Proposal to add gaming could make Las Vegas commercial area a 24-hour hot spot

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A proposal for gaming in some establishments could transform Commercial Center into a 24-hour hotspot, some proponents say, while other gaming and resort interests expressed some opposition due to location and fairness concerns.

A Clark County proposal would make an exception for Commercial Center: Up to six establishments could play table games in a “tavern” setting.

Commercial Center has been the site of several revitalization efforts, from the renaming of Liberace Way, the future site of a Liberace Museum, and the migration of artists from the Arts District into spaces, in search of cheaper rent.

Commissioner Tick Segerblom said the 24-hour devices would make the area safer. Many of the changes have come since a hookah lounge was forced to close, following a shooting in February 2022 that left 14 people dead in gunfire.

“We need more visibility and more people there, 24/7. This would be one way to do that,” he said. “Make Commercial Center different. We don’t want it to be just another strip mall, we have plenty in the Valley,” Segerblom said.

Arts District business manager Derek Stonebarger, owner of Rebar, hopes to be the latest investor in a new concept: a massive art gallery, steakhouse, and 24-hour gaming establishment.

“An art-themed steakhouse. There will potentially be more than 2,000 pieces of art for sale,” said Stonebarger. “I’m finally ready to make the leap into gaming. And I will do that with a unique concept. “That will mean my company, and my employees and my staff and my security, they will be there 24 hours a day once we get this up and running. I think it’s a huge step to revitalize the area,” he said.

The Nevada Resort Association countered in a multi-page letter to Clark County. “CCC 8.20.245 requires taverns to be at least 1,500 feet from the nearest school or church…it recalls that the Resort Association had previously received assurances that redevelopment dollars would not be used to support existing or prospective gaming licensees,” noted the letter, which describes the numerous resorts, casinos and employees in the area.

A Timbers spokesperson also called the variance setup “unfair competition.”

The province will discuss the proposal Tuesday morning.

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