Unlike Atlantic City, its population, like that of many places in Nevada, continues to grow rapidly. Like Atlantic City, Reno has been diversifying its economy and expanding its residential base. At the same time, Reno's experience shows how a city can grow beyond gambling. While Las Vegas to the south tears down casinos to make way for bigger casinos, Reno has been trying to reinvent itself as competition for gamblers has increased. At the Club Cal Neva, the hotel will be converted into permanent residences, but its casino will remain open. The Sundowner Hotel Casino and the Golden Phoenix Hotel Casino & Resort will also go condo. The Comstock Hotel Casino is now filling with permanent residents, as well as those who use it as a second home.
Of eight condominium high-rises being built or recently completed, four were former casino hotels. No longer generating the revenue they once did, some underperforming gambling halls here are being converted into luxury condominium towers. This town of about 200,000 at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains is wagering its future on something beyond gambling.Ĭasinos, long the city's economic engine, have taken a hit from neighboring Indian casinos in California. For those who wonder what might happen to Atlantic City after slot-machine gambling starts in Pennsylvania later this year, Reno may offer some clues.
