LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A new casino is coming to Boulder Highway, along with dining and the potential for a hotel near Henderson’s Cadence community.
Boyd Gaming officials on Thursday announced Cadence Crossing, a small casino project that will eventually take over land occupied by Jokers Wild at Boulder Highway and Warm Springs Road.
The new building will include dining options and 450 slot machines in a 10,000-square-foot casino. Before the project has even started, Boyd President and CEO Keith Smith said he expects it to expand with a larger casino and possibly a hotel.
Smith said when Cadence Crossing opens by early 2026, Jokers Wild will shut down. Construction will begin later this year, he said.
The site is particularly attractive to casino companies as homes fill in the southeast valley. Cadence is just east of the site.
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One of Boyd Gaming’s top properties, Sam’s Town, is about six miles northwest on Boulder Highway, and the shuttered East Side Cannery is even closer. But the company has been watching the development in that part of the valley for “a long time” as it announces the new project. The plan dates back to late 2022, when the proposal came before the Henderson City Council.
Jokers Wild is a small casino at just over 23,000 square feet, but it’s still more than twice the size of initial plans for Cadence Crossing. Smith described the project as a modest investment “but clearly with the opportunity to expand.”
How much will it cost? That’s unclear for now as Smith said only that a $100 million budget would pay for Cadence Crossing and two other projects at properties outside Nevada.
The announcement came as Boyd Gaming posted its second-quarter earnings with revenue of $967.5 million, up from $917.0 million in the second quarter of 2023. Boyd reported net income of $139.8 million for the quarter.
The new venture comes as the December opening of Station Casinos’ Durango Casino & Resort continues to take business away from two off-Strip Boyd properties — The Orleans Hotel & Casino and the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino. Durango has tilted the locals market in the southwest valley, even draining some business from Stations’ Red Rock Casino Resort Spa.
Analysts on the earnings call asked if Boyd Gaming was looking to buy other properties — a frequent topic involving the company, which operates in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, in addition to its 10 Las Vegas properties.
But officials didn’t reveal any expansion plans if they exist.