Vegas Sports Fans Score As City Opens More Venues To Watch Games

Written By Marc Meltzer on October 2, 2020

Las Vegas slowly continues to reopen. This week, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that the state is raising the limit on public gatherings from 50 to 250 people. That’s great for a lot of venues, but that’s the smaller side of the increased capacity.

The new capacity limit will allow smaller entertainment venues and places of worship to have more guests. The new limits will also allow for gatherings of more than 250 people for conferences and sporting events.

The state is also allowing larger venues to have crowds that are 10% of capacity.

MGM Resorts already has a new health and safety plan for meetings and conventions. A venue like T-Mobile Arena normally has around a 20,000-person capacity.

Under the new ordinance, the venue could host up to 2,000 people for an event.

Allegiant Stadium will be able to host even more fans for events. The new stadium across the freeway from Mandalay Bay holds up to 65,000 fans for football games. According to the new capacity limit, the venue can now host up to 6,500 people.

UNLV looks to play football with fans in attendance

Everyone in attendance at a sporting event must wear a mask. The venue will still have to allow room for social distancing and will have to segment audience members in sections of 250 people.

There must also be a plan for entering and exiting the venue so people don’t cluster for too long, if at all.

The new larger capacity initiative requires venues to submit a plan to government officials for approval. Last week, the Mountain West Conference approved a plan for the football season to return.

This week UNLV announced its 2020 schedule.

The college has already sent a proposal to allow fans at its games. If approved, UNLV will be the second live sporting event to host fans in Las Vegas.

It’s going to take time for Las Vegas to return to the entertainment capital of the world, but this is a step forward.

Private Sports Viewing At The D

Earlier this year, The D upgraded its Circa sportsbook area which now includes BarCanada. The large bar on the second level of the casino has plenty of seating and new HDTV’s to watch the games. However, some guests might prefer a viewing experience that’s a little more private.

The D Las Vegas now has sports viewing “caves and dens” for groups of fans. Guests can reserve a “Man Cave” or “She Den” on the 12th floor of the downtown Las Vegas hotel and casino.

The new private spaces allow groups of friends to watch games together without being in an entirely public setting.

The watch areas each have four HDTV’s so guests can enjoy multiple games at once. The parties can accommodate between six and 45 people. The price is $40 per person for four hours or $80 per person for eight hours and includes the following:

  • $25 match-play chips per person
  • Complimentary first drink
  • Private cocktail server

There are a few add-ons available for the packages:

  • Food and beverage service with an American Coney Island food menu available upon request
  • Open bar for $20 per person, per hour
  • In-person hosted trivia game for $200 or virtual trivia for $125

The public and private viewing options at The D are a step forward from what used to be available. Sports viewing in downtown Las Vegas will get another boost in a few weeks when Circa Resort & Casino opens on Oct. 28.

Guests at Circa will be able to watch games inside at the massive multi-level sportsbook. Another option will be to get a cabana at the Stadium Swim complex and watch the games outdoors.

Photo by AP Newsroom
Marc Meltzer Avatar
Written by

Marc Meltzer

Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He’s the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.

View all posts by Marc Meltzer

Leave a Comment