Hard Rock wants active gaming license during Strip resort construction

The former Mirage casino-hotel — soon-to-be Hard Rock Las Vegas — is asking Clark County to keep its gaming license active for the duration of the property’s transition.

Mirage/Hard Rock officials applied for a three-year waiver of its gaming license, according to county records. The Las Vegas Strip casino filed the motion with the county Department of Business Licensing on July 11, six days before closing its doors for good.

Clark County code stipulates that if a gaming licensee does not meet the conditions and requirements of its license for a period of more than 30 consecutive days, the county gaming license shall automatically suspend or be nonrenewable, except if a licensee can show good cause.

The remodeling and construction of Hard Rock Hotel &Casino Las Vegas and Guitar Hotel Las Vegas are expected to take almost three years to complete. Mirage/Hard Rock has requested a 24-month waiver with the possibility of two additional six-month extensions.

The Clark County Liquor and Gaming Licensing Board is scheduled to consider the application at its meeting on Aug. 20.

According to the text of the board’s agenda, should the waiver be granted, it is recommended that it be retroactively applied to the casino’s closing date of July 17, 2024. Furthermore, the board will consider granting the director the administrative authority to extend the waiver after the initial two-year period if necessary.

South Florida-based Hard Rock International, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, purchased The Mirage from MGM Resorts International in 2022 for a reported $1.1 billion. In May, Hard Rock announced plans to permanently close The Mirage in order to completely remodel the existing facility and construct a 660-foot guitar-shaped hotel tower.

The gigantic guitar on the Las Vegas Strip will be similar to the company’s hotel tower in Hollywood, Fla, based on artistic renderings and county planning documents. It will stand on the grounds formerly occupied by The Mirage’s famous volcano attraction.

According to Hard Rock officials, the new property is tentatively scheduled to open in 2027. It will employ nearly 6,000 people, which is almost twice as many employees needed to operate The Mirage.

Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com. Follow AC_Danzis on X.