Seeking Edge, Riviera Takes Bingo Business Digital

By Alex Girda, Associate Editor

It’s no secret that many Las Vegas resorts and casinos have seen better days, but some venerable properties have found life particularly challenging Tin the wake of the Great Recession. The iconic Riviera Hotel & Casino is a Strip mainstay, but delays in developing the Fontainebleau and Echelon Place projects, along with the presence of less-than-premier retail outlets in the area, have taken a toll on the hotel’s walk-in traffic. For owner Riviera Holdings Corp., the challenge is to prevent the 2,075-key hotel from joining the ranks of   vanished Las Vegas venues.

Around the same time that Riveria Holdings Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010, the company decided to bring back an old Las Vegas staple—bingo. Riviera Holdings banked on the game to give the property a crowd-pleasing draw that would help keep the resort relevant.

Now the Riviera is taking its bingo business into cyberspace in the form of a partnership with Buffalo Studios, the Associated Press reports. Buffalo is responsible for one of Facebook’s most popular games, Bingo Blitz. Thus, Riviera is making a move in the online gaming industry while at the same time staying true to its intent of bringing back Bingo in a big way.

Whether the venue will reach its goals remains to be seen, but it upcoming Superstar Bingo tournament on July 14 and 15 could very well bring some much-needed attention to the property.

Photo courtesy of Sesquipedalia via Wikimedia Commons