Game Over for Downtown's Insert Coins

Say so long to Ms. Pac Man, Mortal Kombat and Donkey Kong. Insert Coins, the Downtown video game arcade and bar, is out of a home. Landlord Artemus Ham initially tried to evict owner Christopher LaPorte back in March, but that application was denied. The trust fund got the eviction approved on June 29, although online records do not give a reason for the eviction.

Insert Coins eviction notice. Photo: Eater Vegas tipline

LaPorte tells DTLV.com that that shutter is only temporary. "Due to a rapidly changing DTLV business environment, INSERT COIN(S) will be temporarily closing its doors," LaPorte writes in a press statement. "Being a part of the transformation of Downtown Vegas and enduring the highs and lows of these changes, we thank you for allowing us to present the INSERT COIN(S) brand as the unique combination of videogame and nightlife entertainment that we never lost belief in. Unfortunately, that commitment to the brand and the DTLV economic environment have resulted in financial challenges over the past year that we cannot currently sustain. We will continue to work to bring back to the community the INSERT COIN(S) brand that you loved…"

The bar opened four and a half years ago on Fremont East when the area was just starting to go through its renaissance.