Virgin Las Vegas Reopens Shuttered Sports Lounge as Skybox

Posted on: October 14, 2022, 12:42h. 

Last updated on: October 14, 2022, 01:22h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas.

Virgin Las Vegas has reopened its sports lounge under a new name, Skybox, and brought it in-house. The lounge is described in a company press release as “a high-energy sports viewing experience with multiple bars, luxurious lounges, couches, and private booths.”

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Skybox Sports Lounge
The new Skybox Sports Lounge at Virgin Las Vegas has opened in the space formerly occupied by “Money, Baby.” (Image: Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)

Skybox also includes a patio area with seating, 360-degree viewing of up to 18 simultaneous live sporting events, and a menu created by Mimmo Ferraro of Las Vegas’ Ferraro’s Ristorante fame.

“Las Vegas is home to a burgeoning sports community, and we are excited to bring the unique Skybox experience to Virgin Hotels Las Vegas,” said Richard “Boz” Bosworth, president and CEO of JC Hospitality, owner of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. “We cannot wait to celebrate unforgettable sports moments with our guests as they experience the best our resort has to offer with Skybox’s extraordinary offerings.”

Money, Baby Out with Bathwater

The previous sports lounge occupying the space closed abruptly in June. “Money, Baby” was run by the Clive Collective, a two-year-old hospitality company whose website lists only one other project, the Scottsdale restaurant Cala. What exactly happened with “Money, Baby” is unclear.

Casino.org’s own “Vital Vegas” blogger, Scott Roeben, published this intriguing theory back in June: “We have to assume a big stumbling block for Clive Collective was the fact Virgin’s sports betting partner, Betfred, has yet to open in its Vegas hotel. “Money, Baby” was initially billed as a ‘sports betting and nightlife destination,’ but the sports betting element has yet to materialize.”

At the time, Roeben got his hands on an internal memo from Clive Collective to “Money, Baby’s” employees, which described “hiccups while working through our business relationship with the hotel” that made it “challenging to operate properly as a business.” Those “hiccups” were never explained, and an eviction notice was slapped on the space in July, which Roeben also published.

Skybox, located on the second floor of Virgin’s Ruby Tower, is open Thursday through Friday from 4-10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.