The High Roller, Vegas’s newest larger than life attraction, will become the world’s largest ferris wheel once construction is completed early next year. The High Roller will be 550 feet tall (or 55 stories), making it 100 feet taller than the world’s most famous ferris wheel, the London Eye, and 9 feet taller than the Singapore Eye, the current world record holder. The High Roller is part of a $550 million project being endorsed by Caesar’s Entertainment Corporation. The project, entitled The Linq, will create an open-air climate of 300,000 square feet near Caesar’s Palace.
The outer wheel of the ride is expected to be put into place early next week. Following that, 1,500 LED lights will be placed on the ride to add to its glamour and prestige. Project Director David Codiga stated that “It’s going to be an icon. It’s going to be a part of your visit to Las Vegas if you ride it or not. It’s more or less impossible not to see it if you come here.” Codiga’s comment is most certainly true considering the only thing taller than the ferris wheel will be the Stratosphere Observation Tower, which stands over 1,000 feet tall.
The High Roller weighs in at 3.5 million pounds and will take 30 minutes to rotate its 28 passenger cars a complete 360 degrees. The passenger cars themselves will be mainly constructed from glass, allowing viewers breath-taking views of Vegas. Unfortunately for all you ruffians and thrill-seekers out there, the passenger cars will be fixed in place and allow for no swinging or swaying. And to answer the most important question for all you gamblers – No, the passenger cars will not allow gambling (or smoking). Instead, the High Roller will feature a 30 minute video to keep its passengers entertained (if the view isn’t enough to keep your attention for some reason….).
Unfortunately for The High Roller, it will not be the only ferris wheel in Vegas. In 2015, construction is expected to be complete on a 500 foot tall SkyVue ferris wheel on the Vegas strip. If that wasn’t enough, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York has recently stated that construction will soon begin on a 625 foot tall ferris wheel on Staten Island. All of this just leaves one question: How tall will the ferris wheel Texas builds be, and how many guns will it be equipped with?
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