[toc]Trump International Hotel distinguishes itself, even in Las Vegas where extravagant properties are commonplace.
When the sunlight strikes the gleaming high-rise, it gives off a golden glow, creating an aesthetically pleasing sight. Its position at the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where large-scale buildings are rare, isolates it from the cluster of hotel towers in the south.
Whether landing in Las Vegas or strolling north on the Strip, visitors are inevitably drawn to the building with the 25-foot-tall letters spelling “TRUMP” at its peak.
Despite being located in Vegas and having two owners with a history in gambling, Trump Hotel interestingly does not have a casino. However, this could be subject to change.
A Trump-Ruffin project
Donald Trump and casino mogul Phil Ruffin own the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, with each holding a 50 percent stake in the property.
These two men, who have been friends for a lengthy period of 25 years, hold the highest level of confidence in one another, particularly evident in their discussions about a potential casino expansion project.
The towering 1,282-room hotel, which was completed in 2008, cost approximately $800 million and is located on land that Ruffin owned for many years. Unfortunately, the financial crisis that took place the same year made the timing quite poor. The project almost resulted in bankruptcy. However, the two billionaires persisted and the property is now financially stable.
The proposed casino would be a new build situated in a parking lot next to the existing hotel.
Making the case for a casino
There isn’t much in terms of resort casinos or anything else on the Strip, once a person crosses Wynn and Encore and before reaching Stratosphere.
Adding a casino to the Trump Hotel would extend the gaming area of the Strip towards the north. The hotel is situated just beyond the Fashion Show Mall, on land directly across from Wynn and Encore, albeit nearer to Sammy Davis Jr. Drive than the Strip itself. It’s located just north of Ruffin’s Treasure Island (TI) casino.
The scarcity of casino gaming in the area is not due to lack of effort. Various recent projects in the vicinity, including Genting’s Resorts World Casino, have experienced delays, while others, like Crown Casino’s Alon project, have been completely abandoned.
Ruffin is optimistic about Las Vegas as a whole and perceives a forthcoming opportunity.
Besides suggesting a casino at the Trump International Hotel, it is alleged that he also proposed to purchase The Mirage from MGM in 2015. Ruffin’s excitement may be derived from Trump’s ambitious infrastructure plans. These plans could encompass a high-speed rail connection between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as suggested in a recent Forbes article.
Ruffin informed Forbes that he commented on the LA-to-Vegas rail, stating it seemed like a beneficial deal, particularly if it provided employment for 80,000 individuals, but he did not elaborate further.
Is Trump Casino a presidential conflict of interest?
Regarding potential conflicts of interest that might arise from this project, Ruffin said, “We would gain some advantages, but there are numerous hotel rooms and alternative places available.”
The concept of incorporating a casino into the Trump-Ruffin property isn’t novel. The Wall Street Journal had reported preliminary discussions about this during the previous year’s presidential election. Ruffin, according to the WSJ, is hopeful about this proposal. Additionally, the Trump organization, which is now managed by President Trump’s children, trusts in Ruffin’s business expertise.
“Eric Trump stated to the WSJ in 2016 that they would definitely proceed with the casino if that was what he wanted. He added that Ruffin is among their closest friends and they are nearly inseparable,”
Naturally, the popularity of the Trump brand is likely to fluctuate in line with the President’s popularity.
