In this episode, we badger casino owner Derek Stevens into sharing some amazing stories about his new downtown resort, Circa. This is easily the most in-depth interview Stevens has ever given about Circa Las Vegas, which opens Oct. Derek Stevens doesn't measure his colossus of a sports book in square footage. He's talking 87 million pixels in the biggest sports book screen in the country that's part of his 777-room Circa hotel-casino being built in downtown Las Vegas. It's scheduled to open in December 2020.
Derek Stevens was a player long before he became a casino owner. He was a manufacturer from Michigan who would make several pilgrimages to Vegas every year, mostly around sporting events, to bet on them.
'I started coming to Las Vegas a long time ago, in the '80s' he says. 'I came for pleasure. I'm a sports fan, so I came to a lot of fights and for football weekends. Forget about owning a casino; I never envisioned working at a casino.'
In 2006, though, Stevens and his brother Greg bought the Golden Gate in Downtown Las Vegas—the oldest casino in Las Vegas—and transformed it after a renovation. Five years later, Stevens bought the old Fitzgeralds casino, a few blocks up from the Golden Gate, creating the D. A few years later, he bought land behind the D and created the Downtown Events Center, an outdoor events space.
Along with Stevens, other parts of Downtown were improving. Tony Hsieh brought his Zappos headquarters to the neighborhood. Sophisticated housing was added. The Fremont Street Experience was upgraded.
'It became a really cool entrepreneurial vibe around here,' says Stevens. 'Everybody had something going on. It really developed into a community of people that got to know each other and were all really aligned in a manner where everyone was rooting for the growth of Downtown Vegas.'
Soon after Stevens arrived in Downtown, the nation was hit with a deep recession. But that worked out to be in Stevens' favor.
'Ironically, it was probably the most fortunate thing that ever happened to us,' he explains, 'because, a lot of real-estate values in Downtown Las Vegas became far less expensive.'
So Stevens started assembling land across the street from the Golden Gate at the foot of Fremont Street, which is where he envisioned his perfect casino, Circa.
To design the casino, Stevens held a competition between some of the most prestigious architecture firms in gaming. Stevens paid each firm to present a concept and a preliminary design. The winner? No surprise, Steelman Partners, a firm that has put its stamp on many gaming jurisdictions.
'We competed against some very reputable architects for this project,' says Paul Steelman, the president and founder of Steelman Partners. 'I think Derek chose us because we got it. We are firm believers that Las Vegas has a style, and we're the architects who actually get that.
'We gave him the suggestions for the sportsbook, and gave him a place that looked new and modern, but it looked like it belonged on Fremont Street. And that was really important to Derek. I didn't know how important it was to him in those competition days. But I respect Fremont Street. I started there. I lived on Fremont Street for the entire year of 1986. It was a slice of life to me. There are unusual people and unusual cars, and all types of things happening that I'd never seen in my life, growing up, and being an architect. So I think Derek chose us just because I respect it, and I believe Las Vegas has a style, now influenced by Derek Stevens.'
Sports HavenThe Circa Sports Book is part of an evolving sports betting business designed by Stevens and his team
Circa inspires the sports fan in Stevens so much that he's built a massive sportsbook—somewhat of an anomaly in this day when most people carry sportsbooks around in their pockets as apps on their phone. But to Stevens, the sportsbook is the heart of the property.
'I have always thought in years past that a significant brick-and-mortar sportsbook was something that could bring people together,' says Stevens. 'Obviously, betting on an app is not just the future; it's the present. It's easy, convenient and quick. It's more efficient. But there's still an element of going to a sportsbook, and the camaraderie with all the people, that it creates a unique excitement that you can't get elsewhere.'
Stevens says the experience at the sportsbook at Circa will be more like a watch party rather than a pure betting play.
'I would say there's still something inside of a Las Vegas brick-and-mortar sportsbook that's different,' he says. 'It's not an experience they can get at Hometown USA. We've created a stadium effect. And for us, this isn't really all that new. I own the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, where we've been throwing concerts, EDM events, food festivals, boxing matches, UFC matches, and watch parties.
'We learned a lot in doing watch parties at our events center. The psychology of someone that goes to a watch party, it's much different than someone that's going to a live sporting event. It's a different angle, a different perspective. People feel differently when they go to a watch party. There is more social demeanor as they come into the game—a little bit more upbeat and willing to socialize. We've really tried to create our sportsbook to be something where you end up picking up a lot of the energy of all the rest of the fans and customers who are there.'
Steelman says the placement of the sportsbook, at the back of the casino, was a debate, but one that was resolved quickly.
