The future is now at the Link Casino in Las Vegas
When you get off the famous street and enter the LINQ Hotel + Experience, you just need to realize that this is not your Las Vegas. In fact, the innovative additions to the Caesars Entertainment Casino building, and the futuristic, vibrant atmosphere, may not be the Las Vegas you knew and loved. Never mind your beloved grandpa. And if things go the way Caesars people wish, it could be Las Vegas that generations to come will typically consider. "The goal of our entire project was to redefine what the gaming experience is," says Matthew Kenagy of Caesars Entertainment, who began conceptualizing a new cool casino floor at LinQ about four years ago and was a driving force behind the team that finally came to fruition in the summer. "It really has a lot of people stopping in the street and saying, 'Wow, what's going on?' People are used to walking into casinos and watching lots of slots and table games. This is more than that." Absolutely. With so many traditional gaming options, the innovative products and amenities found in LINQ's 45,000-square-foot open space while staying true to what all casino consumers are looking for will not be seen in the strip's numerous accommodations. And guess again before accusing Caesars of simply keeping pace with the rest of the world and making decisions based on what the most important millennials want. The new features and advanced amenities introduced in RinQ are attracting players of all ages. "Yes, we set out on that path, but what we found in our research is that there is some behavior that transcends all generations," says Kenazi, who served as senior director of Caesars Strategic Development, Enterprise Games, before taking over as senior director of sports marketing in August. "Today, people come to casinos to pursue social experiences, and they like to try different things. So we kept that in mind as we created this space. It's built around the mindset that people want to consume new content in a social environment." Located on the former Imperial Palace hotel and casino grounds, LINQ's "social experience" element is ubiquitous. To begin with, the property adjoins LINQ Promenade, an outdoor shopping and entertainment area complete with new zip lines, and the now iconic High Roller. As for the casino itself, it has torn down the wall that separates the main building from the strip and is now widely open and welcoming. We have often said that the Las Vegas Stripes is one of the most popular places on Earth, Rinkyu is one of the most popular places on Las Vegas Stripes, and the new RE:MATCH bar is now one of the better seats at home as our favorite hobby. In addition to providing both interior and exterior seating, RE:MATCH features 27 touch screens that show the digital underwater world, with sea creatures like turtles, rays, octopuses, various fish, and sharks periodically breaking glass and jumping into their cocktail. There are also camera-friendly dolphins that can be used to take selfies, and video games such as saving dolphins from alien invasions or catching the most chicken wings every hour throughout the day and evening are available to everyone at the bar. Winners receive free drinks. The RE:MATCH concept is something you don't see anywhere else because everything from gameplay to technology to mock aquariums is customized for LINQ. The more you walk to the casino, the more resilient you become to a futuristic look and feel. It has been almost exactly one year since The Book opened at The LinQ, a place that has a stronger "living room" feel than regular sportsbooks. There are unique beverage offerings, such as sofas, pancakes, Xbox consoles, Build Yourself, Moscow Mules, and Self Beer Tap Wall. Pancakes have been well received, and Caesars was launched earlier this year at some properties in Atlantic City.