Golden Gate Loses Table Games, Launches Best Happy Hour in America

By Scott Roeben, on October 08 2025

PIVOT!

We have penned more than 3,300 blog posts. How is this the first time we’ve started a story with “Pivot”? For your fellow kids, “pivot” is a reference to a “Friends” episode from a quarter century ago.

“Pivot” is what Golden Gate has done. The downtown casino closed all its live table games, but to soften the blow, it now offers what is arguably the best happy hour in America, including not only an open bar but free play. We’ve got everything you need to know following a gratuitous photo of Valeria, a bartender at Golden Gate’s Prohibition Bar.

This is the awkward part where we mention having broken the news Golden Gate was removing all its live table games. It’s not awkward that we broke the story, that’s expected. It’s awkward because Golden Gate hadn’t announced the closure of its table games at that time. We sort of nudged the announcement along.

The last night for live table games at Golden Gate was Sep. 7, 2025. That was also the last night of the casino’s adorable dancing dealers. Nobody lost their jobs, everyone was integrated into The D or Circa.

On Sept. 19, 2025, Golden Gate launched its new nightly open bar. Here’s owner Derek Stevens talking about it.

That’s right. Golden Gate offers an open bar every night from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., along with giving away copious amounts of free play.

We know what you’re thinking: What’s the hitch?

Who made you so cynical?

There’s no hitch. There is some fine print, however. We are here to help guide you to your perfect Las Vegas hangover.

First, guests have to show an I.D. to get into Golden Gate during the open bar. Across the way, Circa has I.D. checks all the time, but that’s not typical at Golden Gate. It’s to deter troublemakers and vagrants.

To take advantage of the open bar and free slot play, one must be in the One Club loyalty program.

Signing up is free, of course. We suggest if you aren’t already a member, sign up before the open bar as the line gets long and don’t be the jerk holding up the line.

You have to check-in at the One desk to get your open bar wristband and free play.

Free play is distributed at random, in amounts from $5 to $1,000. Yes, people get the higher amounts. Again, so cynical.

We have personally gotten $5 twice, as well as $10, $25 and $50 in free play during our visits. We sat next to someone who got $500. The bastard.

Yes, there are more important details.

During the open bar, you can order two drinks at a time.

Yes, you have to tip. Don’t be a jerk.

Yes, there are lots of jerks getting free drinks who are not tipping. They should be banned from Las Vegas.

The open bar is exactly from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, but you can use your free play voucher from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. They simply stop working at the cut-off through the miracle of slot machine programming.

The free play vouchers can only be used at Golden Gate (not The D or Circa).

In a wild twist, the free play vouchers are not valid on the electronic table games that replaced the live table games, the entire point behind the pivot. There are a lot of machines to choose from, however. The only other machines excluded are WAPs (wide area progressives). Yes, the “s” in “WAPs” is redundant, but “WAP” on its own is just weird, so please keep moving.

An open bar on Fremont Street has, not surprisingly, proven to be very popular.

There’s a special line at the bar where drinks are served, but one can order anywhere at Prohibition Bar, so we suggest just moving to another part of the bar.

So, the bottom line is whether or not this idea is a good one. Is it sustainable for Golden Gate? How long before they bail?

We have thoughts.

Yes, this was a good idea. Business has dropped at Golden Gate without table games, and the bartenders would be scrod if it weren’t for the open bar. They make enough in tips during the open bar to offset how slow the place has gotten.

On the business side, the jury’s still out on whether the casino is doing any better or worse. Eliminating dealers (dancing or otherwise) is a big cost savings. There simply wasn’t enough business to justify staffing, especially during graveyard (when Golden Gate is rumored to have lost money).

Here’s a quick peek at Golden Gate sans live table games.

The vibe has changed at Golden Gate. The music has been turned up 20%, and it was already uncomfortably loud, a hallmark of casinos in the Stevens’ family of casinos.

The reality is while there’s a good crowd (in the hundreds each night) for the open bar, most people leave when the open bar is done.

