Riviera Casino Bought, To Be Torn Down

On Friday, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors voted in favor of buying the Riviera Hotel & Casino, one of the oldest casinos still standing in Las Vegas, as part of a plan to tear the property down to make way for the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to reporting from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The LVCVA will spend up to $191 million for the property, which includes closing costs.

The Riviera will close on May 2. It will celebrate its 60th birthday in April.

The property is part of a larger plan for the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Global Business District project. The LVCVA is tasked with marketing Las Vegas globally.

The Riviera Hotel & Casino, which opened in 1955, was the first high-rise Vegas casino.

Around 1,000 casino jobs will be lost by closing the casino.

Though some were concerned about losing such a historic casino, officials reportedly said that the project is needed for Las Vegas’ future and creating even more jobs and generating even more economic growth going forward.

The Riviera was once home to a six-table poker room, but it closed in 2013.

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