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CEO of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas stepping down at end of March

Howard Stutz
Howard Stutz
EconomyGaming
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Richard Bosworth, the public face of the ownership group that developed Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, will step down at the end of the month as CEO of J.C. Hospitality, the off-Strip property’s management group.

Bosworth put together and served as the managing partner of the ownership company, which includes Richard Branson’s Virgin Group that acquired the former Hard Rock Las Vegas on Paradise Road and Harmon Avenue for $500 million in 2018.

He then oversaw more than $200 million in redevelopment, which led to the 1,500-room resort’s opening in March 2021. Bosworth will continue to have an ownership stake in the resort.

The departure was first reported on Twitter on Sunday by Vital Vegas.

In a statement Monday, J.C. Hospitality said Bosworth announced his intentions to resign in February. Through a spokeswoman, Bosworth declined to comment.

“Bosworth will be taking the next step in his career as he moves on to pursue new ventures in hospitality,” J.C. Hospitality said. “Bosworth will remain an investor.”

Bosworth, who is referred to as “Boz” by all who know him, also brought in Mohegan Gaming, the business arm of Connecticut’s Mohegan Indian Tribe, to operate the casino.

The casino was open for almost two years without a sportsbook until the U.S. subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Betfred Sportsbook was licensed to oversee sports betting operations in January.

“The absence of the book has, of course, been challenging. So I'm just super pleased that we now have the finish line in sight,” Mohegan Casino General Manager Joe Hasson said in January.

In a 2021 interview, Bosworth recalled exploring the idea in 2015 of an integrated resort whose business disciplines are overseen by multiple partners. 

Three years later, the ownership consortium bought the Hard Rock. The owners included Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group, LiUNA, Fengate Asset Management, Dream and Orlando Development.

Virgin Hotels and Hilton Hotel’s Curio Collection oversees the property’s rooms and suites, Mohegan manages the 60,000-square-foot gaming floor and the restaurants are managed by eight operators, including the Morton family, Todd English, Nobu and the Hakkasan Group. Entertainment company AEG operates Virgin’s events center.

Hard Rock closed in February 2020 and had been expected to open later that year, but the debut was delayed because of pandemic-related shutdowns and operating restrictions throughout 2020.

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opened March 25, 2021, with an elaborate party that included reality television celebrities who were hired by the property to appear on opening night.

Mohegan paid a $60,000 fine to Nevada gaming regulators to settle a five-count complaint for violating state-mandated COVID-19 capacity guidelines during the casino’s festivities.

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