One of the reasons Las Vegas is such a popular tourist destination is that things are always changing. There are often new casinos, restaurants, shows, attractions, events, casino games, and more.
2024 will be no different for visitors. There will be plenty of new things to see and do in Las Vegas in January and throughout the year.
New Las Vegas casinos
Let’s start with the bad news first – there are no new Las Vegas casinos scheduled to open this year.
The Vegas Strip might lose a casino if the Oakland A’s plan to move to where the Tropicana is operating. That may come to fruition now that the MLB team has approval to relocate.
The good news is that two new casinos opened in different parts of Las Vegas just before the end of 2023. The majority of visitors haven’t had the chance to check out the two newest Las Vegas casinos.
Fontainebleau
After nearly 20 years, Fontainebleau finally opened on the north end of the Vegas Strip. The beautiful new luxury casino and resort had a star-studded opening on Dec. 12.
Despite being a luxury property catering to high rollers, visitors can find table games starting at $15 during the week and plenty of slot machines. There’s a lot to explore at Fontainebleau. The massive property has a 150,000-square-foot casino, more than 30 dining options, numerous lounges, and more than 3,500 hotel rooms.
Durango Casino & Resort
The Durango opened its doors on Dec. 5. The off-strip casino is about a 15-20 minute drive west from Mandalay Bay.
Station Casinos calls the beautiful and bright casino a next-generation luxury property that should appeal to younger and older guests alike. It’s a higher-end off-strip property but it isn’t on the same level as traditional Vegas Strip luxury casino resorts.
Durango has numerous dining options, and a great indoor and outdoor sportsbook experience, while still offering fair and affordable gaming conditions like other off-strip casinos. Visitors have flocked to Durango with such fervor gaming analysts think Station Casinos will begin expansion on Durango sooner rather than later.
Las Vegas golf attractions
Three new golf attractions are opening in Las Vegas this year. One new attraction is inside a casino, another is adjacent to a casino, and the other is in a mall near the Vegas Strip.
Atomic Golf at The Strat
Atomic Golf at The Strat is slated to open in February. This golf attraction is very similar to the Topgolf flagship location at MGM Grand.
Similar to Topgolf, the venue will have four levels of bays for golf games using Atomic Golf’s proprietary technology. There are numerous bars including a taproom featuring 15 local beers.
One difference is Atomic Golf’s “Putting District” which offers a different kind of game.
Popstroke
Popstroke is scheduled to open its first Las Vegas location in August at Town Square. The outdoor mall is about a 5-minute drive south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Blvd.
Tiger Woods, TGR Ventures and TaylorMade are partners in this golf and entertainment complex with numerous locations around the country.
Popstroke Las Vegas will be an all-ages venue with two 18-hole putting courses. The tracks will be designed to replicate a traditional golf course that includes fairways, bunkers, and rough.
In addition to playing the putting games, guests can also grab a bite to eat and beverages.
Swingers at Mandalay Bay
Swingers at Mandalay Bay will be a 40,000-square-foot adults-only golf venue that’s slated to open before the end of the year. This golf attraction will have five mini-golf courses spread among three levels.
Guests will be able to enjoy street food and adult beverages curated from Las Vegas restaurants. This will be a place to party with DJs spinning dance music.
Children aren’t prevalent at Topgolf after dark but Swingers will be the only 21+ golf attraction in Las Vegas when it opens.
New Las Vegas restaurants
There are a slew of new restaurants coming to Las Vegas casinos in 2024. There will be more announcements throughout the year since changing restaurant operators and design is fairly easy compared to other venues inside of a casino.
Flamingo
Guests will notice two of the new restaurants when walking by Flamingo on the Vegas Strip. This summer the iconic casino will change its Vegas Strip frontage with the second Gordon Ramsay Burger (GRB) location in Las Vegas and Pinky’s by Vanderpump.
GRB will have patio seating overlooking the Vegas Strip while Pinky’s will have a conservatory entrance right off the street.
Mandalay Bay and Caesars Palace
Mandalay Bay has two new restaurants opening this year. Wolfgang Puck’s Caramá and Michael Mina’s Orla will both open this month.
Brasserie B by Bobby Flay is replacing Old Homestead at Caesars Palace this month. Late last year Peter Luger Steakhouse opened in the space most recently occupied by Rao’s.
New fast-food restaurants and one entertainment complex
The Miracle Eats food hall will open inside the Miracle Mile Shops connect to Planet Hollywood later this year.
Additionally, Whataburger will open its first Las Vegas outlet next to the Waldorf Astoria. Last year the non-gaming hotel finished the first phase of renovations since changing from Mandarin Oriental.
Blake Shelton’s Ole Red will offer dining but is more than just a restaurant. The multi-level entertainment, bar, and restaurant will open in front of Horseshoe (formerly Bally’s) in January.
New casino games in Las Vegas
Numerous manufacturers debuted new casino games at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in October last year. Some of the games are already available.
Aristocrat shared no less than six new versions of Buffalo slot machines at G2E last year. Some of the games hit casino floors right after the expo. More will be released throughout the year. Look for more Buffalo-themed online casino games as well.
The new “Squid Game” slot machine will be in casinos later this year. There are already some NFL slot machines available and there are more on the way.
During the expo, we noticed the popular hold and spin feature in slot machines were being replaced with a different bonus. There will be more games with the “triple metamorphic” bonus feature. This is the feature where a player fills up a pot or bag to win one of three bonus rounds.
New music residencies
Many existing Las Vegas music residencies will continue into the new year. A handful of artists will be embarking on their first limited Las Vegas engagements this year:
- Christina Aguilera at The Venetian
- Jodeci at Mandalay Bay
- New Edition at Wynn
- Phish at The Sphere
- T-Pain at Resorts World
- Wu-Tang Clan at Virgin
Additionally, Shania Twain will return to Las Vegas with a new residency theme at Planet Hollywood.