After what can only be described as a roller coaster year for Opium Group, the management company, now in bankruptcy, has closed Las Vegas nightclub Prive once and for all. The nightclub on the Planet Hollywood property was closed when its license was revoked last July and Opium Group was fined $750,000 by the Nevada Gaming Control Board for violations including serving alcohol to minors and hiring individuals with criminal records. A temporary license was issued in October, and the club re-opened with a new management team under the watchful eye of the Board and the Las Vegas Police Department. Word has it that when Planet Hollywood, which is now part of the Harrah’s empire, recently applied pressure on Prive management to make good on paying the fine, Opium opted to close the club once and for all.
With the final blow now dealt to Prive, the buzz immediately turned to what will happen with the space inside Planet Hollywood. One of the names floating to the top of the list of potential takers is Light Group, which operates white hot Haze at Aria, The Bank at Bellagio and Jet and Bare Pool Lounge at MGM Mirage, to name a few. Should Light Group secure the space in Planet Hollywood, it would then have a foothold in the Harrah’s portfolio of properties, which also includes Harrah’s, Caesar’s Palace, Paris, Rio, Imperial Palace and Bally’s in Vegas and outposts in Reno, Nev., Lake Tahoe, Nev., Atlantic City, N.J., New Orleans, and Biloxi and Tunica, Miss. Stay tuned…