Credit: Caesars Entertainment
- The University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment will open a technology hub in Las Vegas called Black Fire Innovation.
- The facility will replicate casino and resort elements—including an esports arena—for students and industry partners to use for testing and innovation purposes.
- Caesars Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas has hosted esports events for games like Gears of War and H1Z1.
Casino operator Caesars Entertainment has partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to establish Black Fire Innovation, a technology hub designed to explore and pioneer new gaming and hospitality features.
Black Fire Innovation will span 43,000 square feet and include replicated elements from Caesars’ casinos and resorts, including the casino floor, hotel rooms, virtual reality stations, and an esports arena. Students and industry members can use the space to collaborate and experiment with new ideas and technologies.
The facility is set to open later this year at the UNLV Harry Reid Research & Technology Park in southwest Las Vegas. Startups and private industry partners will also be able to use the space to test out concepts, leading to what the school describes in a release as “a collaborative research environment that will spark strategic partnerships and elevate student learning and entrepreneurship.”
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“We intend to accelerate innovation in a way that is truly unprecedented within the gaming and hospitality space, bringing together top researchers and industry experts in a unique, collaborative environment,” said Les Ottolenghi, Caesars Entertainment executive vice president and chief information officer, in a release. “Working side-by-side and with emerging student talent, technology partners, and the community through this technology hub, Black Fire Innovation is designed to spur the creativity and entrepreneurship that will shape the future of our industry for many years to come.”
One concept render for the facility shows League of Legends 
artwork displayed across several screens on a wall in the background, with computer stations seen nearby. Caesars Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas has hosted past esports events, including the now-defunct H1Z1 Pro League and last year’s Gears of War Pro Circuit Las Vegas Open.
