Delano rebrand to become official, more gaming news

The hotel formerly known as the Delano will officially become the W Las Vegas on Wednesday.

MGM Resorts International, operator of the non-gaming hotel property, confirmed the booking and reservation system transfer will be complete this week. The exterior lettering near the top of the building was recently changed to reflect the hotel’s new moniker.

MGM and Marriott International partnered for a long-term licensing agreement in 2023. In October, the two hospitality companies announced the rebranding of the non-gaming hotel known as The Delano Hotel to the W.

The MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy encompasses 12 Las Vegas hotels, of which the W Las Vegas is now one.

The 41-story hotel tower includes 1,117 rooms, all of which are considered suites. The property also has two restaurants, a spa, a beach club, and the top-floor Skyfall lounge.

The property, which sits on the campus of the Mandalay Bay casino-hotel, originally opened as THEhotel in 2003. It was renamed The Delano less than a decade later.

MGM and Marriot hinted that renovations at the hotel could be forthcoming, although no formal plans have been announced.

Below is a roundup of gaming news from across the country.

Senate holds hearings on legalized sports gambling

A U.S. Senate committee will hear expert testimony on the merits of legalized sports wagering during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is hosting the public hearing, titled “America’s High-Stakes Bet on Legalized Sports Gambling.” The committee is chaired by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.

Among the topics to be covered, the lawmakers will discuss the Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet Act (SAFE Bet Act), which U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut is a co-sponsor of, along with U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-New York. Blumenthal is a member of the judiciary committee.

The SAFE Bet Act would “address the public health implications inherent in the widespread legalization of sports betting,” according to the bill’s text.

Following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), 38 states and Washington D.C. have legalized single-game sports gambling, a practice previously confined to sportsbooks in Nevada.

The proliferation of sports gambling in the United States resulted in more than $11 billion in gross revenue for sportsbook operators last year, the bulk of which was generated via mobile apps.

Could 2025 bring gaming operator M&As?

Some Wall Street analysts suspect gaming operators could use the Federal Reserve rate cut trend to consider more merger and acquisition activity.

A Monday note from researchers at Truist Securities suggested that the environment for mergers has improved and operators appear to see the upcoming Federal Trade Commission as favorable. Barry Jonas, a Truist analyst, said 2024 was theorized – and actualized – to be an M&A-heavy year for gaming technology. The same could happen for gaming operators.

“That being said, valuation expectations and bid/ask spreads will be key determinant,” Jonas wrote in the note to investors.