What’s happening with the closed riverboat-themed casino outside Las Vegas?

LAUGHLIN — Southern Nevada doesn’t have casino boats cruising the Colorado River, but it has a hotel built to look like one on the banks of the waterway: the Colorado Belle.

The resort, however, has been closed since the pandemic hit. And more than five years later, there’s still no word on what will happen to the riverboat-themed property in Laughlin, a small casino town roughly 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Casino and tavern operator Golden Entertainment acquired the Colorado Belle in 2019 as part of a deal that included the Edgewater hotel-casino in Laughlin and the Laughlin Event Center. Golden also owns the Aquarius resort in Laughlin, which it acquired in 2017 through a separate transaction.

Aquarius, Edgewater and the outdoor concert venue are all open and operating. But the Colorado Belle has been closed since March 2020, when casinos and other businesses statewide were forced to close over fears of the coronavirus outbreak.

With its replica paddle wheels and smokestacks, the Colorado Belle was built in the 1980s. According to Golden, it boasted around 1,100 rooms, nearly 670 slot machines and 16 table games.

Las Vegas-based Golden, which says it voluntarily surrendered its gaming license for the Colorado Belle in 2023, did not have any updates on what it plans to do with the property.

‘Value is a key driver’

Laughlin, with a string of hotel-casinos along the Colorado River, has long offered a low-priced, low-frills getaway and drawn a mostly older crowd that largely drives in for their trips.

This year, according to tourism data, visitor totals have climbed in Laughlin and dropped in Las Vegas, a vastly larger and more expensive destination.

All told, Laughlin “continues to be a consistent market,” Golden Chairman and CEO Blake Sartini told analysts last month.

“I think the overall attraction to that market is the value,” he said.

Jeremy Jenson, general manager of Aquarius and Edgewater, said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Laughlin has seen “steady momentum” over the past few years.

He also said that Golden has broadened its audience mix, drawing “younger and more diverse visitors alongside longtime loyal guests.”

“Value is a key driver,” he said.

Jenson said that visitors can enjoy rooms starting at $49, food-and-beverage specials such as a $7.99 shrimp basket at PT’s Express in Edgewater, and a $12.99 prime rib dinner at Aquarius.

Daily food credit

Fewer people are visiting Las Vegas this year amid financial headwinds and as President Donald Trump’s trade wars spark widespread economic anxiety.

There has also been growing frustration over resort fees, food and drink costs, and other expenses in Las Vegas that can give visitors sticker shock and make America’s casino capital a pricey place to visit.

Jenson said that the overall slowdown in travel is not unique to Las Vegas and is part of a broader national trend. Plus, he argued, visitors can still find “incredible values in Las Vegas.”

When booking directly, guests can find room rates at The Strat — owned by Golden — between $50 and $100, which includes a $25 daily food credit, Jenson said.

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.