterflies and their wetland habitat. We’re protecting the water that sustains all life in the desert, including our own.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
(KTNV) — Baby’s Bounty is once again hosting multiple diaper banks statewide for families in need of these supplies for their children.
Families will be able to receive a week’s worth of diapers and wipes for up to three children.
You must provide a photo ID and proof of parental paperwork (birth certificate, Medicaid card, crib card, social security card, foster or adoption paperwork) to utilize these services.
Henderson: 📍Location: Morell Park – 500 Harris St, Henderson 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 ⏰ Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. 🚙 Drive-thru bank Registration is required and can be found here.
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Las Vegas: 📍Location: Baby’s Bounty Center for Families – 4495 W Reno Ave, Las Vegas 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22 ⏰ Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. 🚙 Drive-thru bank Registration is required and can be found here.
📍Location: Las Vegas Indian Center – 2300 W Bonanza Rd, Las Vegas 🗓️ Date: Thursday, Jan. 30 ⏰ Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. 🚚 Mobile bank
North Las Vegas: 📍Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Senior Center – 2420 N MLK Blvd, North Las Vegas 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 ⏰ Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. 🚙 Drive-thru bank Registration is required and can be found here.
Reno/Sparks: 📍Location: Baby’s Bounty Northern Nevada – 1410 Greg St, #409, Sparks 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29 ⏰ Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. 🚙 Drive-thru bank Registration is required and can be found here.
Mesquite: 📍Location: Salvation Army Mesquite – 742 W Pioneer Blvd, Mesquite 🗓️ Date: Friday, Jan. 31 ⏰ Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. 🚚 Mobile bank
