Derek Stevens buys Mermaids and La Bayou

Downtown Las Vegas king Derek Stevens plans to expand his Fremont Street empire even further. He has agreed to purchase Mermaids and La Bayou casinos, as well as the Glitter Gulch strip club.

Those properties will close on June 27th. The real estate will then be used to facilitate the expansion and remodeling of the Stevens owned property formerly known as Las Vegas Club.

Expanding the Las Vegas Club space into the Mermaids space seems like a great idea, as it will extend the property down into the heart of Fremont Street - attracting more foot traffic.

Expansion of Golden Gate - also owned by Stevens - into the La Bayou space also seems like a possibility, but it's kind of hard to tell at this point.

Derek Stevens has quickly become one of the most popular casino owners in Las Vegas by interacting directly with his customers at the bar and in the casino. Rumor has it he shakes so many hands every day that he has to soak his hand in ice each night.

Stevens has also gained international notoriety with some of the creative marketing techniques he's used to promote The D and Golden Gate.