'The sportsbook takes up the entire Main Street side of the building,' he says. 'It was a logical thing to us because, you know, the milk is at the back of the store. Same thing. Most of the foot traffic that wants to see the sportsbook has to walk through the corner of First and Fremont. So, it's a logical thing to locate it on that side of the building.'
Parking ParadiseParking is always an issue in Downtown Las Vegas, as it is usually in every city's downtown. While there are lots of parking garages, they are the usual dark, dirty caverns, opening awkwardly onto the casino. Not so with Circa. The 'Garage Mahal' is located across Main Street from the property, and will be a different experience than any other garage in Las Vegas.
'I've been talking about parking for a long, long time,' says Stevens. 'I didn't want to design an average parking garage. Parking garages are generally built with the thought of minimizing costs. You've got low ceilings and inadequate lighting. When you have to cut costs or reduce overtime, they stop cleaning the garage.
'We wanted to create something where the parking spaces were a little more spacious. We wanted to have great lighting. We wanted to have extreme cleanliness. We wanted to add in music. We wanted to add in art. We wanted to add in concierges throughout various areas of the garage. We feel lucky, from a design perspective, that Circa is the very first hotel-casino that I'm aware of, that ever really contemplated ride-sharing into its hotel-casino design.'
Steelman says it's part of creating an arrival experience unmatched in all of Las Vegas.
'One of the things that we tried to do was to create a ‘wow' experience in the lobby,' he says. 'When people step from their Uber, at that moment they'd look up at the highest level of the sportsbook. You're walking in from the garage and seeing our centerpiece. It's quite an exciting look, and so that was part of the overall planning.'
The bridge over Main Street from Garage Mahal to the casino isn't as elaborate as Stevens originally envisioned.
'At the end of the day, Derek, together with the Boyd Group (which owns several neighboring casinos), made a wise decision to build a very thin bridge that would allow the respect for Las Vegas that Main Street deserves. You don't obstruct Main Street Station or the California, which need that visual aspect connecting them to Fremont Street. That led to a very good solution, and it was an interesting exercise for us, to try to make it as small as humanly possible.'
Pooling ResourcesThe biggest 'wow' factors for Circa, however, notwithstanding the massive sportsbook and the transportation center, are the six pools on various levels on the podium of the building Stadium Swim. The pool experience is always important in a Las Vegas resort, but at Circa it's the crucial and most visible piece of the entire building.
Circa Stadium Swim, with the second largest screen in the U.S.
But designing a pool isn't the most simple thing. Since Las Vegas has approximately 350 sunny days a year, the way the sun would hit the pool is a very important factor. Steelman says Stevens was intimately involved in those decisions.
'We did sun studies on this pool,' he says, 'and we did every day and every hour. Derek actually sat there and watched the entire movie, every day and every hour, multiple times. And it just spins around, and the sun's going from here to there, to make sure that we weren't making the screen too tall, or the afternoon sun in the winter would work, and things of this nature.'
Stevens says the pools are the centerpiece of the hotel, and that they are different than any other pool experience in Las Vegas.
'First is really the scale,' he says. 'Stadium Swim will be a key feature in Circa Las Vegas, with a capacity of around 4,000. We have the second-largest screen in the U.S. to watch all sports, only behind the screen at AT&T Stadium in Texas. And this is a stadium to watch events and enjoy the sun. We'll have programming that will be far more musically orientated throughout most of the day. So, as opposed to us designing a pool as an amenity for a hotel, with 512 rooms and suites, you could almost say our hotel is designed as an amenity to Stadium Swim.'
Another feature unique to Circa will be the year-round nature of the pools. Stevens says he always wondered why the pools in Vegas shut down for months at a time when the weather isn't really that bad.
'Obviously I'd been out here Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, you know, all throughout the summer,' he says. 'But you come out in December, January, the pools are always closed. I always wondered why the pools close in Las Vegas, but they can stay open at Vail, or Park City, or Aspen. For those of you that have been out to a ski resort, whether it's in northern Michigan or Montana or Utah or Colorado, in December and January, when it's snowing out and 5 degrees, the pool scene's a pretty cool scene.
'Our top pools of the upper deck, we can heat them up to 103 degrees. What we wanted to do is to create a 365-day experience, so that when people come to Circa there's consistency that pools will be open, and yeah, temperatures are different, but we'll create a vibe that we'll be open every night, every day.
'Our pools won't close. It'll be the greatest pool in Las Vegas. It'll be the greatest pool in America. This will be the greatest pool in the history of the world! That's what Stadium Swim's going to be.'
Rooms to MoveWhen Stevens first bought a Vegas property, it wasn't the most modern property in the city.
