State regulators in Nevada have given a new casino in the Reno-Sparks area the green light during the licensing process. The Nevada Gaming Commission has voted to approve a license for Las Vegas-based Olympia Gaming’s Legends Bay Casino.
There has not been a new casino in the Reno-Sparks area for nearly 20 years. Legends Bay Casino will open later this year at the Legends at Sparks Marina shopping mall, which is located east of Reno along I-80.
The $120m casino is comprised of 80,000 square feet of gaming space and will include slot machines, table games, video poker and will feature several restaurants. The casino will also feature a sportsbook, operated by Circa Sports.
Olympia Gaming anticipates its newest casino will open by August. It has started staff recruitment efforts and said it plans to host local hiring events that will run through most of the summer.
The company is looking to hire about 300 workers before it opens.
Olympia Gaming Regional President Court Cardinal said an official opening date has not yet been determined but is optimistic the casino will be open sometime during the summer.
Cardinal commented: “Hopefully, it will open in August. We have not committed to a specific date at this point because things can change at the last minute.”
Olympia Gaming first acquired the property where Legends Bay Casino now sits in 2006. The company had plans to build a casino during that time, but economic downturn caused a delay. Another more recent hold on construction plans arrived when the Covid-19 pandemic began during the first few months of 2020.
Olympia Gaming officials claim that the Circa Sports sportsbook at Legends will be the largest in Northern Nevada. Circa Sports also operates a large sportsbook at Stevens’ Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
