ECL Closes The Pass After Buying Every Water Street Casino

ECL Water Street bought The Pass Casino on July 30, 2026, and set Henderson’s last independent downtown floor to go dark. The sale puts all three nonrestricted halls on Water Street under Marc Falcone and Ron Winchell. Terms were not disclosed.

Tim Brooks, general manager of ECL Water Street, had told guests the company wanted complete creative control of the corridor. Joe DeSimone, who sold the hall, kept the 90-room Atwell Suites next door and steered his people toward two other locals casinos.

ECL Now Holds Every Casino on Water Street

Emerald Island Casino and Rainbow Club Casino already sat across the street from The Pass at 140 S. Water Street. ECL paid $64.5 million in 2023 for those two halls, which had been competing with DeSimone’s floor. Buying the third license ends that contest.

Brooks said the talks started in late 2025. He framed the deal as a bet on east Henderson rooftops, not on stealing a rival’s weekend. “We felt it made sense for us to have complete creative control over the three non-restrictive locations on Water Street… and The Pass is just a natural fit for us,” he said as the keys changed hands.

The Pass is a cornerstone of this community. We are honored to welcome The Pass into the ECL family and look forward to building upon the strong foundation Joe and his team have established.

Tim Brooks, general manager, ECL Water Street

ECL’s wider book already runs more than 45 small casinos and three dozen tavern-style spots across three states, including Jackpot Joanie’s, Winchell’s Pubs, and Golden West in Southern Nevada. On Water Street the company now has a closed loop: two open floors and a third it can rebuild without a neighbor bidding for the same regulars.

Brooks put a planned Emerald Island expansion on hold when The Pass came up. That is the tell. The prize was not another wing on Market Street. It was the right to treat downtown Henderson gaming as one product.

A Year of Dark Windows on Water Street

DeSimone hosted a farewell party as the property changed hands on July 30. The floor was scheduled to close that Friday, July 31, so ECL could start a remodel. In June, Brooks had said the work may take a year and that the name would change. By the handoff he said final plans and a timeline had not been set.

The Pass is a 17,756-square-foot hall with about 350 slot machines, six table games, and a Circa Sports race and sportsbook. Food still ran through Ristorante Italiano and Emilia’s Cafe. ECL told local operators the rebuilt floor would carry 450 to 500 devices, and that it would add 50 jobs against the count in place before the sale.

WATER STREET’S THREE NONRESTRICTED HALLS

Rainbow Club has no tables. Emerald Island has no tables. The Pass was the only Water Street room with a pit, which is why a year offline is not a cosmetic pause. Locals who want cards on that strip have to wait, walk, or leave downtown.

WHAT WE KNOW

• The buyer: ECL Water Street, owned by Marc Falcone and Ron Winchell, announced the purchase on July 30, 2026.
• The hotel: DeSimone Cos. keeps and runs Atwell Suites on Water Street, which was never in the casino deal.
• The slot target: Brooks said the rebuilt Pass would hold 450 to 500 machines, up from about 350.

WHAT IS UNCONFIRMED

• The reopen date: June comments pointed to about a year of work; on July 30 Brooks said the timeline was not set.
• The new name: Brooks said the name would change, without announcing the replacement.
• The full scope: Food, interior, and amenity plans were still with the development team.

Brooks said the company would upgrade food and beverage and remodel the entire inside. “It’s nice now, but we’re going to improve on what Joe DeSimone started,” he said in June. “We haven’t defined the full scope of work yet, but that should be forthcoming in the next few months.” Those months now run while Emerald Island and Rainbow Club stay open across the street.

Where The Pass Staff Went Next

About 60 employees worked at The Pass. DeSimone said he expected to take as many of them as he could to the Bighorn Casino in North Las Vegas and the Longhorn Casino on Boulder Highway. Brooks said ECL hoped to keep some of the good ones, and that most would follow DeSimone.

The Nevada Gaming Commission