In the heart of the Las Vegas Valley, a monument to the ebbs and flows of fortune rests, poised for a destined revival. The Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel, a once-vibrant beacon of entertainment on Boulder Highway, has been granted a lease on life by the Clark County Commission, which in a unanimous act of faith, extended Boyd Gaming’s licenses for the dormant establishment for another two years, with the possibility of additional six-month increments as needed.
Though silent and still for over 50 months—a solitary giant among its peers—the Eastside Cannery hasn’t been forgotten. In the grand chessboard of Vegas’s hospitality and gaming scene, Boyd Gaming remains an adroit player, managing an impressive portfolio of 28 venues across the nation, with 11 jewels in the desert metropolis itself.
The closure of the Eastside Cannery might echo through the city’s gaming circles, yet its clientele finds solace and continued excitement at another of Boyd’s properties. Sam’s Town, a mere stone’s throw away, has become the de facto gathering spot for both gamblers and pleasure-seekers who originally frequented the Eastside establishment, as confirmed by Boyd in their communication with the commission. The company’s Chief Compliance Officer, Michelle Rasmusson, conveyed with clarity the situation’s nuances—the abundance of space at Sam’s Town, the nonconducive market conditions for resurgence, and the challenging landscape of labor shortages that would impede a rapid reopening.
Opened in 2008 and later becoming a member of the Boyd family through a $230 million transaction in 2016, the Eastside Cannery stands as a testament to the city’s unyielding spirit. Across Las Vegas, other gaming houses have not been as fortunate, bowing to the pressures of a changed world and giving way to demolition and rebirth under new guises. Boyd’s competitors have made such choices, a dance of destruction and creation, uprooting casinos like the Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, and Texas Station to plant new seeds for the future.
Yet Boyd Gaming remains quiet on the eventual fate of the Eastside Cannery, offering no hint of demolition or sale—silent but not inactive, as $500,000 flows monthly from its coffers to sustain the site in readiness for whatever the future may hold. This patient stewardship has not gone unnoticed, as lauded by Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson, who expressed a desire to see the venue restored to its former luster, albeit advocating for the present strategy of watchful waiting.
For now, the Eastside Cannery endures, watched over by the diligent hands of its caretakers, its unlit marquees a promise of possible futures. It’s a tale of a slumbering giant awaiting the call to awaken and reclaim its place amongst the bright lights and bustling sounds of Las Vegas, a city that knows all too well how quickly fortunes can turn.
