Gemstone

About Gemstone

A private steakhouse and lounge is being planned for the $2 billion Athletics ballpark rising from the former Tropicana demolition site on the Strip. The Athletic Club will only be accessible to season ticket holders and their guests during games and other stadium events.

The venue, to be located directly behind home plate at field level, is projected to debut along with the ballpark in February 2028.

Renowned restaurateur Will Guidara—celebrated for his tenure co-owning New York City’s three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and pioneering the “Unreasonable Hospitality” movement—is spearheading the design.

Hockey fans heading to Vegas Golden Knights games can now partake in way-cheaper stadium eats than the Athletic Club will offer. SMKD (Smoked Meats, Killer Drinks) BBQ has launched an upper-concourse food cart at T-Mobile Arena. Spearheaded by Top Chef Season 7 alumnus and Beat Bobby Flay champ Chef Alex Reznik (in partnership with Ogden Hospitality), the expansion builds on the success of SMKD’s brick-and-mortar location, which opened in November 2025 at 10895 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson.

How to play Gemstone

iGaming was not the industry I set out to work in. Before 2021, I worked in finance and business – agro companies, management consultancy and investment funds, none of which were remotely linked to the industry.

In 2021, I joined an investment fund focused on startups harnessing AI and machine learning. In the process, I had a chance encounter with an iGaming investor. This sparked a conversation that would change the course of my career. He pointed out that iGaming was dramatically underutilising its data potential. There was an opportunity here, and once we began exploring it, the thread just kept unravelling.

I started out as an adviser with the Playa, but was appointed the company’s CEO in 2024, a position I did not expect to find myself in, but an opportunity I have embraced with open arms. As a company, we provide AI personalisation solutions to businesses, something that was totally new to the market.

What is Gemstone?

The growth, driven predominantly by remote (online) gambling activities, contrasts with a decline in physical gambling premises, highlighting shifting consumer preferences and market dynamics.

When excluding all reported lottery activity, GGY increased to £13.2 billion, up 4.7% year-on-year.

Remote casino, betting, and bingo activity was the standout channel, generating £8.3 billion in GGY, a 6.9% year-on-year increase and accounting for approximately 63% of the non-lottery industry yield.