New casino coming for Jokers Wild site

Boyd Gaming is planning a reinvestment in Southern Nevada, building a new casino at its current Jokers Wild site in Henderson to be called “Cadence Crossing,” executives announced Thursday.

The new project will include a 10,000-square-foot casino with 450 slot machines, multiple dining options and live entertainment. Construction is expected to begin this year and finish by early 2026. The newly built casino, located on the 15-acre site at Boulder Highway and Warm Springs Road, will be positioned to grow with the adjacent master-planned Cadence community, which is projected to have more than 12,000 residential units when fully built out. About 5,200 are occupied now.

The existing Jokers Wild casino will remain open through construction. After Cadence Crossing opens, Jokers Wild will close and be demolished. A phase two, which has no specific timeline, could expand the casino and add a minimum 114-room hotel, according to plans submitted to the city of Henderson.

“As the community grows, we can grow with it based on demand, so we feel pretty good about the opportunity,” CEO Keith Smith told investors in the company’s second-quarter earnings call. “A modest investment on day one (with) opportunity to grow into the future.”

Executives with the Las Vegas-based regional gaming company did not specify how much they expect to spend on the project, but said the project and other renovations in out-of-state properties will be covered in a $100 million capital expenditure allocation on the company’s balance sheet.

Jokers Wild is currently the company’s only stand-alone casino operation in Henderson. Asked about the status of its shuttered Eastside Cannery casino on Boulder Highway, Smith reiterated the company’s view that demand hasn’t picked up enough to warrant a reopening. The casino is adjacent to another Boyd property, Sam’s Town.

In the quarter that ended June 30, Boyd’s consolidated operations reported a net income of $139.8 million — a roughly 27.3 percent decrease from the previous year — or $1.47 share, on net revenue of $967.5 million. The company attributed the decline to one-time tax benefits that benefited its second-quarter results in 2023.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.