Golden Gate Casino Ditches Live Dealers

The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino has announced it will remove all live dealer games from its casino floor and replace them with electronic alternatives. It’s a sign of the times that the very first hotel in Las Vegas has decided to ditch almost 120 years of tradition and embrace the future on its casino floors.

This is the first time a downtown property has gone ‘full digital’, and it’s an interesting development. Derek Stevens, CEO of Circa Hospitality Group, the company behind the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, Circa Resort & Casino, and The D, claimed that doing away with live dealers would provide a more engaging experience for gamblers and guests.

“We’re reimagining our casino floor with a high-energy electronic table games pit unlike anything downtown has seen. Expect more excitement, faster gameplay, and all the newest machines,” he said.

Vegas on the Slide

Las Vegas casinos have taken hit after hit in terms of declining revenues and visitor numbers of late, with the likes of The Poker Palace Casino shutting its casino operations entirely and visitors dropping to just 3.1 million in June – an 11.3% year-on-year decline. Hotel occupancy rates are also down approximately 7%.

Live dealer games, meanwhile, are expensive to run. They need dealers, supervisors, security staff, and continuous management. Electronic alternatives could be much cheaper and more profitable, but only if the players embrace them.

The world of online casinos suggests that simply won’t be the case. Even online, live dealer games are one of the most popular sections of the top crypto casinos and sweepstakes casinos. These games aim to recreate the atmosphere of a live casino with real dealers, cards, and Roulette wheels – complete with chat functionality and high-definition streaming.

Live Dealer Games Rule the Roost Online

The likes of Evolution Gaming and ICONIC21 have built global reputations with quality live dealer games and live game shows that give players that connection with a real person and, in some cases, the chance to interact with other players. RNG alternatives are just as popular, but live dealer games are generally seen as the peak online casino experience by players and industry insiders alike.

It’s an intriguing idea, then, that the land-based casinos that started it all could do away with live dealers altogether and replace them with RNG-based electronic games. While the cutting-edge crypto casinos and social casinos try to recreate that human connection of the old-world casinos, the oldest name in the game is chasing a digital, less personal future.

Brief History of The Golden Gate

Originally known as the Hotel Nevada, when Las Vegas was just a dusty railroad stop with a population of just a few hundred people, it offered rooms for just $1 a night that came with luxury features like electric lighting. It became The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in 1974 after several identity changes, and also became synonymous with the 99c shrimp cocktail that turned it into a Fremont St legend.

The hotel underwent a major renovation in 2012, expanding the casino floors and repositioning itself as a high-end boutique hotel. This latest move could be just another evolution, a smart strategy that anticipates a wider shift in the gaming industry, or a desperate throw of the dice. Only time will tell.