Derek Stevens buys Mermaids and La Bayou

Downtown Las Vegas king Derek Stevens plans to expand his Fremont Street empire even further. He has agreed to purchase Mermaids and La Bayou casinos, as well as the Glitter Gulch strip club.

Those properties will close on June 27th. The real estate will then be used to facilitate the expansion and remodeling of the Stevens owned property formerly known as Las Vegas Club.

Expanding the Las Vegas Club space into the Mermaids space seems like a great idea, as it will extend the property down into the heart of Fremont Street - attracting more foot traffic.

Expansion of Golden Gate - also owned by Stevens - into the La Bayou space also seems like a possibility, but it's kind of hard to tell at this point.

Derek Stevens has quickly become one of the most popular casino owners in Las Vegas by interacting directly with his customers at the bar and in the casino. Rumor has it he shakes so many hands every day that he has to soak his hand in ice each night.

Stevens has also gained international notoriety with some of the creative marketing techniques he's used to promote The D and Golden Gate.

More Las Vegas Bowl Controversy

Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl - which already had some controversy over ticketing - just got ratcheted up a notch. At a pre-game dinner banquet on Fremont Street - Utah player Seni Fauonuku called out BYU for being dirty. It was a move reminiscent of a heavyweight fight, fitting for Vegas.

The video clip is making the rounds on various sports shows around the country. Coincidentally (or maybe not?) the publicity generating event took place outside of The D, home to publicity king Derek Stevens.

Stevens Buys Remaining Golden Gate Stake

America's favorite casino owner Derek Stevens has been in the news again the past couple of days.

Greg and Derek Stevens have purchased the remaining 35% of Golden Gate that they didn't own, now making them 100% owners of the property.

This move should pave the way for a combined players club loyalty program between Stevens' three Fremont Street casinos - The D, Golden Gate, and Las Vegas Club (which will be renamed after a renovation).

Derek Stevens was also featured in a news piece about the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. The outdoor space is helping to attract more visitors downtown. Stevens talked about some of the events he is looking forward to hosting, including plenty of boxing matches.

Gourmet Hot Dogs in Las Vegas

The odd topic of whether a hot dog should be considered a sandwich has engulfed the internet. While I don't really care if a hot dog is a sandwich, it got me thinking.

Where can you get a good hot dog in Las Vegas? Gourmet hamburgers have been all the rage for a while now, but what about dogs?

American Coney Island - Located at The D on Fremont Street this brand has been a Detroit staple for almost 100 years. They are famous for hot dogs with secret recipe Coney Island Chili Sauce.

Pink's - In the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood this is a Las Vegas outpost of the world famous hot dog stand in Los Angeles. Along with Classic Dogs you can also opt for one of their Special Dogs with all kinds of fun toppings.

Haute Doggery - At The Linq promenade this shop is affiliated with the same people who run Pink's. It looks like Haute Doggery is less chili focused and more inspired by classic mustard and relish.

Shake Shack - Located at New York New York Shake Shack is more known for burgers, but they actually started as a New York hot dog cart. Their flat top dogs come in four different styles, including a chicken version.

Little Richie's - At Treasure Island. Perhaps less gourmet than the others listed here, Little Richie's specializes in Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and Polish sausages. It looks like a good spot to grab some drunk food if you're in the neighborhood of Treasure Island.

Grandissimo new Las Vegas Club name?

When Las Vegas Club was purchased by Greg and Derek Stevens back in August it was revealed that the name of the property wasn't included in the transaction. This means when the casino (and hopefully hotel) re-opens it will need a new name.

The detectives over at Vegas Tripping immediately speculated that the new name would be Grandissimo,"in honor of the project that legendary Las Vegas developer Jay Sarno never built." Stevens holding company Desert Rock Enterprises is the owner of the Grandissimo trademark.

At the time I thought that Grandissimo was unlikely to be the new name of Las Vegas Club. I didn't think the name would really fit a smallish downtown property, and thought having "Grand" in the name would have the potential to be confused with Downtown Grand.

Now however we have more evidence that Grandissimo could indeed be the new name, as Edge Vegas pointed out - a Gambling Invest article shows that grandissimo.net, grandissimovegas.com, and grandissimolv.com are all currently under the ownership of The D Las Vegas (also owned by Stevens).

With Grandissimo looking more and more like the new name, we might be in store for an announcement soon. It just so happens that Derek Stevens will be doing a live Vegas Gang podcast episode this weekend as part of VIMFP. Will Derek announce that Las Vegas Club is now Grandissimo?

