Resorts World Las Vegas: Even the chips have chips at the Strip's newest casino

LAS VEGAS – Even the chips have chips at the newest casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Resorts World Las Vegas, a $ 4.3 billion resort that opened its doors to the public on Thursday, lets card players wager with house chips implanted with sensors on tables that accept cashless transactions and any bet, split, Track double-down and side bet.

“All RFID,” said Rick Hutchins, casino operations manager, referring to the radio frequency identification technology being built into the first new Las Vegas resort since 2010.

Cashless technology has been retrofitted in existing properties in recent years. It has been part of Resorts World from the start, executives told reporters during a preview tour Tuesday.

“We’re really excited,” said Real Estate President Scott Sibella. “It’s been a decade since a property like this opened.

The strip’s newest casino

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas debuted in 2010. Among other major strip resorts, the Bellagio opened in 1998, Wynn Las Vegas in 2005, and Wynn’s Encore Tower opened for $ 1.6 billion in 2008.

Resorts World is expected to fuel a tourism-dependent local economy that has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic but has been recovering since the March 2020 closings were lifted and travel restrictions were eased.

Customers vaccinated against COVID-19 are not required to wear masks as per local and state regulations. Many companies still do it.

“Resorts World certainly adds to the expectation of an improved economy in the second half of 2021,” said Jeremy Agüero, director of Applied Analysis based in Las Vegas.

“Historically, the opening of new, large-scale resorts has seen the tourism sector and economy of Las Vegas grow,” said Agüero. “Visitors staying at Resorts World will benefit the market as a whole, and Resorts World will no doubt benefit from visitors who stay in the region’s 146,000 existing hotel rooms and experience all that the new hotel has to offer.”

Cashless betting

Hutchins said players can still use cash at a blackjack table. But those with member accounts and wireless wallets can scan their phones with the dealer instead of visiting casino cages.

“I have 25 dollars on site, the RFID chip and the (table) antenna underneath know that. And when I put those side bets, I know it, too, ”said Hutchins. “I can cash out at the table, I can run with my chips, I can get a (paper ticket-in-ticket-out voucher) here or I can put it back on my (mobile) wallet.”

Slot machine players who have the app can also scan QR codes from mobile phones to play.

A player’s stake can be spent throughout the resort with the exception of sports betting, which is handled under a different regulatory process by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

What does the casino look like?

The huge main arcade with high ceilings is longer than two football fields and is full of slot machines. It is at the heart of gambling.

Marbled halls lead to separate registry entries for three Hilton branded hotels. They comprise a total of 3,506 rooms in two curved red towers.

A hall that leads to self-parking shows some of the whimsical colored Rolls-Royce limousines of the collector Michael Fux.

A Sky Casino salon is located on the top 66th floor. An almost floor-to-ceiling LED facade looks out over the Las Vegas Strip.

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Parts of the complex are still under construction, including developer Elon Musk’s underground Tesla vehicle transit system, which will be connected to the nearby Las Vegas Convention Center.

Right now, the view over the resort’s infinity pool features tractors and trucks as well as landscaping work during the day. At night the lights of the strip will be the view.

Six years in the making

Malaysia-based Genting Group, an operator of resorts and casinos around the world, bought the vast 35.6-acre property in 2013 from Boyd Gaming, based in Las Vegas, for $ 350 million. Construction started in May 2015.

The location used to be the Stardust, an iconic Las Vegas landmark that opened in 1958 as the world’s largest hotel with 1,500 rooms. Its 32-story tower was imploded in 2007.

The Stardust’s smoky, mirrored casino was a playpen for Rat Pack members, including Frank Sinatra. The showroom was home to comedians Don Rickles, Tim Conway, and Phyllis Diller; Groups like The Temptations and Four Tops; and the duo Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Wayne Newton was the resident headliner at the 920-seat Stardust Theater before the casino closed in 2006.

What kind of entertainment can I find at Resorts World?

Celine Dion will open the new 4,700-seat theater at Resorts World on November 5th, which is still under construction, said John Nelson, senior vice president of AEG Presents, the venue manager. Residences by Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan follow.

DJs like Zedd and Tiësto will headline the Zouk Nightclub with 2,000 seats and the outdoor AYU Dayclub.

In the hotels, the equipment increases from the 1,774-room Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World to the 1,496-room Conrad Las Vegas to the exclusive 236 suites of Crockfords, where General Manager Whitney Mulaj noted his connection to the luxury brand LXR Hotels.

Each hotel has a separate lobby.

“We use completely ticketless technology,” said Prescott Yee, Front Office Director of Resorts World. On arrival at the valet parking, guests receive a digital QR code with which they can bypass registration and go straight to their room.

“No more cards. No more paper, ”said Yee. “That is the essence of the entire guest experience.”

The design shows the growing importance of room rentals, conference rooms, entertainment, dining and shopping for a tourism destination, where Aguero said non-gambling revenue represented more than 70% of sales in fiscal 2019-2020. Twenty years ago, gambling made up 60% of revenue.

How technology affects the experience

At the blackjack table, Hutchins said that everything a guest does is bundled into the Resorts World mobile app. Wireless connectivity and a customer’s cell phone also eliminate the need for a physical membership award card, he said.

“The things that you do within the property, we will be able to recognize you, to reward you for it or to give you incentives,” said the head of the casino operations.

“After you’ve eaten at the steakhouse, you might want dessert at Wally’s later,” Hutchins said, referring to one of the resort’s nearly 40 restaurants and eateries. “We’ll be able to digitally provide a badge that says. ‘Hey, try a dessert with us.’ “