I'm about ready to take off for a little holiday -- go American Thanksgiving! -- but wanted to leave my new legion of reader-fans at akfxoqsd.shop with some info about casino news stories on our radar that should still be relevant when we return on Cyber Monday. 

With the inaugural F1 now in our rear-view mirror – and many acknowledging it was a way bigger success than a handful of complaining locals wanted people to believe – the next casino ado is the opening of a few new properties. 

Durango Casino & Resort is almost ready to roll. (Image: Courtesy of Durango Resort)

Station Casinos Lighting Up More Sky

First we have Durango. This casino is a locals joint on the southwest side of Las Vegas, about nine miles from the Strip, bringing a nice place to a part of town that has grown dramatically over the past decade-and-a-half but doesn't really have a gaming establishment to call their own.

The 200-room, $780 million resort originally was set to open Monday, Nov. 20, but that has been pushed back until Dec. 5. Durango is almost done hiring (and training) nearly 1,500 employees, which may or may not have been part of the reason for the slight delay. Opening day will come with a fireworks celebration that should be visible to at least some people staying on the Strip. (Durango Resort & Casino)

Rendering of Inspirada Station, coming soon in Henderson. (Image: Station Casinos / City of Henderson)

This property seems to have remade a corner of the city faster than F1 set up a track on the Strip, but why stop there? 

Station first announced in December 2022 their intent to open a casino-resort in the tony Inspirada neighborhood of Henderson, which is best known for where my buddy Kyle used to live the Las Vegas Raiders practice facility and home office are. 

Last week, Station filed renderings with the city, making their suburban casino-resort plans more clear. Phase 1 includes a 201-room hotel and 60,000 square-foot casino. (8 News Now)

The original plans called for a 600-room resort and a three-phase build, so ...

Fontainebleau says they're ready, but will they live up to the high-dollar hype? (Image: ZUMA Press / Alamy)

Fontainebleau to Open, Finally?

The other new hotel soon to be ready in Las Vegas is Fontainebleau., which also is moving back its public opening. This delay is by only a day, though – Dec. 14, not Dec. 13 as previously announced. This $3.8 billion bundle of blue glass across the street from Circus Circus originally was supposed to open in the fall of 2009 (not a typo – we mean it, 14 years ago), so really, what's one more day? (The Nevada Independent)