Las Vegas Weekly

Hard Rock’s Wasted Space to close

MXPX perform at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel.

Photo: Hew Burney/Hard Rock Hotel

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is closing its Wasted Space nightclub after two years of operation, a Hard Rock spokeswoman said today.

The nightlife and concert venue will close before spring 2011 to make room for a new race and sports book, Hard Rock spokeswoman Jessie Pound said.

Photo: Hard Rock Hotel

Pink and Carey Hart at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel on May 8, 2010.

Pound said there isn't an immediate timeline on when Wasted Space will close, but acts are booked at the venue through October.

Branded as Hard Rock’s “anti-club,” Wasted Space opened in July 2008 with the idea of a looser dress code than other nightclubs in town and a place for performers to play more intimate shows. The 5,000-square-foot club holds between 400 and 500 people.

Wasted Space was designed by motocross star Carey Hart, who also operates Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company inside Hard Rock. The club brought in some high-profile investors, including musicians Joel and Benji Madden and baseball star Jason Giambi. Giambi is also a co-owner in Vanity nightclub at Hard Rock.

The venue’s opening night brought Gavin Rossdale and super group Camp Freddy and continued on to host names like MXPX, Snow Patrol and Hart’s wife, Pink. Acts left on Wasted Space’s upcoming roster include Drowning Pool, Hot Hot Heat and Adler’s Appetite.

In announcing changes with its race and sports book, Hard Rock also said today it has signed a deal with Cantor Gaming to operate the property’s sports book.

Pending regulatory approval, Cantor will install its in-running mobile gaming technology at the Hard Rock sports book. Hard Rock signed a deal with Cantor in February to become the third Las Vegas casino to offer Cantor’s eDeck mobile gaming technology. M Resort and Venetian both have the technology.

Originally published by Las Vegas Sun