Network operator American Fiber Systems has recently connected eight new locations - most of them casinos - to its Las Vegas, Nev., network. All properties belong to one client, whose name AFS declined to disclose, citing contract agreements.

Las Vegas is one of the biggest markets AFS serves, also operating nework infrastructure in several other states, the company's VP of Network Services and Development Bill Ciminelli said. Within that market, the gaming industry makes up about half of the company's business and the rest is shared by other private enterprises and business.

AFS's local Las Vegas network is positioned to connect locations along "the Strip" (the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard where some of the biggest hotels and casinos in the city are located) and downtown properties. Its intercity ring connects Las Vegas to Reno, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho. The company also provides access to major long-haul carriers and carrier hotels, such as Las Vegas' SuperNAP, operated by Switch Communications.

In Las Vegas, AFS competes primarily with CenturyLink (formerly Embarq), XO Communications, as well as most other major carriers.

There has been a lot of data center consolidation and relocation activity by casino operators in Las Vegas, Cimelli said, as companies seek to take advantage of some of the new data centers that have recently been built there and improve their business continuity systems as the gaming industry becomes increasingly reliant on networks.