Golden Gate Casino to Remove All Live Dealers and Debut Electronic Table Game Pit

^{Circa’s popular electronic table games will take over the gaming floor at its' sister property Golden Gate Casino. (Image: Golden Gate on X)}

Golden Gate Casino in downtown Las Vegas is officially planning to remove all of its live dealer games. The casino floor of the oldest hotel in Las Vegas will be a new technology-forward space with an electronic table game (ETG) pit. This news was first reported by Vital Vegas.

It feels like just yesterday that we toured the Golden Gate to get a look at how a 119-year-old hotel and casino operates. Owner Derek Stevens said, “Big changes are coming to the Golden Gate, and we couldn’t be more excited.” 

This isn’t the first time he reimagined the Golden Gate with a vision toward the future. 

Reimagining the Golden Gate, Again

In 2008, Stevens and his brother purchased the Golden Gate and refreshed the property with a modern casino floor that still nodded to the past. Over the past 17 years, the property has adopted a party atmosphere, featuring loud music, fair gambling odds, and even dancing dealers at one point.

There’s no word on whether or not dancers will return (or possibly replaced by robot dancers?), but Stevens promises the party atmosphere will continue. “We’re reimagining our casino floor with a high-energy electronic table games pit unlike anything downtown has seen,” he said.

The casino floor at the Golden Gate was a vibe. Some loved it, and many thought it was a bit over the top for a relaxing experience. We reached out to Golden Gate’s representative to see if there was a better description of the new environment, but we have not heard back. 

ETGs have been hit or miss in downtown Las Vegas. El Cortez had a large stadium gaming installation that sat unused before being removed. The property expanded by 10,000 square feet earlier this year. The additional gaming space includes two gaming bars, more slots and live dealer table games, but no ETGs.

Testing the Concept at Circa

This idea to update the casino floor did not come out of nowhere. Stevens replaced the second-floor live dealer table games at Circa, across the street from Golden Gate, with a variety of ETGs.

Stevens sees this large array of ETGs at one of the three casinos he owns as a test of the ETG pit concept. He noted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that these games have “exploded in popularity” recently. 

Unlike the live dealer table games that were often closed, the ETGs at Circa have a steady stream of players throughout the day. These games are so popular that they were part of the recent Slotapalooza extravaganza.

There are no plans to change the live dealer table games at Circa or Stevens’ other casino, The D. 

What to Expect at Golden Gate Casino

The new Golden Gate casino floor will definitely be different. We decided to check in with Interblock to see if they could shed some light on what guests should expect, and they provided us more information:

“The ETG footprint will feature a mix of our latest Craps, Crapless Craps, Easy Craps, Roulette, and Blackjack. Grouping these titles together in a dedicated ETG zone creates a high-energy atmosphere that’s both approachable and exciting.”

This sounds very similar to the second-floor ETG area Stevens said inspired the idea of changing the casino floor at Golden Gate. Interblock noted that ETGs are popular with newer, younger gamblers. The games offer a "welcoming way to learn at their own pace" away from the scrutiny of a crowded table with guiding features like on screen prompts and intuitive betting options.

Interblock hasn’t confirmed if Golden Gate will be the first Las Vegas casino to install the unique Marble Run game they showed at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) last year, but the changes could go further. The Go Go Claw game was popular at Circa, which was the first casino in Las Vegas to install Rock, Paper, Scissors a few years ago. 

Stevens and his team are not afraid to test new games, which could lead to a greater variety of new and experimental gambling machines in downtown Las Vegas casinos.

The changing demographics of casino guests was a hot topic at the Global Gaming Expo last year. Casino visitors are getting younger, and gaming manufacturers are creating experiences such as ETGs, bartop games, and unique options like Marble Run. There are plenty of ETGs that have not reached Las Vegas casinos yet, and Golden Gate has an opportunity to become the center of amusement gaming in the city.

Playing Faster Isn’t Exactly a Good Thing

Players should note one thing in Stevens’ comment about the new games: “faster gameplay” is also a business term for “making more money.” Interblock echoed the statement about faster play and added more context to the games, saying:

“For seasoned players, they provide fast, uninterrupted play, more wagering opportunities, and the ability to quickly move between different games in one space — all while maintaining the same thrill and anticipation of traditional play.”

All ETGs have a house edge for the casino. Because the games can pay out like slots in Nevada, the house edge can be higher than in traditional live dealer games.

More betting options and playing faster could mean players will lose money more quickly. Downtown Las Vegas has had tighter slots than the Strip since 2020. That divide could grow if Golden Gate’s new ETG pit becomes popular.

Slots-Only Casinos Exist in the Shadows

Slots-only casinos are not new. According to gaming analyst John Mehaffey, fewer than 70 Las Vegas casinos currently have human dealers. Between full-service casinos, gaming taverns and smaller neighborhood casinos, there were 217 licensed gaming establishments in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, in May.

Stevens said the new ETG pit will be “unlike anything downtown has seen.” That might be true, but Golden Gate will technically not be the first casino on Fremont Street without live dealer table games.

Wildfire on Fremont opened a couple of miles east of the Golden Gate in 2023. The 21,000-square-foot neighborhood property operated by Station Casinos has 200 slots, bartop gaming, a handful of ETGs, a small eight-seat sportsbook, a few restaurants and no live dealer games. It is a popular casino for east-side locals who want to avoid large crowds, but it is not a destination for tourists seeking a unique “only in Vegas” experience. 

Stevens will have to give the new Golden Gate something special to avoid becoming just another casino without live dealers.

There are more than a dozen neighborhood casinos without live dealer table games. When the newest Boyd casino, Cadence Crossing, opens in Henderson next year, it will do so with only machine games. 

The craps tables at Golden Gate Hotel and Casino were a blast to the past, and will be missed. (Photo: Marc Meltzer / Casinos.com)

RIP the Best Craps Game in Las Vegas

I spent a lot of time gambling in downtown Las Vegas when I moved here more than a decade ago. Golden Gate was often the home base for long nights of gambling. At the time, there were two craps tables. The one opposite what is now the high-limit slot room was my favorite craps game in Las Vegas.

The cramped space, low ceilings, loud music and fast drink service created an intoxicating atmosphere. Low limits, excellent 10x odds and great dealers made this specific table one of the best places to gamble in the city.

This experience will never be duplicated, and that is OK. Similar to The Mirage, I had great times at the old Golden Gate, but I’m ready for something new. I am looking forward to seeing the “Stevens twist” on the concept of a casino floor without live dealer table games.