'The Golden Gate is the oldest building in the history of Las Vegas,' he says. '1 Fremont Street. And when the Golden Gate was designed in 1904 or 1905, well, the average American wasn't quite as big as what they are now. You know, the ceiling heights at the Golden Gate sometimes don't even hit 7 feet.'
And while there were significant renovations at both the Golden Gate and the D, both properties were constrained by space. There are few suites in either hotel. But that's not the case with Circa.
'We're going to be heavily weighted on suites,' says Stevens. 'We're going to open with 777 rooms and 60 suites—six two-bedrooms and the rest will be one bedroom. We'll have a handful of hospitality suites and some bunk rooms, party suites and things like that. We think there's a certain element where when you have big groups that come out, we'll let them sleep in a bunk room, but they'll have a huge living room out front, with a bar, and TVs and couches. We're excited about this room product, and we're excited about having far more suites in our mix.
'We've done something with design, with much taller ceilings, with much more spacious showers and bathrooms—much taller showerheads, and things like that.'
Even the standard rooms are something special, say Stevens.
'Our average square footage is 450 or 460 square feet,' he says. 'We did something from a design perspective—we ran an offset hallway. Our tower runs west to east, and our hallway's not straight down the middle of the tower. It's shaded by about 20 inches to the north, which provides for standard rooms that are a little bit larger to the south than the north. The south, on the lower part of the tower, faces Stadium Swim. And the south on the higher part of the tower gives you the Strip views. We think the rooms are ready for today's customer, and ready to last for a while.'
Steelman says a lot of other elements went into the tower.
'We wanted a short walk to the rooms,' he says. 'We want the elevators to be designated to the customer. We believe in creating not only stratified hotel rooms, or stratified hotel floors on the basis of suites and standard rooms, but also then, those elevators engaging in the podium in the proper sort of way.'
But when you get to the top of the tower, that's where Circa really shines.
'I think we have captured a view that nobody has,' says Steelman. 'I think the view from the Legacy Club on the roof is probably one of the most spectacular views in Las Vegas. I always thought the Stratosphere had a spectacular view, but seeing the Stratosphere from this 400-plus-foot-tall building really empowered us.'
Covid ConsciousWhen casinos closed in Las Vegas on March 18 and didn't reopen until June 4, Stevens put procedures in place at his casinos over and above what lots of other casinos have done. At the D, as of September, guests were required to get temperature checks, walk through a metal detector and wear masks. He says the same will go into effect at Circa should the same restrictions be in place.
'All we can really do as operators is continue to follow all the guidelines, all the directives,' he says. 'Of course we have to do that. Gaming is a privileged license.
'But we just have to be prepared to adapt quickly. When we reopened, we did something above and beyond, temperature checks at our doors. The regulation is you have to do a temperature check to go to a hotel room. So we temperature-checked everyone coming in and out. We thought that gave people a sense of greater security. We also felt that it was a safer thing to do.'
With some disturbances occurring on the Las Vegas Strip, Stevens says his casinos strive to keep the guests safe and secure by requiring ID to enter.
'From a security perspective, I think everyone has been adapting as best they can. Our country just wasn't necessarily ready for the magnitude of what happened, and I think because of the magnitude, everyone in the country is struggling, some from a health perspective, some from a financial perspective, some from a general economic perspective, some from just an isolation and psychological perspective. We hope they can visit us in Las Vegas and give them some relief.'
Legend in the MakingLots of people compare Derek Stevens to the visionary Steve Wynn in his early days, when he was full of ideas, entrepreneurial fire and operational magic. Steelman agrees.
'We have a superstar in the making in Derek Stevens,' he says. 'Derek's vision on this property is unlike anyone else's. Circa has a unique spin to it.
'When I have my foreign clients here from Vietnam, Cambodia or Macau, or some even from Atlantic City, many times, we go down to Andiamo's (the Italian restaurant in the D) for dinner, because it's got a great old Las Vegas feeling. And then we walk up Fremont Street, and they all turn to me and say, ‘Paul, we want this.' Here's a little tiny street in Downtown Las Vegas that attracts 24 million people each and every year, and it still resonates. So, one of our unique challenges on this design—and Derek's challenge, of course—was to design, from the ground up, a facility that was compatible with Fremont Street. And we've done that without a doubt.'
Stevens is a little more demure when it comes to his legacy.
'I love operating casinos,' he says. 'I love building teams. I like being around our people. I don't love being a deal-maker. You know, I kind of got thrown into that. I'm not going to back off from numbers or finance, but I don't love it the way I love teams and love growing businesses. For me, coming here from 2006, with the Golden Gate, to 2011 at the D, and 2014 with the Events Center, I now have a great opportunity to be with a lot more great people that we work with and our guests. And for that, I'm very grateful.
