The Hacienda casino, about 15 miles outside of Las Vegas near the Hoover Dam, has been sold. Bigger news than the sale itself, though, is who the casino was sold to. The buyer is the Dotty’s chain of slot and video poker parlors.
The Hacienda will be the first full-fledged hotel-casino owned and operated by the chain, which has already taken over many bars across the valley and operates 80 gambling locations statewide, including slot machine franchises inside Food 4 Less and Kmart stores.
Dotty’s will keep the casino open while it “renovates and modernizes” the 370-room property.
>> Big pig: Every Sunday, Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan roasts a whole pig on the dining room’s giant grill. The pig is served with crispy skin and sauces for $35 per plate beginning at 4 p.m.
>> Big chef: Three-star Michelin chef Pierre Gagnaire will be at the helm of Twist, his only restaurant in the U.S., located in Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter, Aug. 19-26. During Gagnaire’s visit, a unique menu will be available for $325, highlighting favorite dishes from his various restaurants around the world.
>> Poker rooms close: M Resort has closed its poker room and will use the space for slot tournaments. There are no plans to reopen the room, which had a significant presence with 14 tables adjoining the sports book. Also, the just-opened poker room at LVH has closed. The official word is that “revamping” is in progress.
Question: What happened to the big Bagatelle Beach Club at the Tropicana? I was planning to go and it was closed.
Answer: It looks like the Tropicana pool needs to stick to being the Tropicana pool. Following a short stint as Nikki Beach last year, Bagatelle Beach Club has concluded an even shorter run and is now closed to the public. The pool and restaurant will henceforth be available only for private functions.
