There’s nothing quite like the Las Vegas pool scene. Or maybe hitting the sportsbook for some handicapping on NFL Sunday is more your speed. Circa Resort and Casino in downtown Vegas now offers travelers the best of both worlds.  

Stadium Swim is the ultimate mash-up, a titanic-sized pool complex allowing bettors to follow all the day’s sporting action, make a few wagers and beat the heat all in one location–365 days a year. 

The venue is virtually a stadium. It’s capable of hosting 4,000 people with a 143-foot diagonal LED screen with 14 million megapixels. It’s a sports lover’s paradise always keeping bettors in mind. Feeling good about the underdog in that first-round playoff game or maybe ready to make that Super Bowl futures bet? Take advantage of numerous betting windows right on site or simply break out your cell phone to plunk down a few dollars. 

Players can relax in the pool or in one of 337 lounge chairs, 30 cabanas, 38 daybeds and even two ultra-exclusive “owners’ suites.” The two swim-up bars are always ready for that next cocktail order. And when it comes to a nice cooldown, Stadium Swim actually features six pools–a splendid way to beat the stifling Vegas summer heat. Guests can reserve a spot for $20, but that can increase depending on the events of the day. 

The sportsbook and tropical oasis is the brainchild of Las Vegas casino impresario Derek Stevens. The owner of the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate casinos helped transform downtown with some major renovations and redevelopment. The properties still retain that vintage Vegas vibe, appealing to those seeking that Sin City experience. WIth Circa, Stevens built the first completely new casino resort in downtown Las Vegas since 1980. The property was previously home to the Las Vegas Club, Mermaids Casino, and the Glitter Gulch strip club. But like many properties, those saw demolition to pave the way for something new. 

Bettors now find a 35-story luxury hotel featuring 512 rooms, 1,350 slot machines and more than 50 table games. The property opened in October 2020, timed perfectly as sports betting became legalized across the country thanks to the Supreme Court striking down a virtual ban on sports betting outside Nevada in 2018. That not only saw sports betting surge in newly-legalized markets, but also in Las Vegas.  

And while many properties view sports wagering as an addition to the more traditional slots and table games, Circa caters specifically to the handicapping crowd. Beyond the aqua-betting scene, the casino also features a massive three-story sportsbook offering all the action one could possibly imagine. But for Circa, Stadium Swim is something completely different and a huge addition to the city. 

“A lot of pools in the history of Las Vegas were really designed as an amenity to the hotel,” Stevens said when announcing the launch of the property. “This hotel is almost an amenity to Stadium Swim.”

-Sean Chaffin