'I am beyond excited to be able to operate and run Circa, for the first year. We have the first 365 days numerically mapped out. I look forward to operating that way. And then, day 366 to day 730, I can't wait to see what the second March Madness is going to be like, and the second St. Patrick's Day, and the second Fourth of July. Because that gives us an opportunity to get better. That's the stuff that gets me all fired up. When we open, we're going to have fun, but we always have to get better.'
Jump to Section:
This Week's Trending Topics for Circa Las Vegas
Top Circa Las Vegas Tweets
.@CircaLasVegas will be the only casino-hotel in Las Vegas only serving people 21 and older. https://t.co/sdtGi5X1Lq
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) October 22, 2020
What else you want to see at Circa? More casino pics! Who doesn't love that new dice table smell! pic.twitter.com/iUlZayS6TE
Derek Stevens A Las Vegas Casino Owner
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 22, 2020
#TBT to when these photos used to be renderings.
The largest sportsbook in the world is now a reality. See you in 6 DAYS. @CircaSports#CircaLasVegas#CircaSports#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/hGJfVwpRp9
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 22, 2020
Who's ready to kick it with @VegasVickie? #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/qDNVI5SvLO
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 23, 2020
Haven't seen this elsewhere, but @DerekJStevens, owner of Circa, has been immortalized (complete with Captain and diet) in Legos at a new retail shop in the resort. Guests can bring in images of loved ones or pets and get a life-size Lego version. pic.twitter.com/jjQlwHzx9V
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 23, 2020
Some have stacks on stacks.
Others have plaques on plaques. #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCircapic.twitter.com/cBDAbOSLWC
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 24, 2020
October 28 at 12:01 AM…….#CantWait#CircaRevealhttps://t.co/wE0kSguo6h Empire casino jobs.
— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) October 24, 2020
Great #TestNight1 for @dereksnicole and myself w/ the famous @ChefBarryDakake of @BarrysPrime @CircaLasVegas #CircaReveal#Vegaspic.twitter.com/VfwO3Ihno8
— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) October 24, 2020
So iconic we named a bar after her.
4 days until you can share drinks with @VegasVickie.🥂 #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/PdycFBdP8X
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 24, 2020
Day or night- we're ready for you at #StadiumSwim. ☀️ 🌙#CountdownToCirca#CircaLasVegaspic.twitter.com/KrZnrTlFz7
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 25, 2020
MEGA BAR.
▪️Nevada's longest indoor bar
▪️Spans 165 feet
▪️53 spots for seated, bar-top gaming
▪️40 double-stacked TVs
▪️120 beer taps with a rotating selection
You and all of this in 3 days. 🍻#MegaBar#CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/IqcTqjWbEc
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 25, 2020
Casino, bars, restaurants (and menus), pool, art, sportsbook, high limit, Garage Mahal and even the bathrooms! It's all the @CircaLasVegas preview pics you could ever ask for and more. You're welcome. https://t.co/R2sDJYkHFo
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 25, 2020
Stadium Swim- where the vibes are high and the views are superior. #3Days#StadiumSwim#CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCircapic.twitter.com/s2Xedw72dH
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 25, 2020
Tomorrow at midnight, join me for the Grand Opening of @CircaLasVegas as I go LIVE for the first time from the casino floor!https://t.co/g01LO1eVI7#circa#lasvegas#BreakingNews@News3LV@LasVegasLocally@VitalVegas@cnnbrk@Vegas@CityOfLasVegas@CDCNewswirepic.twitter.com/J9HS6sWquc
— BCSlots (@BCSlots) October 26, 2020
Our version of 'writing down' our goals. #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/nK5Y2XiWOw
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 26, 2020
We love a warm welcome on a cool afternoon.
Thank you @PlazaLasVegas! #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCircapic.twitter.com/KmiY9L74JB
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 26, 2020
Stunning! Circa Resort in downtown Las Vegas is set to open its doors at midnight tonight! FOX5's @CassandraMly is touring the property this morning. She took this video from inside Circa's sportsbook which spans three stories! 😮 pic.twitter.com/fq33pIireL
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) October 27, 2020
Never before has Las Vegas been more excited about a pool pic.twitter.com/GajCESF0k1
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) October 27, 2020
Garage Mahal opens tonight at 10:00 p.m. Fun fact: They electrified the ceiling, so no shoe prints, ever. (One can dream.) https://t.co/GsD5fe59dopic.twitter.com/lI1AAvXHfN
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 27, 2020
Soak in massive fun at #StadiumSwim TONIGHT 12:01AM-2AM or tomorrow starting at 8AM! ☀️
Remember- our pools are comfortably heated. 😎
Let's gooooo 🌊 #CountdownToCirca#CircaReveal#CircaLasVegaspic.twitter.com/ZBYQHA2Yhv
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 27, 2020
'At the end of the day, Derek, together with the Boyd Group (which owns several neighboring casinos), made a wise decision to build a very thin bridge that would allow the respect for Las Vegas that Main Street deserves. You don't obstruct Main Street Station or the California, which need that visual aspect connecting them to Fremont Street. That led to a very good solution, and it was an interesting exercise for us, to try to make it as small as humanly possible.'
