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Looking down at the MonteLago Village Resort and the shuttered Casino MonteLago from Grand Mediterra Boulevard at Lake Las Vegas.
Friday, April 1, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.
Sun coverage
Beyond the Sun
Sun archives
- Casino’s closure brings mixed outlooks on Lake Las Vegas (3-15-2010)
- Lake Las Vegas: A shining lakeside oasis loses its luster (3-1-2010)
- Population dearth doomed Casino MonteLago at Lake Las Vegas (3-1-2010)
- Casino MonteLago at Lake Las Vegas to close next month (2-16-2010)
- Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas to close in May (2-8-2010)
- Current, past owners spar in Lake Las Vegas bankruptcy case (9-21-2009)
- Lake Las Vegas proposes bankruptcy plan (9-5-2009)
- Lenders seek control of Lake Las Vegas hotel (6-4-2009)
- Ritz-Carlton bought amid financial woes (3-24-2009)
- Casino MonteLago swaps managers (6-17-2007)
- Grand opening set for new Lake Las Vegas casino (5-7-2003)
There appears to be another bright spot for the financially troubled Lake Las Vegas community.
A Las Vegas-based company called Intrepid Gaming has filed for a license to operate the shuttered Casino MonteLago in the development’s MonteLago Village Resort.
The company filed its application for a non-restricted gaming license with Nevada Gaming Control on Feb. 14, three days after Dolce Hotels and Resorts reopened the former Ritz-Carlton next door as the Ravella hotel.
Intrepid Gaming is owned by Jon Berkley, the former CEO of the now-defunct Las Vegas Gaming Inc., which ran bingo and keno operations at Native American casinos. The company’s website lists Marcus Suan, a former vice president for slot operations at Boyd Gaming, as the company’s chief operating officer and general manager.
Thomas Hanna, deputy chief of investigations for Gaming Control, said the next step in the licensing process is an investigation into the company and its financials before it goes before the Nevada Gaming Commission.
The casino space is owned by Village Hospitality LLC, an arm of Deutsche Bank and owner of Ravella. The two properties are connected through a covered walkway.
Before it closed in March 2010, Casino MonteLago was operated by CIRI Lakeside Gaming Investors LLC, but the company forfeited its license upon closure.
The announcement of the casino closure came a week after the Ritz-Carlton said it would be closing its door because of a lack of funding from Village Hospitality.
A spokesman for the casino operators at the time said the casino was in the middle of negotiations with other investors when the announcement of the Ritz-Carlton closure hit, resulting in those investors pulling out. The closure left 170 casino employees out of work.
Casino MonteLago opened in May 2003 and was originally owned by Cook Inlet Region Inc., a corporation owned by members of an Alaskan American Indian tribe.
Some recent construction has been going on inside the casino, and executives from Dolce have been teasing for months that an announcement would be forthcoming about Casino MonteLago.
Earlier this month, Intrepid Gaming filed for a trademark for the name and logo of Casino MonteLago. The company has filed for a total of six trademarks since January, including three bars and restaurants called Harry’s Bar at Casino MonteLago, The Palio and Ritorno Al Fondamentali, Bambino!
An attorney who filed for the trademarks said a representative for the company was out of the country and unable to comment.
Across the master planned community, Lake Las Vegas’ only operating golf course has been purchased by a Honolulu-based company for $4.5 million.
The SouthShore Golf Club, a private course in Lake Las Vegas’ SouthShore neighborhood, was purchased by Nevada South Shore LLC, according to a deed filed on Feb. 17 with the Clark County recorder’s office.
Nevada South Shore, which lists Bing Yang as its CEO, purchased 13 parcels from SPE MD Holdings, a subsidiary of the Rhode Island-based Textron Financial Corp. The assessor’s map shows the parcels include the greens and club house for the course.
Dorfinco Corp., another subsidiary of Textron, foreclosed on the course in 2009. It was later transferred to SPE MD Holdings. The course’s original owners borrowed $6.8 million from Dorfinco to build the course in 2001.
A manager for SouthShore Golf Club did not return calls for comment on new policies and membership fees.
The course has a partnership with Loews Lake Las Vegas and Ravella that allows hotel guests to golf at the otherwise-private course for $190.
The Falls and Reflection Bay golf courses at Lake Las Vegas remain closed.
good for bouvier...
the man deserves it!!!
Good news, and best wishes to all involved.
This is fantastic!!! I have spoken to Mr. Berkeley and Mr. Marcus. They have great plans for the casino and totally get what it will take to make casino montelago successful.
Next I'm sure will be an announcement that the Falls and/or Reflection Bay will re-open as well. They have been watering them and ponds being refilled on the Falls course. The judge made her decision on the water rights agreement on February 10th and a follow up hearing was held just yesterday on how all parties will work together witih her decision.
Julie, the Commerical West Realtor @ Lake Las Vegas Village has been busy adding new tenants. There are at least 5 new ones now, including a smaller scaled full-service grocery store, which will be opening within the next month or so. I was told that other new tenants include a gourmet doggie bakery, a coffee shop, clothing type store and others.
All of these new opportunities at Lake Las Vegas will add jobs and revenue all around.
Wishing much success to Casino Montelago, Ravella and the new tenants at the village. I'm sure that Bouvier will be sitting at a penny slot machine again real soon!
Bouvier wins again !!! Hope it happens as described.
That is great news, I hope they have a Sports Book!
More than the former Ritz opening, the casino was what everyone was looking forward to seeing come back. Hope that they can operate a sports book that is larger than a broom closet. Good luck to them.
I can see lots of people saying "meet me at Harry's Bar".
I doubt many are going to remember the name and say "meet me at Ritorno Al Fondamentali, Bambino!"
Where do they come up with some of these names?
I guess I'll have to brush up on my Italian! I do know what Bambino means, that's a start!
I hope they succeed!
hope they succeed..it will mean employment !! and why does everyone still knock Bouvier? he lives there..does everyone wish bad luck to all of us on here? what effects LLV effects all of LV cause it put people out of work, it had people loose their homes and made a community basically dry up, albet its slowly coming back...and for all this, most of you are happy as you say in your previous comments (dipstick?)
@Boatrgirl, it is my understanding that the upper floor where the sports bar was is where the sports book will be. Larger than before and able to use the wall of TVs.
This is another win for Bouvier!
Nice post Happy Homeowner. I think everyone in Lake Las Vegas are going to be very happy in a few months.
PS: This is what "Ritorno Al Fondamentali, Bambino!" means- I return To The Fundamental, baby! I'm sure the owners must have reason for this name. Maybe it is how they are going to successfully operate the casino?
My understanding the casino will re-open Memorial Day Weekend. There is also a charity event and a raffle for a new Toyota Camry that weekend as well. Should be a record crowd for sure!
Good news finally for LLV. They HAVE to have some gaming out there.