Jeff Victor hired by Derek Stevens

Jeff Victor, outgoing president of the Fremont Street Experience has been hired by Derek Stevens' company as Vice President of Operations.

It is widely thought that Victor will be brought on to help with the closed Las Vegas Club property, which was bought by Stevens last month and will likely be remodeled and re-opened.

Victor will also presumably be heavily involved with the other Stevens properties - The D and Golden Gate.

Jeff Victor oversaw the Fremont Street Experience for nine years, so he has a good idea of what's going on in downtown Las Vegas. He's reportedly an energetic and an aggressive marketer just like Derek, which should be a perfect fit as part of the growing Stevens empire.

Manneken Pis LV at The D Las Vegas

Owner of The D and master marketer Derek Stevens is back at it again as The D has unveiled their newest attraction - a replica version of the famous Manneken Pis statue in Brussels, Belgium.

The media frenzy started as The D published this wacky video of Derek Stevens holding an "executive board meeting" announcing that The D has signed the longest entertainment contract in Las Vegas history:



The next day a press conference was held to unveil the new bronze statue.


Photo: Kara Rutkin Instagram.

Here's what Derek Stevens had to say about Manneken Pis LV:

"Alright well today, I want to thank everyone for coming here. Today is going to be a great, great day. September 1st, 2015 will certainly go down as a great day in Las Vegas history.

First I want to start with just a little bit of history here. Manneken Pis, and it is pronounced that way - Manneken Pis was placed in Brussels, Belgium in the year 1619 and today has upwards of 5000 visitors a day come and visit with him.

He's created over 100 sustainable small businesses in and around a three block area in downtown Brussels. Manneken Pis in Brussels symbolizes the spirit of Brussels - which is youthful enthusiasm, an entrepreneurial spirit, a hard working attitude, while being friendly and fun loving. All various traits that we embrace here at The D Las Vegas.

When I was a very, very little boy, and then as I grew up, just as a little boy, and as a teenager, and really up to just a few weeks ago I visited Manneken Pis in Brussels, and I've always been amazed at the crowd that he draws, and the smiles that he brings. I've wanted to bring a version of Manneken Pis to Las Vegas for a number of years.

The D Las Vegas has now given my brother and I the opportunity to respect our Belgian ancestry, and also really give a tip of the cap to my parents who are both 100% Belgian. My mother was on the Belgian council for over 20 years, and my dad grew up in Brussels. He acutally attended the Royal Athenian high school of Brussels which is only a half block away from the original Manneken Pis.

Now today we've said that we signed the longest entertainment contract in Las Vegas history. A hundred year contract with the new and younger version of Manneken Pis, and today we unveil Manneken Pis LV.

In agreeing to this hundred year contract it was important for us to Vegas-size it. A lot's changed in the last 396 years. First and foremost Manneken Pis LV is more than double the size of the original Manneken Pis. Our version is over 500 pounds made out of bronze.

And also adapting to the modern day times, yet showing his youthfulness and entrepreneurial enthusiasm and his hard working attitude, Manneken Pis LV has committed to re-tweet every picture taken with him when he's tagged in a photo. Similar to his father who has over 900 outfits, Manneken Pis LV will begin to develop a seasonal wardrobe - it's going to be lighthearted, fun loving and friendly.

As a part of the long-term contract Manneken Pis LV is committed to bring in joy, a smile, a chuckle, and good fortune to all who visit. And lastly as part of our long term contract - in this day and age when TripAdvisor and Yelp are so important - Manneken Pis Las Vegas will always aim to please."

Derek Stevens talks about Las Vegas Club

Derek Stevens is the owner of The D and Golden Gate hotels on Fremont Street. He was recently interviewed on Nevada Public Radio talking about his purchase of Las Vegas Club, among other things.

Stevens talked about how he's had his eye on Las Vegas Club for a while - unsuccessfully trying to buy the property five years ago.

His interest was renewed in a big way though when Las Vegas Club was talking about converting half of their casino into a drugstore. Stevens contended that people come to Las Vegas to see unique, spectacular things and he didn't want another run of the mill pharmacy as part of the tourist corridor.

The location of Las Vegas Club played a big role in the acquisition, as the Stevens owned Golden Gate is right across Fremont Street.

Renovation plans haven't been made yet as Stevens and team need to evaluate the "two separate, independent towers" that "were both built very differently."

One thing known though, when the property reopens it will have a new name. The previous owners of the property were staunchly unwilling sell the name as part of the deal, and Stevens wanted to re-brand the property anyway so it was a win-win.

