The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, the oldest operating hotel in Las Vegas, is preparing for a dramatic transformation of its gaming floor. In a move that signals changing times for downtown’s gambling scene, the 119-year-old property will phase out all live dealer table games and replace them entirely with electronic table games (ETGs) and slot machines.
The decision, announced by Golden Gate owner Derek Stevens, will see the property’s last craps table and other traditional games disappear in the coming weeks. By mid-September 2025, Stevens expects most, if not all, live tables to be gone.
The change builds on lessons learned from the second floor of Stevens’ Circa Resort & Casino, which has operated without live dealers for nearly a year. That space, he says, has “exploded in popularity” among guests. “I mean, I go up there, get a beer, and just sit there for an hour, and I just watch people coming in,” Stevens noted according to Casino.org.
The plan for Golden Gate is to recreate that energy on a larger scale, aiming for a “high-energy electronic table games pit unlike anything downtown has seen.” Stevens believes the shift aligns with evolving customer preferences, particularly among younger players who gravitate toward electronic gaming experiences.
No Job Losses, Just New Roles
While the removal of live dealers marks the end of an era—Golden Gate was once the first Las Vegas casino to feature dancing dealers—Stevens emphasized that no employees will be left without work. All table game team members are being offered roles at Circa or The D, or opportunities in other company departments.
“There’s really no employment-related issues,” Stevens said. “That was one thing we wanted to get ahead of, just from an operational perspective.”
Fifteen dice dealers have already been offered positions, with the rest of the staff being notified and reassigned as the transition unfolds.
Riding the High-Limit Trend
Stevens drew inspiration from the high-limit slot rooms at casinos such as Aria, The Cosmopolitan, and Durango. These spaces, he explained, have become not only profitable but also social hot spots. At Circa, the high-limit room alone generates roughly one-third of the property’s monthly gross gaming revenue.
“What we’re seeing is that more and more younger people want to play these [electronic games],” Stevens said, adding that table games may, in the future, be more of a “luxury” feature than a centerpiece of casino floors.
The Bigger Picture in Gaming
Golden Gate’s move reflects a broader industry shift toward automation and digital interfaces, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. Patrons who once might have seen electronic tables as impersonal now value their consistency, privacy, and lack of social pressure. For casinos, ETGs also reduce labor costs and operational downtime, since machines don’t take breaks or call in sick.
Some players are nostalgic, with one social media user remarking, “Golden Gate with live tables feels like Sinatra without the suit.” Others are open to the change, seeing it as part of Las Vegas’ ongoing evolution.
As Stevens put it, “We are building the newest thing people don’t know they want, and when you do that, some people hang onto the past because they can’t envision a different and better future. I know we hit the target on this, but it’s a target no one else can see right now.”
End of an Era
For fans of Golden Gate’s classic gaming atmosphere, time is running short to roll the dice or spin the wheel on its felt-covered tables. The ETG installation is expected to be completed by late August, marking the close of more than a century of live dealer gaming at the historic venue.
As Las Vegas continues to adapt to changing player habits, Golden Gate’s transformation may serve as a glimpse into the city’s gambling future—one where tradition makes way for technology, and the definition of “casino excitement” gets rewritten for a new generation.
