A milestone for the region
Legends Bay casino has opened its doors for the first time, making it the first new casino in Northern Nevada in over 20 years. The public was able to enter the property on Tuesday following a lavish opening ceremony. There was initially a VIP-only party where champagne and shrimp cocktails were on offer.
Opening day was a huge success for the casino; one visitor tweeted that every single slot machine was busy and there were about a thousand people trying to enter while the place was already at full capacity:
An impressive facility
The new casino in Sparks is 80,000 square feet and offers a wide range of gaming options. Having promised to be a “players paradise” upon opening, the Legends Bay casino appears to have delivered. There are more than 650 video poker and slot machines, ten live table games, and a high roller room.
There are also numerous beverage and food outlets in the casino, as well as a Circa retail sportsbook. It marks the sixth retail sportsbook for Circa Sports in Nevada and its first in the northern portion of the state. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak was in attendance for the opening ceremony. He talked about how it is an iconic project for Northern Nevada and that it was a “great moment for people across the country to see what Northern Nevada has to offer and entice more tourists into the Silver State.”
A long time coming
The hope is that the opening of the Legends Bay property will be a boost to the economy in Northern Nevada. It has created about 300 permanent jobs and looks like it could be a key tourist draw. Olympia Gaming CEO Gary Coett also welcomed the opening of the casino, stating that it has been a long time coming.
smaller than originally planned
A casino project at this location had been in the works for a long time. The original purchase of the property came in 2007, but plans to develop a casino on the site were paused due to the Great Recession. The final project was smaller than originally planned, breaking ground in February 2021. Developers spent about $130m was to construct the property.