Off-Strip hotel-casino confirms layoff of some employees

The operator of the off-Strip Rio hotel-casino property has confirmed it has laid off employees.

A representative of the company on Thursday indicated the layoffs were the result of a personnel adjustment that occurred after New York-based Dreamscape Cos. took over operations from former owner and manager Caesars Entertainment Inc.

The company did not specify how many employees were laid off and indicated some social media posts on the number were inaccurate. A notice of the layoffs also hadn’t been filed with the state as of Thursday afternoon.

“We proactively expanded our workforce while taking over operations from Caesars Entertainment in (the fourth quarter of) 2023,” an emailed statement from the company said. “As the resort undergoes extensive construction and remodeling, we now have a better understanding of the staffing levels Rio Las Vegas needs to provide guest service and operational efficiency. We deeply appreciate the unwavering commitment and diligence of all our team members and extend our heartfelt gratitude to those directly affected by the adjustments.”

Caesars sold the Rio to Dreamscape in 2019 for $516 million. Dreamscape’s top executive, real estate investor Eric Birnbaum, embarked on a $350 million renovation of the property after his company took over operations in October 2023.

The renovations include upgrades to all suites, new food concepts to replace the company’s buffet lineup and improvements to the sandy-beach pool areas. Slot machines also have been upgraded on the casino floor.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.