Pooling ResourcesThe biggest 'wow' factors for Circa, however, notwithstanding the massive sportsbook and the transportation center, are the six pools on various levels on the podium of the building Stadium Swim. The pool experience is always important in a Las Vegas resort, but at Circa it's the crucial and most visible piece of the entire building.
Circa Stadium Swim, with the second largest screen in the U.S.
But designing a pool isn't the most simple thing. Since Las Vegas has approximately 350 sunny days a year, the way the sun would hit the pool is a very important factor. Steelman says Stevens was intimately involved in those decisions.
'We did sun studies on this pool,' he says, 'and we did every day and every hour. Derek actually sat there and watched the entire movie, every day and every hour, multiple times. And it just spins around, and the sun's going from here to there, to make sure that we weren't making the screen too tall, or the afternoon sun in the winter would work, and things of this nature.'
Stevens says the pools are the centerpiece of the hotel, and that they are different than any other pool experience in Las Vegas.
'First is really the scale,' he says. 'Stadium Swim will be a key feature in Circa Las Vegas, with a capacity of around 4,000. We have the second-largest screen in the U.S. to watch all sports, only behind the screen at AT&T Stadium in Texas. And this is a stadium to watch events and enjoy the sun. We'll have programming that will be far more musically orientated throughout most of the day. So, as opposed to us designing a pool as an amenity for a hotel, with 512 rooms and suites, you could almost say our hotel is designed as an amenity to Stadium Swim.'
Another feature unique to Circa will be the year-round nature of the pools. Stevens says he always wondered why the pools in Vegas shut down for months at a time when the weather isn't really that bad.
'Obviously I'd been out here Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, you know, all throughout the summer,' he says. 'But you come out in December, January, the pools are always closed. I always wondered why the pools close in Las Vegas, but they can stay open at Vail, or Park City, or Aspen. For those of you that have been out to a ski resort, whether it's in northern Michigan or Montana or Utah or Colorado, in December and January, when it's snowing out and 5 degrees, the pool scene's a pretty cool scene.
'Our top pools of the upper deck, we can heat them up to 103 degrees. What we wanted to do is to create a 365-day experience, so that when people come to Circa there's consistency that pools will be open, and yeah, temperatures are different, but we'll create a vibe that we'll be open every night, every day.
'Our pools won't close. It'll be the greatest pool in Las Vegas. It'll be the greatest pool in America. This will be the greatest pool in the history of the world! That's what Stadium Swim's going to be.'
Rooms to MoveWhen Stevens first bought a Vegas property, it wasn't the most modern property in the city.
'The Golden Gate is the oldest building in the history of Las Vegas,' he says. '1 Fremont Street. And when the Golden Gate was designed in 1904 or 1905, well, the average American wasn't quite as big as what they are now. You know, the ceiling heights at the Golden Gate sometimes don't even hit 7 feet.'
And while there were significant renovations at both the Golden Gate and the D, both properties were constrained by space. There are few suites in either hotel. But that's not the case with Circa.
'We're going to be heavily weighted on suites,' says Stevens. 'We're going to open with 777 rooms and 60 suites—six two-bedrooms and the rest will be one bedroom. We'll have a handful of hospitality suites and some bunk rooms, party suites and things like that. We think there's a certain element where when you have big groups that come out, we'll let them sleep in a bunk room, but they'll have a huge living room out front, with a bar, and TVs and couches. We're excited about this room product, and we're excited about having far more suites in our mix.
'We've done something with design, with much taller ceilings, with much more spacious showers and bathrooms—much taller showerheads, and things like that.'
Even the standard rooms are something special, say Stevens.
'Our average square footage is 450 or 460 square feet,' he says. 'We did something from a design perspective—we ran an offset hallway. Our tower runs west to east, and our hallway's not straight down the middle of the tower. It's shaded by about 20 inches to the north, which provides for standard rooms that are a little bit larger to the south than the north. The south, on the lower part of the tower, faces Stadium Swim. And the south on the higher part of the tower gives you the Strip views. We think the rooms are ready for today's customer, and ready to last for a while.'
Steelman says a lot of other elements went into the tower.
