Question of the Day - 09 May 2025

Good question, especially since Town Square does hold a gaming license.

This open-air shopping, dining, entertainment, and office district is located just south of the Strip between Sunset Road and the Beltway on the former site of Vacation Village, the locals hotel-casino licensed for unrestricted gaming. Vacation Village opened in 1974 and hung on until 2002, when it was sold in bankruptcy court. Casino speculator Shawn Scott then purchased it, gaming license and all, and shut down the property. Two years later, Scott sold the whole kit ‘n caboodle to Turnberry Associates for roughly $1 million an acre – a tidy profit. Demolition followed, construction began in 2005, and Town Square opened in late 2007. 

The license is still active, as far as we know. But though we've heard of Town Square plans to open a hotel, a casino has never been part of the equation. The simple reason is it's not a gambling destination. In fact, we'd say that its market is locals and visitors looking for a non-gaming experience. With upwards of 120 stores, restaurants, an 18-screen movie theater, and family-friendly amenities like a children’s park, Town Square is an open, community-oriented, pedestrian-friendly, relaxed environment -- the very reason, we dare say, that you like going there on your Vegas trips. An enclosed high-energy family-unfriendly casino would be a major clash.

Finally, it's not like there aren't enough casinos around. Mandalay Bay is a couple of miles north, a five-minute drive or so. And the rest of the south Strip isn't too far away. The developers certainly saw no need to compete in an already-crowded gaming market when they could offer a complementary experience.