The Pass Casino set for fifth ownership change as ECL expands on Water Street

The Pass Casino in Henderson, Nevada, is set to come under new ownership in a transaction that would place all three casinos in the city’s historic Water Street District under ECL Water Street.

ECL Water Street, the operator of the Emerald Island and Rainbow Club casinos, has agreed to purchase The Pass from DeSimone Gaming, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The sale is expected to close on August 1, 2026, subject to approval from gaming regulators.

The acquisition would mark the fifth ownership change for the long-running Henderson property, which opened on February 15, 1961, as the Wheel Casino. The original owner is not recorded by the Clark County Assessor’s Office. The casino closed within a year after the business struggled.

The property currently spans 17,756 square feet and includes 350 slot machines, six table games, and a sportsbook operated by Circa Sports. ECL said it plans to renovate the casino and add new amenities after the transaction is completed.

“ECL Gaming has demonstrated a strong commitment to our community, and I am confident they will continue to invest in the success of The Pass for years to come,” DeSimone told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

DeSimone has owned the historic Railroad Pass Casino, located between Henderson and Boulder City, since 2015. He acquired the former Eldorado Casino from Boyd Gaming in December 2020, renovated the property and reopened it as The Pass on April 1, 2021.

The site has a long connection to Boyd Gaming. In 1962, after the Wheel Casino had closed, local businessman Paul Perry agreed to buy the shuttered property. His attorney, Bill Boyd, joined the deal as a stakeholder and brought together an investor group that included his father, Sam Boyd, Joe Crowley, Bill Boyd’s aunt, and law partner Jim Brennan.

The group reopened the casino on July 1, 1962, as the Eldorado Casino. It became the first casino owned by what would later become the Boyd Gaming organization. The Boyd family assumed full ownership in 1966, and the casino was formally transferred in 1993 into Boyd Gaming’s corporate portfolio. Sam Boyd and Bill Boyd had co-founded Boyd Gaming in 1975.

Tim Brooks, general manager of the Emerald Island and Rainbow Club, told Las Vegas Review-Journal that The Pass is “a cornerstone of this community” and said ECL intends to build on the foundation established by DeSimone.