Updated

Derek Stevens

American

CEO
Circa Resort & Casino

Derek Stevens is an American businessman and current CEO of Circa Resort & Casino. Stevens opened the Las Vegas Circa Resort & Casino property in December 2020.
Education
  • University of Michigan
    1986-1990

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

Stevens is known throughout the industry as an executive who interacts regularly with his guests. He often walks the casino floors and engages customers, something noted as “rare” among his peers

Stevens also has a penchant for sports betting and is known to place large wagers on games. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he gave Las Vegas residents 1,700 free airplane tickets in an effort to boost the local economy.

EMPLOYMENT

Stevens began his career working valet along the Detroit River. In 1993, he stepped into the role of CEO for Cold Heading Company, after its previous CEO left the position. He moved to Las Vegas in 2006 and began investing, gaining a significant amount of stock in the Rivera’s former parent company.

Stevens and his brother, Greg, teamed up to purchase several casinos throughout the 2000s, including Golden Gate Hotel and Casino in 2008, and Fitzgeralds in 2011, as well as the Las Vegas Club in 2015 and Mermaids Casino in 2016. The duo later demolished the Las Vegas Club and Mermaids to build Circa Resort & Casino at the end of 2020, the largest project of his career.

PRODUCTS LAUNCHED

In 2014, Stevens opened the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, a three-acre site that holds concerts, boxing matches and large-scale sporting event watch parties. The venue hosted a Don King-promoted boxing match that aired on Showtime in 2015.

Under Stevens’ leadership, The D Las Vegas recently welcomed Bacon Nation, a bacon-inspired restaurant that is open 24/7, to downtown Las Vegas. Bacon Nation is located at the D’s Reimagined Second Floor Casino. The opening was the result of a partnership with Downtown Hospitality Group.

During the fall, Stevens oversaw the launch of the company’s sportsbook in Sparks, Nevada, at Olympia Gaming’s Legends Bay Casino. To date, the company has six operating sportsbooks in Nevada.

Stevens remarked of the opening: “We are thrilled to welcome guests to our Circa Sports sportsbook at Legends Bay and expand our offerings to northern Nevada. Our team has brought some of the industry’s top oddsmakers and a menu featuring some of the best odds in the country.”

Premium+ Connections
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium
 
Premium Connections
Consultancy
Executive Profiles
Chicken Ranch Casino
The Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association (RGAA)
Catena Media
Gambling Commission