With Las Vegas casinos looking to draw in more numbers of younger visitors, immersive activities more conducive to social interaction are growing in importance.
Two prime examples are the recently opened eSports arena at the Downtown Grand casino and MGM Resorts International’s new Topgolf Las Vegas.
Located a block north of the Fremont Street Experience, The Downtown Grand in January debuted its now-popular eSports arena, where competitors can vie against one another for a chance to win prizes, including cash.
The arena is a video-playing area where competitors can battle in a variety of games, while nearby spectators cheer on their favorite players. The Downtown Grand also sponsors a professional eSports team from Australia, which trains at the Downtown Grand while preparing for various eSporting events during the year.
The Downtown Grand holds eSports tournaments on Friday and Saturday nights, and applied for a license to eventually offer wagering on eSports, by utilizing either a sports betting or poker model.
Nevada gaming regulators in October are scheduled to discuss whether or not they think eSports is an athletic contest, and if they want to enable eSports wagering.
If declared an athletic contest, the Downtown Grand could become the first casino to offer eSports wagering.
It also might provide a poker-style betting model, where multiple players ante to compete against each other. The casino would keep a percentage of the pot, while the winner would get the rest.
The eSports arena and contests are very popular among younger visitors and routinely attracts crowds of dozens or more people during eSports events at the Downtown Grand.
Also very popular is the new Topgolf Las Vegas, which is located near the MGM Grand on the southwest corner of Koval Lane and Harmon Avenue.
MGM partnered with Topgolf to open the 105,000-square-foot venue a month ago, and it already is drawing lots of people throughout the day and well into the evening.
Topgolf is four stories tall and situated with its 108 climate-controlled driving bays facing to the north.
That keeps golfers in the shade and staying cool, even when the outside temperature is more than 100 degrees.
Each of the hitting bays has its own comfortable couch seating, a high-definition television, and bar and food service. They also have complimentary clubs and a touch-screen device for paying the tab.
The hitting bays are distributed evenly along the facility’s four floors, with the bottom two floors open to people of all ages. The top two floors are for ages 21 and up.
Topgolf also has five bars and lounges, a pool area, and a performance area capable of holding up to 900 patrons. The venue hosted its first concert on June 10, with the Pink Floyd tribute band The Machine playing to a large and diverse audience of many ages.
Most of the hitting bays were full, with visitors generally ranging in age from their early 20s into their 40s and 50s.
During the daytime hours, more serious golfers generally make use of the hitting bays. Many people also come to watch sporting events on the many wall-sized video screens located on several floors and on the various televisions at the bars and hitting bays.
Sports bets are taken at a single sports betting window on the second level, with the odds determined by MGM Grand handicappers. At least one bar also has video gaming for its patrons.
Food service also is available and widely used by patrons, and the smiles on their faces affirmed they liked the food, drinks, fun, and entertainment available for virtually all ages at Topgolf Las Vegas.
It also has meeting rooms, a pro shop, and a Callaway Golf station, where golfers can order a custom-fit set of clubs that will be delivered to their homes within 48 hours.
Whether swinging clubs a Topgolf or vying in a digital battle arena at the Downtown Grand, Millennial visitors and others are having a great time with new experiences in Las Vegas.