'We wanted a short walk to the rooms,' he says. 'We want the elevators to be designated to the customer. We believe in creating not only stratified hotel rooms, or stratified hotel floors on the basis of suites and standard rooms, but also then, those elevators engaging in the podium in the proper sort of way.'
But when you get to the top of the tower, that's where Circa really shines.
'I think we have captured a view that nobody has,' says Steelman. 'I think the view from the Legacy Club on the roof is probably one of the most spectacular views in Las Vegas. I always thought the Stratosphere had a spectacular view, but seeing the Stratosphere from this 400-plus-foot-tall building really empowered us.'
Covid ConsciousWhen casinos closed in Las Vegas on March 18 and didn't reopen until June 4, Stevens put procedures in place at his casinos over and above what lots of other casinos have done. At the D, as of September, guests were required to get temperature checks, walk through a metal detector and wear masks. He says the same will go into effect at Circa should the same restrictions be in place.
'All we can really do as operators is continue to follow all the guidelines, all the directives,' he says. 'Of course we have to do that. Gaming is a privileged license.
'But we just have to be prepared to adapt quickly. When we reopened, we did something above and beyond, temperature checks at our doors. The regulation is you have to do a temperature check to go to a hotel room. So we temperature-checked everyone coming in and out. We thought that gave people a sense of greater security. We also felt that it was a safer thing to do.'
With some disturbances occurring on the Las Vegas Strip, Stevens says his casinos strive to keep the guests safe and secure by requiring ID to enter.
'From a security perspective, I think everyone has been adapting as best they can. Our country just wasn't necessarily ready for the magnitude of what happened, and I think because of the magnitude, everyone in the country is struggling, some from a health perspective, some from a financial perspective, some from a general economic perspective, some from just an isolation and psychological perspective. We hope they can visit us in Las Vegas and give them some relief.'
Legend in the MakingLots of people compare Derek Stevens to the visionary Steve Wynn in his early days, when he was full of ideas, entrepreneurial fire and operational magic. Steelman agrees.
'We have a superstar in the making in Derek Stevens,' he says. 'Derek's vision on this property is unlike anyone else's. Circa has a unique spin to it.
'When I have my foreign clients here from Vietnam, Cambodia or Macau, or some even from Atlantic City, many times, we go down to Andiamo's (the Italian restaurant in the D) for dinner, because it's got a great old Las Vegas feeling. And then we walk up Fremont Street, and they all turn to me and say, ‘Paul, we want this.' Here's a little tiny street in Downtown Las Vegas that attracts 24 million people each and every year, and it still resonates. So, one of our unique challenges on this design—and Derek's challenge, of course—was to design, from the ground up, a facility that was compatible with Fremont Street. And we've done that without a doubt.'
Stevens is a little more demure when it comes to his legacy.
'I love operating casinos,' he says. 'I love building teams. I like being around our people. I don't love being a deal-maker. You know, I kind of got thrown into that. I'm not going to back off from numbers or finance, but I don't love it the way I love teams and love growing businesses. For me, coming here from 2006, with the Golden Gate, to 2011 at the D, and 2014 with the Events Center, I now have a great opportunity to be with a lot more great people that we work with and our guests. And for that, I'm very grateful.
'I am beyond excited to be able to operate and run Circa, for the first year. We have the first 365 days numerically mapped out. I look forward to operating that way. And then, day 366 to day 730, I can't wait to see what the second March Madness is going to be like, and the second St. Patrick's Day, and the second Fourth of July. Because that gives us an opportunity to get better. That's the stuff that gets me all fired up. When we open, we're going to have fun, but we always have to get better.'
Jump to Section:
This Week's Trending Topics for Circa Las Vegas
Top Circa Las Vegas Tweets
.@CircaLasVegas will be the only casino-hotel in Las Vegas only serving people 21 and older. https://t.co/sdtGi5X1Lq
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) October 22, 2020
What else you want to see at Circa? More casino pics! Who doesn't love that new dice table smell! pic.twitter.com/iUlZayS6TE
Derek Stevens A Las Vegas Casino Owner
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 22, 2020
#TBT to when these photos used to be renderings.
The largest sportsbook in the world is now a reality. See you in 6 DAYS. @CircaSports#CircaLasVegas#CircaSports#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/hGJfVwpRp9
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 22, 2020
Who's ready to kick it with @VegasVickie? #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/qDNVI5SvLO
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 23, 2020
Haven't seen this elsewhere, but @DerekJStevens, owner of Circa, has been immortalized (complete with Captain and diet) in Legos at a new retail shop in the resort. Guests can bring in images of loved ones or pets and get a life-size Lego version. pic.twitter.com/jjQlwHzx9V
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 23, 2020
Some have stacks on stacks.
