In Harrah's Entertainment's pursuit to build an ambitious and expansive conglomerate of unified Harrah's properties and casinos on the center Strip of Las Vegas, the last major obstacle keeping them from doing so has been surpassed now that is has been confirmed that Harrah's has made a deal with Boyd Gaming to acquire the Barbary Coast Casino and Resort in exchange for property located directly near the Stardust Casino Resort, which Boyd Gaming currently operates. The acquisition of this property now enables Harrah's to co-join this large section of Strip property (at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Blvd.) into a unified assortment of adjacent properties.

The particulars of the deal were not divulged by Harrah's or Boyd Gaming, except that Harrah's will be spending $13 million per acre (on average) to make this massive project a reality. Covering some three-hundred-fifty acres, it does not take a mathematician to see that Harrah's will be spending billions of dollars on what many are predicting will surpass MGM's Project City Center after all is said and done. Spanning from Harrah's Las Vegas south to Paris Las Vegas, and from the Rio Casinp eastward to Koval Avenue, Harrah's will have not only take up the largest section of one of the most prized frontages in Las Vegas, but will be at the center of one of the busiest intersections on the Strip.

There will undoubtedly be certain components of the deal that will need to be worked out with regulatory standards of the Nevada Gaming Commission. Considering all government approvals take place as planned, the closing date for the deal should take place no longer than after the first quarter of next year. Vice Chairman of the Board at Harrah's, Charles Atwood, commented that the acquisition of Barbary Coast Casino will enable Harrah's to pursue its expansion while keeping ongoing revenue in the green. Ultimately, the project is expected to give one of the best returns Harrah's has ever accrued on any of their many investments.