Las Vegas Club Sold to Derek Stevens

Las Vegas Club downtown on Fremont Street has been sold to the owners of The D and Golden Gate - brothers Greg and Derek Stevens. The property will close in the next few days and will likely remain shuttered until plans are finalized for a renovation.

The purchase price was undisclosed, but property records show a $40 million transaction for the real estate. The gaming assets still belong to the old owners PlayLV a subsidiary of Tamares Group. PlayLV also owns The Plaza next door.

Greg and Derek Stevens through their company Desert Rock Enterprises owned 21% of Riviera. When that property was sold for $182.5 million the Stevens brothers theoretically cashed in for $38.325 million. It looks like they are taking that money and reinvesting in Las Vegas Club.

The Riviera slot machines were also sold to Derek Stevens shortly after the closing, so I'm guessing many of those slots will end up at Las Vegas Club eventually.

Las Vegas Club has been the worst downtown casino for a while now and had fallen into a state of disrepair. Having Derek Stevens take over is the best possible outcome for this property.

There are many different directions Stevens could go with the remodel. The first priority will likely be getting the hotel portion of the property - which has been closed since 2013 - remodeled and back in operation.

Las Vegas Club currently has a sports theme. If done right I think keeping this theme could be a good option. Converting the casino into a giant sports-bar / sports book area with traditional casino games mixed in could be an interesting idea.

It really is a blank slate though, and after the creativity he's shown with The D and Golden Gate I trust that Stevens will do something great with Las Vegas Club.

Derek Stevens tweeted about the acquisition:

Lots of Q's regarding LVC. We will evaluate the property thoroughly to determine Max Best Use, then do it.

Addressing concerns that he and Boyd Gaming will have a duopoly on downtown casinos Stevens tweeted:

don't worry. I'm committed to 3-2 Blackjack,10X odds on dice and a great value in our offerings....

Derek Stevens Publicity Stunts

The D and Golden Gate hotel owner Derek Stevens has a knack for getting his name in the newspaper. It might be unfair to call them publicity stunts, but over the years he has had a number of creative marketing efforts gaining him and his hotels massive media coverage.

- In September 2012 The D refunded losing wagers on the controversial Packers at Seahawks Monday Night Football game commonly known as the Fail Mary. The game was decided on a blown call by the NFL's replacement referees. For a relatively low investment, The D got a ton of publicity from sports media outlets around the world.

- In early 2014 The D and Golden Gate begin accepting bitcoins as payment for hotel rooms and related purchases. This allowed Stevens to appear in a prime time interview on CNBC along with getting lots of press from other financial and technology publications.

- Before the 2015 Final Four Derek Stevens revealed that he had placed a $20,000 bet on the long-shot Michigan State Spartans that would pay $1 million if they won the championship. Michigan State ultimately lost - but not before ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, and every other newspaper known to man wrote about Derek's big bet.

- On July 8, 2015 Stevens tweeted saying someone had stolen The D's Blarney Stone after playing Sigma Derby. The theif returned the Blarney Stone the next day blaming his bad decision making on Tequila. The man was not charged. When asked if this was a planned publicity stunt, Stevens was quoted as saying "I wish I were smart enough to have come up with something that good, but no."

- In September 2015 Derek Stevens and The D unveiled their newest attraction - a replica version of the famous Manneken Pis statue in Brussels, Belgium. To hype up the arrival of the statue The D published a wacky video of Derek Stevens holding an "executive board meeting" announcing that The D had signed the longest entertainment contract in Las Vegas history.

The D Refunds Bets - Gets Publicity

The D hotel (formerly Fitzgeralds) is making a splash by offering to refund losing wagers on the controversial Packers at Seahawks Monday Night Football game. The game was decided on a blown call by the NFL's replacement referees.

This is a pretty brilliant move by The D's owner Derek Stevens. For a relatively low investment, he is getting a ton of free publicity from sports media outlets around the world.

The D is in the final stages of a transformation that was kicked off when the property was purchased by Stevens' Desert Rock Enterprises about a year ago.

Fitzgeralds new owner plans Renovation

Fitzgeralds downtown on Fremont Street is under new management. The property was officially purchased on Wednesday by Desert Rock Enterprises, the current owners of the Golden Gate.

The new ownership is planning to remodel the Fitz sometime in the near future. The Golden Gate is already undergoing a similar renovation project.

The timing is right for some new blood at Fitzgeralds. The property has been languishing in mediocrity for some time now. It's nice to see new owners willing to put some money into the property to allow it to be competitive downtown.

For more on the acquisition: Fox 5 News Vegas.