LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Durango Casino & Resort is going to get bigger.
You may remember that back in June, we told you about plans to expand the property.
The property had only been open for about six months when expansion plans were announced.
WATCH: Durango sparkles on opening day as locals, tourists flock to Las Vegas' newest casino
On Thursday, Red Rock Resorts and Station Casinos officials said construction on the expansion project is expected to start by the end of 2024.
"Our current plans for the next phase of Durango will add over 25,000 square feet of additional casino space, including a new high-limit slot and bar area," said Scott Cootey, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer of Red Rock Resorts. "In total, the expansion will add 230 slot machines to the Durango casino floor, including 120 slot machines dedicated to our new high-limit room. In addition to the expanded casino space, we'll be adding an additional covered parking garage with almost 2,000 parking spots, significantly improving customer access to the property while providing us flexibility for future expansions at Durango."
According to Cootey, adding on to the popular resort was a no-brainer.
"We continued to be pleased with the results of Durango Casino & Resort. Durango continues to grow the Las Vegas locals' market as the team continues to execute and improve the property's operational performance while, at the same time, driving incremental play for our existing customers and attracting new customers to our brand," Cootey told investors. "With three full quarters under our belt, the property increased visitation and net theoretical win in the surrounding Durango area by approximately 91% and 92$ respectively while signing up over 70,000 new customers to our database."
Cootey added that Durango is on track to become one of the company's highest-margin properties.
When looking at the expansion project, construction is expected to cost approximately $116 million and take around 12 months to complete. Cootey said the company is expecting some disruption to the south side of the property during construction.
Even with the current expansion plans, Red Rock Resorts officials said there is still more room to add on to Durango after this project is completed.
"We've spoken in the past about Summerlin West, which is the final phase of the Howard Hughes Summerlin project. In its completion over the next few years, it will add an incremental 34,000 households, just up behind the Red Rock location," said Scott Kreeger, President of Red Rock Resorts. "So not only do we have a great start as it relates to household growth, but the average income in the area is one of the highest in the valley and we continue to see growth in average income in that area."
He added that Durango is in one of the fastest-growing parts of the valley and "probably has the largest amount of remaining building acreage in the surrounding area."
That's not the only part of the valley is booming.
Casino officials are brought up Henderson during the earnings call.
"One of the key reasons we're refreshing Sunset [Station] is the Henderson area around Cadence has got quite dynamic growth and we think we're going to see the upside of that continued growth in that area of the valley as well," Kreeger said.
That refresh includes a renovated race and sportsbook, partial casino remodel, and opening the Yardhouse restaurant.
"As part of this project, we'll be adding an all-new country-western bar, a new Mexican restaurant, an all-new center bar, along with completely renovated casino space," Cootey said. "Work has commenced on this project and the total cost of renovations is expected to be approximately $53 million."
Over at Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa and Casino, casino officials are about to start a "complete refresh of our room product."
Work is expected to start in June 2025 and continue through November 2025. The total cost of that project is expected to be approximately $150 million.
