Sad to say, but Casino MonteLago is closed and, according to a Hilton Lake Las Vegas employee with whom we spoke, "At the moment we don’t have any details as far as who’s going in there next."
The casino was to have reopened last October 1, under the auspices of Hilton owner Newage Lake Las Vegas. However, the Nevada Gaming Control Board determined that Newage controlling investor Man Ho Lam "failed to satisfy their burden of proving their qualification to be licensed," a determination that was ratified by the Nevada Gaming Commission. Phil Wolfgramm, vice president of Newage owner Kam Sang Ltd., tried to play down the setback, saying, "It’s not our core business. It was an effort to consolidate the ownership with the hotel and the casino."
Instead of reopening the casino under Newage’s auspices, the company is searching for an outside operator who will run it independently. The license denial of Lam ran a cart and horses through a plan to reopen the casino in conjunction with the reopening of Reflection Bay Golf Course, as well as new access to Lake Las Vegas from Galleria Mall via Highway 95.
"All possibilities are being looked at in finding a casino operator, Wolfgramm said, including a lease of the casino for a flat rent or selling the casino outright," according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. However, eight months of searching have not yielded a new operator.
The ill-starred casino has closed twice before. Previous operator Intrepid Gaming pulled the plug in November 2013 and a prior shut down in March 2010. It’s a paradox for its market: a middle-class casino in an enclave for the very wealthy and one that requires a lengthy drive, bypassing several other, larger casinos. We hope, for your sake, it reopens, but I wouldn’t get your hopes too high.
