It’s been a long time coming, but Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) is finally ready to open its doors. The first casino resort to be built on the Las Vegas Strip from the ground up in ten years has announced its expected grand opening date, which is going to come a year later than originally planned. Genting Group, the global casino operator behind RWLV, expects to start receiving visitors on June 24, more than seven years after the construction of the $4.3-billion property began.
Genting Group Expands US Footprint
Genting, which is behind Resorts World Casino New York City, is advancing its expansion into the US market with the launch of RWLV. It announced last July that it would have to delay the opening of the new Vegas Strip property because of COVID-19, but was committed to having everything in place by this summer. The launch follows what is expected to be a complete return of the commercial scene in Nevada, with Governor Steve Sisolak having previously indicated that, as of June 1, all businesses should be able to resume their operations.
RWLV sits on the same site where the former Stardust once attracted Hollywood A-listers and celebrities from around the world. That venue made its debut in 1958 and closed in 2006. At the time, it was owned by Boyd Gaming Corp., which proceeded to raze its large, 32-story tower in 2007. In 2013, Genting spent $350 million to purchase the site from Boyd and proceeded to put together its plans for a new, state-of-the-art resort that includes plenty of gaming action and 3,500 keys across three hotels. All three are the product of a partnership with Hilton that was signed in February of last year.
RWLV Meets Construction and Legal Delays
When construction on RWLV began in 2015, Genting didn’t anticipate major issues, although it most likely expected a few bumps to surface. Any construction project of this size can run into delays, but no one could have anticipated the stoppage caused by COVID-19. Genting also was likely not prepared to have to go to court with a rival casino operator in order to move the project forward, but that’s what happened in 2018.
Wynn Resorts sits facing RWLV and, in 2018, the new property began to take on an appearance that Wynn argued was too similar to its own. It sued over copyright infringement and the two were forced to address the issue in court. That caused another delay in construction, but Genting finally relented and agreed to make certain changes that would further separate its RWLV design from that of Wynn Resorts.
With that out of the way, it was time for Genting to get back to business. As it had to deal with the pandemic the following year, it made use of the downtime to advance its vision for the new property and add some final touches. The complex is going to offer over 40 restaurants, several nightclubs, a large retail space, a casino that spans 117,000 square feet and meeting and banquet space covering 250,000 square feet. This will make it one of the largest venues on the Las Vegas Strip.