UPDATE: Las Vegas Mayor’s Announcement of 2nd Circa Casino Premature

Posted on: May 5, 2025, 11:18h.

Last updated on: May 5, 2025, 11:40h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

UPDATE: Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley indeed announced that a new casino from Circa co-founder Derek Stevens was “in our future” during her first State of the City address. However, according to Vital Vegas, she shouldn’t have. That is to say that she jumped the gun because it isn’t happening anytime soon and may not at all.

Yes, the parcel in the northeast corner of Symphony Park is owned by Derek and his brother, Greg Stevens, and is the only parcel in the community zoned for gaming. And yes, it is named “Circa 2” on a city master plan for the community. However, for the next three years, the parcel will be used as a construction yard for a Symphony Park condo tower, after which the Stevens brothers have not decided what they will do with it.

It can be safely assumed that Vital Vegas is getting his information firsthand.

EARLIER: Last week, new Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley announced plans to build a second Circa Casino Resort downtown.

As circled in the city of Las Vegas’ latest master plan for Symphony Park, Circa 2 will be located a two-minute walk from the existing Circa’s parking garage, nicknamed the Garage Mahal, via a pedestrian bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. (Image: City of Las Vegas)

The casino will be built by Circa owner Derek Stevens on 6.42 acres on the northeast corner of Symphony Park. That’s the developing 66-acre, mixed-use center in downtown Las Vegas promoted as a walkable urban community with residential, commercial and, most prominently, cultural spaces.

Circa Resort & Casino is an 8,000-square-foot casino with a 777-room hotel room hotel tower that opened at 8 Fremont Street in October 2020. Its co-owners are brothers Derek and Greg Stevens. (Image: Shutterstock)

Symphony Park is connected to downtown Las Vegas by a 175-foot pedestrian bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. That will make “Circa 2,” as it’s referred to on Symphony Park’s master plan, only a two-minute walk from the original Circa, though it will still be a one-mile drive.

“These projects, along with the new medical office building, plans for a new art museum envisioned by Elaine Wynn and her team, and a casino developed by Derek Stevens on the northeast corner of Symphony Park, are all in our future,” Berkley said during her first State of the City address last Thursday.

Already operating in Symphony Park are the Smith Center for the Performing Arts (a world-class venue for theater, music, and dance that opened in 2012 as the community’s anchor) and the Discovery Children’s Museum.

By the end of 2028, the community will be joined by the aforementioned Las Vegas Museum of Art.

Residents of Symphony Park are objecting to the intrusion of Las Vegas’ already ubiquitous casino culture into what they thought would be a cultural and residential island.

Parris Golden, a Symphony Park resident, told KLAS-TV/Las Vegas said the casino will “make me want to move, it would change the whole dynamic of the area.”

Clark County Records show the property was last purchased in July 2017 by PQ Holdings LLC.

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Richard Diaz May 9, 2025

As a tourist who has been to Vegas about 80 times over 30 years, I agree with local Joe 100%. I've noticed how everything on the Strip now diminishes the customer experience in an effort to squeeze every dime out of the visitor from making you walk through the casino to get to your rooms, to long wait times, inconvenient distances, and exorbitant fees. Downtown is much more accessible, Circa is designed for the customer. It has the elevators to the rooms right by check-in. The elevators are fast. Restaurants without wait times. Good luck, Derek. We need more casinos like Circa.
local Joe May 5, 2025

Not unlike government, spend when the economy is bad and save when it's good. You would think this is visionary on Derek's part, but I see it more as a very big gamble. If this is visionary, it may be the greatest move ever for downtown because corporate idiots are destroying tourism on the strip with greed and prices. all they want on the strip is profit at any cost and if that means fabricating more BS, almost criminal fee's, so be it. with the strip it's take,take,take, slash, slash, slash with complete disregard towards regular tourist, locals or the future. the proof is in reading the news. there's a serious decline in tourist and profit which should be expected after years of flagrant overcharging and completely fabricated fee's. If the strip destroys itself from corporate greed, it would be a golden opportunity for downtown to become the new visitation/booking destination for Vegas , especially if they team up and create a great staying price, entertainment and better odds of winning friendly environment. Vegas was a place where winning was possible, fun entertainment was everywhere and it didn't cost you your life savings to visit or stay. With Tillman in Italy and no longer at the helm, Derek has the chance to be the leader for the "new" direction of Vegas. Volume of visitors, not rip off percentages would turn the tides and shift the bulk of profit to downtown. I'm rooting for ya Derek!