We love us some rumors and speculation. Trolls sometimes point out the fact our sources don’t always get it right, at least not right away.

First, trolls are rarely MENSA members. Second, please note the phrase “not right away.” Sometimes, our sources hear about things months or even years before they happen. Things can change, or fail to materialize, for a variety of reasons. Our sources aren’t clairvoyant. Rumors often come to pass, however. Some just take a minute.

Example: In 2018, we shared a rumor Casino Royale (also known as the Best Western Plus Casino Royale) could be demolished to become a Ritz-Carlton. Crazy, right?

Um, not so much. The FAA is soliciting public comment about a proposed 699-foot hotel tower on the Casino Royale site. As the kids say, boom.

“Unique” doesn’t quite do Casino Royale justice.
Here’s our Tweet from August 2018, just for posterity, so we’re all clear where everyone heard this rumor first, should it come to pass.

The pandemic resulted in lots of projects being delayed or shelved altogether. This could very well be that. We don’t have specific information Ritz-Carlton is still involved, by the way.

While we take joy in vindication (it remains to be see if any of this actually transpires, of course), the possibility of Casino Royale going away is bittersweet.

This old-timey throwback is a gem, a thorn among the roses (of their fancy casino-resort neighbors), and one of the few spots on The Strip where value is still king.

We haven’t visited Casino Royale since they got rid of their table games in 2020, but we still get a little weepy thinking about the old girl being sacrificed for a hotel. Like losing the Mirage volcano, it’s more about the idea of the thing going away than the thing actually going away. It’s complicated.

The FAA document is long and boring, but basically, when a new structure is built, the FAA looks long and hard at whether the building will affect flight patterns and such.

Casino Royale is “2.56 nautical miles north of LAS Airport,” we learned today.

Here’s a look at the first page of the letter.

We’d show you the whole document, but if you’re reading this while driving, you might nod off. We’re all about safety. When driving, stay focused on drinking, the way Mother Nature intended.
Here’s the bottom line: “The structure above exceeds obstruction standards. To determine its effect upon the safe and efficient use of navigable airspace by aircraft and on the operation of air navigation facilities, the FAA is conducting an aeronautical study under the provisions of 49 U.S.C., Section 44718 and, if applicable, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 77.”

We do not pretend to know what any of this means. We are not FAA experts. And we are barely rumors and speculation experts. We are more of a napping expert. Maybe “enthusiast” is a better word.

Enjoy, FAA nerds.

We should probably recognize the name on the letter, Craig Dudley, but we do not. Google says Craig Dudley is a partner of Circus Circus and TI owner Phil Ruffin. The plot thickens. Could Ruffin have his eye on the Casino Royale site?

We reached out to Casino Royale to find out the nature of Dudley’s involvement, but haven’t heard back yet.

We will leave the more exhaustive analysis to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Which will “break” this story just as soon as the news release is issued. We kid because we love, and because they constantly steal our stories, make a phone call and fail to include attribution to original reporting. It’s a whole thing.

Anyway, as we Tweeted back in 2018, this is one to watch. Nothing is set in stone, but this FAA document is strong evidence something’s in the works at Casino Royale, and its days could be numbered.

It’s also a reminder that when it comes to Las Vegas, it’s best to not get emotionally attached to anything.