The newest large locals-oriented casino in Las Vegas, Durango Casino Resort, has begun building its $116 million expansion.
Operator Station Casinos, a subsidiary of Las Vegas-based Red Rock Resorts, opened the $750 million Durango in late December 2023. It has been a successful venture, and the operation will now be expanded.
The development will add 25,000 square feet of extra casino space, as well as a new parking garage with 2,000 additional vehicle spaces.
Station sent off all the documents for approval earlier in 2024 and broke ground on the actual construction this week.
The Plans
The ambitious new expansion was first announced just months after the Durango’s late 2023 opening. As well as more casino floor space, which will include a new high limit room, there will also be a bar and dining area to accommodate the expected larger number of patrons.
The operator plans to install some 230 new slot machines, with 100 of them reserved for the new high limit area.
“The addition of a new slot high limit room is just testament to our strategy to invest in higher net-worth customers… the more we invest in high limit experiences and VIP, there’s great returns,” said Station parent company Red Rock Resorts CEO Scott Kreeger, speaking in 2024 when previewing the plans.
The parking part of the expansion will be on a separate part of the Durango’s land, to the south of the main building. The garage structure will have space for 2,000 additional customers to park.
The Build
The Durango project is expected to take around a year to complete, Station Casinos officials said. The build is prioritizing minimal disruption to ongoing operations over speed. Parking services should be unaffected, with the Durango’s offer of complimentary valet and surface parking for locals still available.
Station Casinos is also undergoing a revamp of two of its other local casinos. Green Valley Ranch and Sunset Station in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson are both seeing multimillion dollar investments. Going into 2025, Red Rock is set to move into the small-scale Nevada “gaming tavern” gambling space.
The Las Vegas locals’ casinos market has been party to the booming Nevada gambling revenues of the past three years, with companies like Red Rock and Boyd Gaming providing a “more value for the money” alternative to the luxury, tourist-packed Las Vegas Strip mega resorts.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