The hard cost of an open bar isn’t as big as you’d think. Executives didn’t go into this blind. They tried open bars for private events and the costs weren’t prohibitive. (Guests can’t get top tier liquor, but everything else is fair game.)

Derek Stevens is a very good businessperson. He and his team have confidence in this strategy, despite the fact some in his inner circle still aren’t onboard with the removal of table games.

Notably, they haven’t officially pulled the plug on ending live tables games forever. That would involve a slew of regulatory hurdles, including making it impossible to cash in chips in perpetuity. The door is still open.

Because we need to fluff this story up a bit, let’s delve further into the process involved in discontinuing chips in Nevada. Let’s just say it’s an ordeal.

The casino has to submit a plan for the redemption and disposal of discontinued chips and tokens to the Chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board at least 30 days before the proposed closure or discontinuance of the chips. The Chair must approve this plan, and may require modifications. The plan must provide for the redemption of outstanding chips and tokens for a period of at least 120 days after operations cease, or for a longer or shorter period if approved by the Chair for good cause. The casino is required to notify the public of the chip discontinuance and the redemption procedures through two primary methods: Newspaper Publication or Conspicuous Posting. Chips are typically redeemed at the premises of the closing casino. However, the plan may designate another approved location. Once the established redemption period expires, the chips typically become void of any cash value, though they may retain value as collectibles. After the redemption period, all remaining unredeemed “cash chips” (chips with a monetary value) must be accounted for and destroyed under the supervision of authorized personnel, including potentially NGCB agents and internal auditors. This process is documented to prevent fraud and ensure compliance. “No Cash Value” (NCV) and promotional chips may have different disposal requirements. The NGC Regulation involved is 12.070, which is a fun read if you ever have a need to cure insomnia.

Golden Gate chips are no longer being issued. Chips can be cashed at Circa or The D.

Before live table games went away at Golden Gate, we snagged a collection of all the chips with dancing dealers. There were 18 chips, so the set cost $90. It is now one of our most prized possessions. Just one of the dancing dealers was depicted on two chips. We would tell you which dancing dealer, but then we would not know more about Las Vegas than you, and we are having none of that.

Our original over-under for the open bar and free play offer was six months, but we’ve since heard Stevens and his team are committed internally to keeping it going for at least a year.

Ultimately, the open bar and free play offer (we’re avoiding calling it a “promotion,” as those are temporary, this might not be) doesn’t have to generate all that much gambling or bar revenue to break even.

The idea of Golden Gate being the place to start one’s Las Vegas escapades is clever, and when we hit downtown now, we make sure to arrive early to take advantage of the free play giveaway.

We loved the dancing dealers, but as a video poker player, we were always facing away from them, anyway.

We suggested bringing in go-go dancers to keep the place sassy, but were informed Golden Gate would then have to pay the mandatory Live Entertainment Eax (LET), which is a 9% tax, which would wipe out any benefit of having an open bar in the first place.

One other item of note: If you’re epileptic, do not get a the Golden Gate open bar at 6:00 p.m. That’s when there’s this whole Parade of Affectation where staff shout into the casino P.A. about how much fun everyone is having and other staff walk around with strobe lights until all the light sensitive people are having seizures.

All that nonsense is done at 6:03 p.m. You’re welcome.

Ultimately, Golden Gate is taking a swing. We can bemoan the removal of live table games, but we get the business considerations. For those looking for value, free is about the apex, and an open bar is a great way to kick off an evening on Fremont Street.

The free play is icing on the cake, and if you get $500 or $1,000, it’s nearly impossible to walk out with some winnings. (No, you can’t just put the free play in the machine and cash out, you have to play it through. The winnings are yours to keep, of course.)

Derek Stevens and his team are watching the metrics closely, and there are likely to be further tweaks to the open bar and free play giveaway. But they’re saying this isn’t just a flash in the pan, it’s both a test and sort of a gift.

It’s a reminder value is still a thing in Las Vegas, despite all the clickbait headlines.