Nevada gaming regulators Wednesday recommended that Caesars Sportsbook be allowed to growing its footprint into a wealthy area of the Las Vegas valley. The action by the Nevada Gaming Control Board for a license at the newly renamed Resort at Summerlin will now go before the Gaming Commission in two weeks.
Caesars won’t open its Summerlin sportsbook until the day after the Super Bowl, when it will become the company’s 21st under the Caesars brand. It also has 23 sportsbooks in the Las Vegas area under the William Hill brand.
The sportsbook will be upgraded with a new video wall and what’s described as a cutting-edge 360-degree LED video display at the sportsbook bar. In addition, 20 Caesars Sportsbook self-service betting kiosks will be available inside the sportsbook and throughout the casino. The Resort at Summerlin will retain the pari-mutuel license.
Caesars will use the existing casino employees to operate the sportsbook.
“It’s great to introduce the Caesars Sportsbook brand to Summerlin,” said Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital.
Hession said they plan to invest a significant amount of capital to upgrade the sportsbook to reflect the quality of the property renovation as a whole. The extensive renovation will happen after the NCAA Final Four to prevent any disruption.
“Right now, the only location (of a Caesars Sportsbook) is on the Strip,” Hession said. “We think it’s a great opportunity for our customer base that doesn’t want to drive to the Strip. They’ll have a convenient location to make a deposit or a wager and watch in the sportsbook.”
Gaming attorney Michael Alonso, who represented the casino, said the sports pool at the Hotspur-owned property has been operated since 2012 by Gaughan South LLC, a part of the South Point Casino. It had been operating since 2009 under casino ownership of the Cannery Casino Resorts. In 2025, Gaughan South provided notice it wouldn’t renew its sports pool contract and the casino requested proposals from operators.
Michelle McHugh, vice president and general manager of the casino, said they wanted to keep their sportsbook employees in place, since customers are familiar with them. The manager will be an employee of both the casino and Caesars.
David Ross, president of Hotspur Casinos Nevada Inc., said it did the same thing with employees under Gaughan South, which did the risk management. The biggest difference with the change will be Caesars technology, which enables a greater variety of sports bets, especially same-game parlays. In-game wagering is currently limited with the existing platform, he added.
“The trend across the country is to increase the percentage of parlay and percentage of live action.” Hession said the number of tickets for parlays is more than 50%, while in-play tickets written are more than 55%. “When we look at allocating our resources and technology, in-play is a significant focus. That’s what customers want to bet.”
Caesars has also introduced technology to cash out on wagers even while they’re alive, Hession said.
The former Rampart Casino changed its name to the Resort at Summerlin on Jan. 1 as part of a rebranding and a $75 million renovation. It is part of the JW Marriott Las Vegas Marriott Resort & Spa owned by Hotspur Resorts. It has 548 hotel rooms and 13 restaurants; the casino spans 50,000 square feet and includes 1,600 slot machines, a 300-seat bingo room, and 32 table games.
McHugh told the Board they changed the name to clear up any confusion among customers between the name of the hotel and casino and that it was under one ownership. It originally opened as the Resort at Summerlin in 1999.
According to Ross, with the renovations at the nearby Suncoast and the opening of the Durango in the southwest valley and Red Rock Resorts in Summerlin, it was important for the Resort at Summerlin to keep pace. “We’ve probably spent more than $200 million over the last decade in terms of renovations. It’s more of a defensive position.”
