- The US division of UK based Betfred has been selected to operate at the sportsbook at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
- The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas casino will be run by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.
- Nevada will be the fourth US market for Betfred along with Iowa, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
Nevada will be getting another sports betting operator as the US subsidiary of UK powerhouse Betfred is heading to Las Vegas. Betfred has been selected to operate the sportsbook at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas which is slated to open in Fall 2020. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is the former Hard Rock Hotel & Casino property which is currently closed for renovation.
The addition of any new line originator in the Silver State is a welcome development but the bigger news could be found deeper in the Betfred press release announcement. The casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas will be operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment under the Mohegan Sun Casino name. Best known for their eponymously named property in Uncasville, Connecticut the company has been expanding into casino management in recent years. You’ll now find Mohegan owned and/or operated casinos in Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, as well as Northern Asia and Niagara Falls, Canada.
On a practical level, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment is a highly qualified choice for the casino operation at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. On a symbolic level, their selection is an even bigger deal as they become the first tribal casino presence in the Las Vegas market. As a newcomer to the Nevada gaming industry it’s only fitting that they would be working with Betfred as the European influence in the US sports betting industry continues to grow.
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment recently unveiled the branding they’ll use at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas:
While we’re at it, here’s a rendering of the VHLV front entrance from the property’s website:
The announcement that Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment would manage the casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (which is destined to be referred to as VHLV I guess) was made in September 2019.
This will be the fourth Virgin Hotel branded property, all in the United States with locations in Chicago, Dallas and Nashville. The company website indicates several other locations in development: New York City (2021), New Orleans (2021), Edinburgh (2021), Miami (2023) and Palm Springs (2024). It’s likely the the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe financial hit the travel and hospitality industry suffered in its wake will shake up these plans.
Here’s the particulars from the press release on the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas aks VHLV:
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a reimagined and re-conceptualized casino resort, slated to open in Fall 2020. The property will be a part of the Curio Collection by Hilton™. The integrated resort will intermix a passion for food and beverage with music and culture. The resort will feature three hotel towers totaling over 1,500 Chambers and suites; a 60,000 sq. ft. Mohegan Sun Casino operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment; a five-acre tropical paradise resort pool area; 117,000 sq. ft. of flexible indoor meeting and events space; live music and entertainment venue operated by AEG Presents with a capacity of 4,500+; and a portfolio of 12 dining venues including the iconic Nobu and luxury steakhouse MB Steak. The property is owned by JC Hospitality, LLC, in partnership with Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group, LiUNA, Fengate Real Assets, Dream and Orlando Development. The off-Strip playground, located at 4455 Paradise Road, is currently closed for renovations. For more information, visit https://virginhotels.com/las-vegas/.
It’s already been a big year for Betfred Sports. On June 17, they became the first operational retail sportsbook in the soon to be booming Colorado market. The Betfred Sportsbook at the Saratoga Casino Black Hawk now has the distinction of taking the state’s first non-mobile sports wager. They’re planning to release a mobile app in Colorado later this year. They also announced an official partnership with the NFL Denver Broncos. The Broncos became the first NFL team to have an official sports betting partnership in mid-July when they inked a deal with FanDuel.
