Fertitta brothers almost had a familiar competitor – their father

The reason Red Rock Resorts’ predecessor company acquired Texas Station in 1995 is the same reason the North Las Vegas casino is being demolished and sold without its gaming entitlements. It’s all about keeping competition out of the market. Red Rock would rather see the site used for non-gaming businesses rather than have another local casino operator expand its market presence. Two and a half decades ago, the unwanted competitor developing the Texas property was the founder of Station Casinos, the forerunner to Red Rock Resorts. Frank Fertitta, Jr., considered one of the pioneers in creating casino businesses dedicated to local residents, retired from the company in 1993. He turned the business over to his sons, Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta, who took Station Casinos public later that year. Gaming, however, was in the DNA of the elder Fertitta. In 1994, he privately financed the building of a Texas-themed casino — a nod to his home state — on 47 acres near the intersection of Rancho Drive and West Lake Mead Boulevard. The property had restaurants, including the Austin Steak House, movie theaters, bowling and a 122,000-square-foot gaming floor.