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Station to Buy Wildfire Casino

LAS VEGAS -- Locals gaming goliath Station Casinos has reached a deal to buy the Wildfire, a small locals casino on Rancho Drive.

The Wildfire's current owners, brothers John and James Bauchman, would transfer ownership of the 20,000-square-foot casino to Station Casinos if Nevada regulators approve the transaction as expected.

The Bauchmans spent $11 million to build the Wildfire, which opened in December 2001 at the site of the former Ernie's, a fixture on the site since 1958. The parties to the new sale wouldn't disclose the price.

The deal would add the Wildfire's 218 slots and six table games to the more than 8,000 machines and 170 tables operated at Station's Rancho Drive-area properties, the Santa Fe Station, Fiesta Rancho, Texas Station and Palace Station.

"We've maintained a relationship with the Wildfire owners since the property opened, and in our talks saw an opportunity that worked for both parties," said Scott Nielson, Station's executive vice president and chief legal officer. "We see it as a nice looking, new property. We intend to operate the Wildfire and keep its name."

Nielson said the property will retain Wildfire's 130 employees.

"This should be great news for the Wildfire and its customers," said Huntington Press Publisher Anthony Curtis, a casino consumer expert. "Station has done a great job running their other two smaller locals places, Barley's and Wild Wild West. They're clever. They'll use just enough Station flavor to distinguish the Wildfire from slot bars, and I'm sure they'll do a great job."

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is slated to consider the deal at a special meeting Jan. 23. If the board recommends approval of the sale, the Nevada Gaming Commission would consider the transaction at its regularly scheduled meeting later the same day.

"If the sale is OK'd by regulators, we'd anticipate taking over the property a few days later," Nielson said.

"When you build something that takes more than a year of your life, and you put your heart and soul into it, it's a little tough to sell," said John Bauchman on Tuesday. "Candidly, I have mixed feelings about the sale. But I do feel good about the employees, because Station made a commitment to keep them."

The Bauchmans bought Ernie's in August 1999, hoping to parlay the bar's nonrestricted gaming license into a bigger and more profitable business.

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