Virgin announced in September 2019 that Mohegan Gaming would operate the casino at the hotel, which will bear the same name as its flagship Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville. Virgin founder Richard Branson purchased the property in 2018 for $500 million. The former Hard Rock Hotel is expected to re-open in January 2021 as a Virgin resort after being closed since February for $200 million in renovations, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. “Coming out of a challenging year for the industry, Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a testament to our strategic growth trajectory, and we are excited to offer our Connecticut guests a new world-class Mohegan gaming experience in the legendary and diverse Las Vegas market.”

“Becoming the first-ever Native American casino operator in the Entertainment Capital of the World is an important milestone for Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment,” said Mohegan Gaming CEO Mario Kontomerkos in a statement to CT Examiner. If the Nevada Gaming Commission approves a recommendation by the Nevada Gaming Control Board made - after a virtual meeting with Mohegan Gaming representatives on Wednesday - it will become the first tribal organization to operate a casino in Las Vegas since casinos began operating there in 1931. Nevada regulators on Wednesday gave initial approval for Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment to operate the 60,000 square-foot casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the former site of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a few blocks from the Las Vegas Strip. There is path a clear for the Mohegan Tribe’s gaming operation to enter the largest gaming market in the United States.

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