Who Owns Circa Las Vegas

Circa Las Vegas Resort &  Casino in Downtown Las Vegas is owned by two brothers – Greg Stevens and Derek Stevens. The brothers also own several other Las Vegas properties, including D Las Vegas and the Golden Gate Casino. So, this is far from their first rodeo in terms of casino ownership. 

Who Are The Stevens Brothers?

The Stevens Brothers became fairly famous for their work developing resort spaces and aiding the hotel industry. Oddly enough, they also tend to be a good example of a “rags to riches” story in Vegas. 

Derek Stevens is the man at the forefront of their work. His first job was not glamorous; it was actually being a valet. From those humble beginnings, he worked his way up to being the CEO of the Cold Head company—a company that made bolts for cars. 

Using the money he made from Cold Head, Stevens became a shareholder in Riviera Holdings, which owned the Riviera Hotel. He also bought a minor league baseball team based in Las Vegas, the shuttered Clark County courthouse, and Fitzgeralds. He later sold the baseball team to the Howard Hughes Corp.

It didn’t take long for people to recognize Stevens as a maverick who knew how to make a nice hotel happen. His two most recent hotels are D Las Vegas (formerly known as Fitzgeralds and now home to the longest outdoor bar) and Circa. They are also the newest hotels in Downtown Las Vegas.

The big brother Greg Stevens is often nicknamed the “low profile brother” and has a background in engineering. He often works as a more silent partner of the two and does the majority of his work behind the scenes.

The two brothers are regularly featured in publications like Las Vegas Magazine and Las Vegas Weekly. 

Circa opened up on Fremont Street in 2020, the same year that the pandemic happened. Prior to the resort’s opening, the territory was occupied by the Glitter Gulch Strip Club, The Las Vegas Club Hotel-Casino, and the Mermaids Casino. 

When owner Derek Stevens bought up the properties, his initial idea was to renovate the existing structures. However, a tour of the clubs made him decide to demolish the existing buildings in favor of a newly built resort that was made to his specifications. 

So, the Stevens brothers ended up creating a new resort from the bottom up. The Circa Resort was the final result. 

How Big Is The Circa Resort Casino?

In a nutshell, the Circa Resort is one of the largest casinos in Downtown Las Vegas. It also happens to be the tallest building in the area, at over 450 feet tall. While it may not be the largest property in Las Vegas, the truth is it’s big enough that you can easily spend quite a few hours exploring.

How Popular Is The Circa Resort?

The resort opened to major applause from media outlets like Las Vegas Weekly, Las Vegas Magazine, the Nevada Independent, and Forbes. Today, it’s currently the largest casino to be featured as part of Downtown Las Vegas. It’s also a major icon on Fremont Street. 

Why Is The Circa Resort Adults-Only?

There are many reasons why a Vegas casino might choose to exclude kids. In many casinos’ cases, it’s because they want to make the jobs of casino operators easier. It is, after all, a liability issue. 

The reason that the owner gave was that the casino has a certain ambiance that requires it to remain an adults-only place. In multiple interviews, he noted that people often look forward to going to Circa because it barred kids from its property.

It’s worth noting that Circa wasn’t entirely kid-free until fairly recently. The casino and Stadium Swim were already 21+. After deliberation and seeing the perks of having adults-only zones, Stevens chose to expand that rule to every part of the casino. 

The Circa Resort-Casino is the biggest project that Derek Stevens has taken over yet. Unsurprisingly, it’s a resort that reflects Derek’s interest in sports betting, elegant design, and living big. This influence is obvious in the details. 

This includes how Circa made sportsbook history by being home to the world’s largest sports book, where the biggest screen is 135 ft wide and offers the Overhang Bar for a front-row seat of the state-of-the-art action. 

Other features you’ll find at Circa but not at other resorts in Las Vegas include the Stadium Swim, with six pools and a giant screen, Garage Mahal, which is the cleanest and sexiest place to park in Las Vegas, and restaurants like Barry’s Downtown Prime. It’s obvious that each element of Circa was carefully thought out by Derek and Greg Stevens.

• Vegas Vickie was once a major landmark in Downtown Las Vegas. The neon sign was specially bought and restored to be part of Vegas Vickie’s bar in Circa. Vegas Vickie originally stood outside of the Pioneer Club from 1951 until its closure. 
• The entire hotel was meant to pay homage to major names from Las Vegas. This becomes incredibly visible when you actually go to the Legacy Club. You can see busts of major people there. 
• There are 500 gold bars on display at the Legacy Club. If that doesn’t say how decadent this bar is, we don’t know what could. This is the type of decor that you can only find in Las Vegas.
• The hotel tower was supposed to be 500 feet tall, but that was canceled. The FAA was worried that the property could cause flight problems as a result of the close proximity to the airport. 

• The Stevens brothers are often credited with helping revive Downtown Las Vegas. Their investments made tourists curious about Downtown Las Vegas Events and the cool things happening at Fremont. Las Vegas is quite grateful for them.  
• Saginaw’s Deli was founded by Paul Saginaw of Zingerman’s Deli. Zingerman’s was repeatedly ranked as one of the best delis in the world. It’s got amazing matzo ball soup, but the real draw is Las Vegas’s Original Shrimp Cocktail ®. You can literally taste history here!
• Most other casinos that tried an adults-only policy quickly bailed on the idea. Major names like Circus Circus and Caesars have tried to adopt this policy but then noticed that it pulled people away. This makes Circa one of the only casinos in Las Vegas to have a strict 21+ policy still in place. 
• The TV at Stadium Swim has 143 million megapixels. The screen itself is a massive 143 feet in length, a serious feat even for Las Vegas. 

• Circa Resort & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas is owned by Greg & Derek Stevens. 
• The owners of Circa also own the D Las Vegas and the Golden Gate Casino 
• Circa embodies the interests and passions of the Stevens 
• Circa has a two-story casino floor – making it stand out among downtown casinos
• Circa is located close to the Fremont Street Experience and is a modern attraction in the Downtown area