Others have plaques on plaques. #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCircapic.twitter.com/cBDAbOSLWC
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 24, 2020
October 28 at 12:01 AM…….#CantWait#CircaRevealhttps://t.co/wE0kSguo6h Empire casino jobs.
— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) October 24, 2020
Great #TestNight1 for @dereksnicole and myself w/ the famous @ChefBarryDakake of @BarrysPrime @CircaLasVegas #CircaReveal#Vegaspic.twitter.com/VfwO3Ihno8
— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) October 24, 2020
So iconic we named a bar after her.
4 days until you can share drinks with @VegasVickie.🥂 #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/PdycFBdP8X
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 24, 2020
Day or night- we're ready for you at #StadiumSwim. ☀️ 🌙#CountdownToCirca#CircaLasVegaspic.twitter.com/KrZnrTlFz7
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 25, 2020
MEGA BAR.
▪️Nevada's longest indoor bar
▪️Spans 165 feet
▪️53 spots for seated, bar-top gaming
▪️40 double-stacked TVs
▪️120 beer taps with a rotating selection
You and all of this in 3 days. 🍻#MegaBar#CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/IqcTqjWbEc
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 25, 2020
Casino, bars, restaurants (and menus), pool, art, sportsbook, high limit, Garage Mahal and even the bathrooms! It's all the @CircaLasVegas preview pics you could ever ask for and more. You're welcome. https://t.co/R2sDJYkHFo
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 25, 2020
Stadium Swim- where the vibes are high and the views are superior. #3Days#StadiumSwim#CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCircapic.twitter.com/s2Xedw72dH
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 25, 2020
Tomorrow at midnight, join me for the Grand Opening of @CircaLasVegas as I go LIVE for the first time from the casino floor!https://t.co/g01LO1eVI7#circa#lasvegas#BreakingNews@News3LV@LasVegasLocally@VitalVegas@cnnbrk@Vegas@CityOfLasVegas@CDCNewswirepic.twitter.com/J9HS6sWquc
— BCSlots (@BCSlots) October 26, 2020
Our version of 'writing down' our goals. #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCirca#CircaRevealpic.twitter.com/nK5Y2XiWOw
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 26, 2020
We love a warm welcome on a cool afternoon.
Thank you @PlazaLasVegas! #CircaLasVegas#CountdownToCircapic.twitter.com/KmiY9L74JB
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) October 26, 2020
Stunning! Circa Resort in downtown Las Vegas is set to open its doors at midnight tonight! FOX5's @CassandraMly is touring the property this morning. She took this video from inside Circa's sportsbook which spans three stories! 😮 pic.twitter.com/fq33pIireL
— FOX5 Las Vegas (@FOX5Vegas) October 27, 2020
Never before has Las Vegas been more excited about a pool pic.twitter.com/GajCESF0k1
— Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) October 27, 2020
Garage Mahal opens tonight at 10:00 p.m. Fun fact: They electrified the ceiling, so no shoe prints, ever. (One can dream.) https://t.co/GsD5fe59dopic.twitter.com/lI1AAvXHfN
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 27, 2020
Soak in massive fun at #StadiumSwim TONIGHT 12:01AM-2AM or tomorrow starting at 8AM! ☀️
Remember- our pools are comfortably heated. 😎
Let's gooooo 🌊 #CountdownToCirca#CircaReveal#CircaLasVegaspic.twitter.com/ZBYQHA2Yhv
— Stadium Swim (@stadiumswim) October 27, 2020
Circa Las Vegas in the News
Things haven't been all bad for Las Vegas in 2020 by Jack Sheehan of Gaming Today
'The Oct. 28 opening of Derek Stevens' Circa Resort & Casino is a great shot in the arm for downtown Las Vegas. If COVID will eventually give us a break, there's every reason to believe that all the energy that has been put forth in the downtown area will provide strong job opportunities and revenue for the heart of the city.'
Circa to open October 28, even in the middle of a pandemic by Ken Ritter of 3 News Las Vegas
'It will be the only casino-hotel in town only serving people 21 and older. Identification will be checked at the door. Facial coverings and temperature scans also will be required. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Stevens predicted eye-popping sights for ticket-buyers making the trip downtown and the minute-plus ride up an escalator he calls the longest in Las Vegas.'
You'll be able to enjoy 99-cent shrimp cocktails at Circa in downtown Las Vegas by Caitlin Lilly of Fox 5 Las Vegas
'Those longing for a taste of classic Vegas will soon be able to curb their craving with a 99-cent shrimp cocktail when Circa Resort opens its doors later this month.Opening Oct. 28 inside Circa in downtown Las Vegas, Saginaw's Delicatessen will serve up 99-cent shrimp cocktails from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week.'
