“Circus Circus is going to be sold, demolished, and they’re going to build a brand new megaresort –probably similar to Fontainebleau, Resorts World, Wynn, and Encore at the north end of the Strip.”

The aforementioned words were spoken in a video created by an unknown individual sporting the reliable grey hair, glasses, and business attire typical of a news anchor. He presented his shocking report to X/Twitter on September 27. 

“This is from an inside source,” Mr. Fake Newscaster Dude claimed. “It’s happening 100%, and it hasn’t even broke on the news. Vital Vegas, nobody knows about it yet, but you got it here from me first.”

Consider the Source

The Twitter/X account is called “Gambling News,” but it could only approach that username as @GamblingNews123 since the account wasn’t created until … drum roll … May 2024. 

Prior to the breaking news about Circus Circus, @GamblingNews123 tweeted 32 times. None of those tweets revealed any betting news — unless you consider "The Mirage is officially closed" on July 17, which is its official closing date. (Who anticipated that?!) 

Actually, 17 tweets from the account contained defamatory (if false) claims of illegal actions directed at gambling influencer Scott Richter. 

@GamblingNews123 is a fake account. It seems to have been initiated by a chauffeur known as LimoRob on TikTok. 

As of Sunday, @GamblingNews123 has 484 followers on Twitter/X, most of whom joined following the Circus Circus tweet, which received 150K views. 

The Evidence

Circus Circus is ancient, and so is its 89-year-old proprietor, Phil Ruffin. Due to the risks taken by Resorts World and Fontainebleau — perhaps not all the risks purportedly taken by Resorts World — the property values at the north end of the Strip keep rising. 

Indeed, Ruffin could sell Circus Circus whenever he chooses, and there are rumors suggesting that it is on the market, alongside Treasure Island. 

However, no such sale is near to occurring at this time, as per individuals acquainted with the matter, meaning there are no plans to speculate on the future of Circus Circus. 

There is strong circumstantial evidence challenging this most recent prediction, however. 

Predicting the decline of Circus Circus is by no means groundbreaking. The only kid-friendly establishment on the Strip has been slated for demolition since a 2015 Motley Fool piece stated it “just isn’t worth renovating at this time.” 

Combining it with Excalibur and Luxor, the writer of that article stated: “Revamping them completely would require billions, so they’ll maintain them just long enough to extract some profit before demolishing them for a new resort.” 

All three resorts remain operational and generate profits for their owners nine years later. 

After MGM Resorts, a public corporation, sold Circus Circus to private owner Ruffin for $825 million in 2019, we lost insight into the property’s financial performance. Nonetheless, Circus Circus seems to rank among the most lucrative casino resorts on the Strip. 

As reported by Vital Vegas, its yearly income stands at $90 million prior to interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (a sophisticated term for casino cash flow). This implies it carries no debt, whereas many of its rivals operate at a loss when considering expenses (such as interest on debt). 

Furthermore, in 2022, Ruffin invested $30 million in enhancements at Circus Circus, which is not typical for a property one expects will be demolished by the next owner. 

However, for some reason, let's offer LimoRob the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that his tip originated from an anonymous insider who is genuinely both inside and real — perhaps someone he met at the airport and drove to Circus Circus. 

Who can determine that this insider didn't misinterpret the truth or merely echo a false rumor? 

The Tropicana is set to be demolished through implosion next week. Additionally, Strip implosions are always accompanied by speculation and rumors regarding which Strip casino will be the next to go. 

Or perhaps the insider deliberately distorted the truth due to a grudge or another personal motive. 

Perhaps the insider was really Scott Richter in disguise. 

Social Disruption 

In a few weeks, this tale — similar to the one regarding Disney acquiring the Excalibur that we debunked earlier this month — will be overshadowed by new stories in the fake Vegas news cycle, while @GamblingNews123 will retain all the followers it acquired from the incident. 

Similar to the apocalyptic prophecies allegedly authored by Nostradamus 500 years ago, all such predictions ultimately fade from memory, which permits their revival time after time. 

Ultimately, Circus Circus will likely be sold and then demolished — possibly even within the same financial quarter. At that moment, whichever blogger or vlogger made that forecast most recently will assert that they got the details correct but the timing a bit inaccurate. 

We’ll allow the final word here to come from Scott Roeben, the founder of Vital Vegas. He shared @GamblingNews123’s Circus Circus update, adding this message… 

"He's right." "We haven't received any updates, yet we are aware of everything." 

Check out “Vegas Myths Busted” every Monday on Casino.org. Click here to explore myths about Vegas that have been debunked. Have a recommendation for a Vegas legend that should be debunked? Send an email to [email protected].