The results have both excited locals and drawn tourists from the comfy confines on the neon-lit Strip for an alternative, more unique boutique-resort experience.
Anamarie Ellis, the resort’s vice president of operations says finding a balance, and attracting both locals and visitors has come about in a “very organic way. It’s just treating everyone like the local,” she says on a tour of the property with Casino Life. “Non-locals want to have that experience too. Whether they’re just stopping in during their trip or staying here with us, we always hear how they want to try an off-Strip experience and go where the locals go.”
Located on Koval Lane, right next to the Grand Prix Plaza and just a block behind the Paris-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, the property opened by Frank Ellis in 1968 as a bar and restaurant called Village Pub. It was renamed Ellis Island in 1985, when Frank’s son, Gary Ellis, took over a few years later as CEO. A casino was added and eventually the family purchased the hotel next door. Ellis Island now operates a 301-room hotel along with the new-look casino.
Led by architectural firm Steelman Partners, the roughly two-year project doubled the space of the casino floor. It includes a new casino bar, a highlimit gaming area, and a Boomer’s Sportsbook. The expansion also added a rooftop bar, The Deck, which opens out onto the Las Vegas Strip.
Suzanne Steelman Taylor, vice president of strategy at Steelman Partners, says the expansion was “about creating energy and connection – an elevated, yet inviting environment that builds on the property’s legacy while introducing bold new experiences.” She explains, “From the vibrant center bar and massive LED screen to the striking custom artwork, every detail was designed to engage guests and make this favorite destination feel both dynamic, and refreshingly new.”
Elbow Room
The main purpose of the extensive remodel was to expand the casino floor. Known for having looser-than-average slots and low-minimum table games, Ellis Island needed the additional space to grow and meet demand. But in order to 
increase the size of the casino, the property had to sacrifice some parking and remove the on-site brewery.
“We had kind of outgrown the brewery facility we had here, so it made more sense to move it offsite in order to gain space to expand the casino,” explains Vice President of Development Christina Ellis-Stalker.
First and foremost, Ellis Island caters to locals as a true gambling hall with affordable food-and-beverage options. So it’s not surprising that those were the areas management targeted to improve. But it was the casino that garnered most of the attention.
Plenty to Eat
On the food front, aside from refreshing a couple of dining venues, not much has changed. Village Pub remains the property’s signature restaurant. Open around the clock, the remodeled café has a much more modern look as it continues to serve staples such as burgers, sandwiches, beer-battered fish and chips, and a handful of steaks, including an unheard-of $9.99 filet-cut, top-sirloin steak special. Other refreshed options include Ellis Island BBQ, Metro Pizza and Via Focaccia deli. Those fast-casual outlets serve as quick bite eateries, while The Front Yard beer garden and its outdoor counterpart, The Deck, have established themselves as party spots and places to catch televised sporting events.
More Tables, More Play
On the casino side, by removing the brewery operations, including the large casks used for fermentation, the property was able to double the size of the casino, creating space for an additional 120 slot machines. Ellis Island now has more than 400 slots, reels and video poker machines, along with a casino floor with 15 table games.
“We’ve always had blackjack, roulette and craps,” explains Anamarie Ellis of the table game options. “But when we reopened the new section we added Heads-Up Hold ‘em, Three-Card Poker and others.”
Not only did the casino gain space and grow outward, it climbed upwards as well. “We loved the lower ceiling for table games and it’s great for guests, but as machines get larger and larger the ceilings have to rise as well. So this was a great opportunity to open up this space. We had really no limitation on height either,” says Ellis.
Yet, the heartbeat of the gaming area is the new Center Bar, which has 25 seats with bar-top games and front-row seating in front of a new 50-foot by 11-foot LED screen – ideal for settling down with an Ellis Island craft beer and taking in a game.
A Vision for the Future
But perhaps the most dramatic move was the addition of The Deck – a complement to the resort’s widely successful Front Yard that, when introduced a few years back, helped launch the property’s resurgence and attract a whole new crowd of locals. The Deck brings a new experience to the property by offering sweeping views, especially attractive for Formula 1 and whenever there are fireworks on the Strip.
“It’s an incredible view,” says Christina Ellis-Stalker. “The number one goal was extending the casino floor but, with the extension of the building, we had an area on top of the roof that we got to thinking about. Through the design process, working with the architects, we were like “What can we do up there?’ This was where we landed.”
Adds Anamarie Ellis, “It was an opportunity to make the most of our space and we wanted to really capitalize on that. With our footprint we can always build up. This was the shell of what could be the future and right now it has an
incredible view of Las Vegas Boulevard. This was our opportunity to make the property what our dad always dreamed and envisioned it to be, for our family and our guests.”
The Ultimate Goal
Growth and modernization was always the ultimate goal for this renovation of Ellis Island. As Ellis-Stalker states, the company set out to take a “good property and make it great” as a way to reward its everyday customers and longtime team members, as well as attract travelers and create new experiences for their guests “We added the front yard and saw what that did to the property,” she says. “We then asked ourselves, ‘What can we do next? Where can we grow?’ That’s how the evolution of this project came together.”
While touring the property, the sisters reminisced about the project and the challenges of running a casino with constant construction. They learned much along the way, making decisions on everything from the color of the carpet to the shade of chairs and types of games that would hit the floor, all in an effort to keep their regulars comfortable and coming back.
“We really doubled down on the value component. It’s what got us here. Ellis Island is old Vegas, value-driven, with an attention to detail,” says Ellis-Stalker. “Now we have this bright, shiny new property and we want to show it off. It’s the same feeling as the old Ellis Island. It’s just a slightly different package.”
The Casino Life team would like to extend its sincere thanks to Gary Ellis, along with the Ellis sisters, Michaela, Christina and Anamarie, and their PR team for making this interview possible and for their warm hospitality and support throughout our visit.
***This exclusive feature was originally published in the June 2026 edition of Casino Life Magazine Issue 189 Volume 22***