It's back: 99-cent shrimp cocktail among dining options at Circa by Al Mancini of Las Vegas Review-Journal
'Plenty of nods to classic Las Vegas will be visible at Circa. But you would be hard-pressed to find one as iconic or as tasty as a 99-cent shrimp cocktail. ‘It's a Vegas institution, and we're gonna have it at Saginaw's,' proclaims Steve Mangigian, a partner in Saginaw's Delicatessen. Saginaw's will offer the appetizer at the throwback price from 3 to 5 a.m. daily. If that's past your bedtime, the price will be $11 during the other 22 hours a day the deli is open.'
Barry's Downtown Prime leads Circa's impressive opening restaurant lineup by Brock Radke of Las Vegas Weekly
'And now, as Derek Stevens debuts the dreamy new Circa casino resort on the corner of Main and Fremont streets, Dakake is back on duty with Barry's Downtown Prime. ‘I was in the Caribbean when I found out about this project. It feels like it's happening so fast,' the Rhode Island-born chef says. ‘It's definitely going to be the coolest spot to go. But I've always had great teams surrounding me, great cooks and sous chefs. At N9NE we were a family, and we're going to be re-creating parts of that in this new place.''
The Opening of Circa Las Vegas is Just a Week Away! by James Murray of BestUSCasinos.org
'The Downtown area of Las Vegas is now home to some of the biggest and best casinos in the city. Incredibly, it's about to get significantly better. The opening of Circa Las Vegas is now less than a week away! There's been a tremendous amount of attention placed on this new casino-resort recently. Circa is expected to be one of the best new gambling venues opened in the city for years. Today, we're going to take a last-minute look at what this property will have to offer its members.'
Watch Circa grow — from dirt to 35 floors in 20 months by Richard N. Velotta of Las Vegas Review-Journal
'Building the tallest building in downtown Las Vegas was already a daunting challenge based on strict timeline constraints. Circa owner Derek Stevens knew he had to open by December to meet lending covenants. So that became the target. When the coronavirus hit, a new challenge emerged. Social distancing was implemented, meaning no more than four construction workers could use the slow-moving construction elevator at a time. That's when Stevens adopted a new strategy to complete the first five floors of the building for an Oct. 28 opening with the hotel rooms to follow in December.'
Circa Resort & Casino embodies fun and energy of Vegas by Paul Szydelko of Travel Weekly
'The first newbuild hotel-casino to open downtown in 40 years is the vision of owners Derek and Greg Stevens, who set out to create an homage to the city, its visionary leaders and iconic properties through the decades. Thoughtful details throughout the 777-key resort capture the aesthetics of different eras, said Alice O'Keefe, Circa's director of design and architecture, who helped the Stevens brothers renovate the Golden Gate and the D downtown hotel-casinos.'
Derek Stevens Casino Owner
A gambler at heart: Derek Stevens opening first all-new resort in four decades in downtown Las Vegas by Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent
'Las Vegas casino owner Derek Stevens gained a reputation for high-stakes sports wagers and a hands-on operating style that evokes memories of the Glitter Gulch gambling proprietors of a bygone era. But Stevens credited his father, a retired architect from Michigan who is conservative by nature, with planting the seed for the biggest bet taken on downtown Las Vegas in 40 years. On Wednesday, Stevens opens Circa Resort Casino at the corner of Main Street and the Fremont Street Experience.'
Circa's staggered hotel, casino opening, now part of Derek Stevens' legacy by Richard N. Velotta Las Vegas Review-Journal
'Circa will open first with a VIP party on Tuesday night, followed by a public opening at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The casino, the sportsbook, the five restaurants, Stadium Swim, and the rooftop Legacy Club should all be ready to go. Construction workers will continue on the hotel rooms on the top seven floors, and many will be ready for business in December. And Derek Stevens will have left his mark on downtown Las Vegas for the fourth time.'
What's On Tap: The Week Ahead In Sports Betting: World Series, G2E, And Penn National Earnings by Matt Rybaltowski of Sports Handle
Derek Stevens Casino Owner In Vegas
'At one minute past Midnight on Wednesday, Circa Resort & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, will unveil a three-story stadium-style sportsbook billed as the largest retail sportsbook in the world. The sportsbook features a 123-foot screen designed by South Dakota-based Daktronics, a company that has manufactured the majority of LED video screens for venues throughout the NFL. With the launch of the massive sportsbook, Circa plans to engage in a friendly rivalry with the Westgate Superbook for the sports bettor's dollar in Vegas.'
