That was circa 1980. Forty years later, the next downtown casino to rise from an empty desert lot is set to open Wednesday. Fittingly, it is called Circa, a $1 billion tribute to bygone eras in the. Circa Resort & Casino is the first new casino resort built downtown in decades, located on property that had formerly been home to the Las Vegas Club at Fremont and Main streets. The adults-only.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Glitter Gulch gives way to the newest and tallest building in downtown Las Vegas when Circa Resort & Casino opens early Wednesday, offering what owner Derek Stevens calls the world’s largest sports betting center and a six-pool rooftop swimming stadium he expects will attract thousands of people a day.

Doors open at 12:01 a.m. to adults 21 and older, with facial coverings and temperature scans required due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Circa is the first new property to open downtown since the Sundance in 1980. That became Fitzgeralds, which Stevens and Circa co-owner, brother Greg Stevens, bought in 2011 and renamed D Las Vegas. The brothers also own the Golden Gate, which opened in 1906.

Las Vegas New Casino 2020

Circa construction took 20 months. Stevens declines to say what it cost because it’s privately owned. He said it’ll employ about 1,500 people.

New Casino On Fremont Street

The casino is geared for sports fans, while Stadium Swim aims to attract ticket-buying sun-seekers.

Las Vegas New Casino Circa

The registration area for the 777-room hotel features the restored original neon “Vegas Vickie” sign the Stevens brothers acquired along with the old “Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch” property on Fremont Street.

New Casino Circa Downtown Las Vegas

New Casino Las Vegas 2019

A pedestrian walkway crosses Main Street to an eight-story parking structure with almost 1,000 vehicle spaces that Stevens dubbed Garage Mahal.