So I guess the question that needs to come up soon is exactly how many casinos does Carson City need? We have Bodine’s, which is quickly hurtling towards completion at the south end of town. We have Jethro’s Casino, which is working its way through the approval process. And even though it’s in Douglas County, Carson City is the target market for that resort. Ditto for Gold Town, which is planned for the Carson Valley right at Sunridge Drive. And of course we have the Ormsby House, which if all of us cross our fingers and wish really hard should be finished and open just before the heat death of the universe.
Now add to that Sierra Gold, a new project being proposed for where Highway 50 meets the Carson City Freeway. This new casino will supposedly be the “largest in Carson City”, 107,000 square feet with a casino, restaurants, 220 hotel rooms, a conference center, and a parking garage. It’s being built by Golden Gaming, a company that owns several bars in Reno and Vegas, plus a couple of casinos in Colorado.
So, does Carson City have enough of a base to support all these new casinos? Are casinos alone going to be enough to bring in the tourists? How well is Gold Dust West, which is located just on the other side of the freeway, going to take this news? And with Sierra Gold, Gold Dust West, and Gold Town, just how many casinos named “Gold” do we need?
Update: Another Nevada Appeal article on the planned casino.