Recently closed axe-throwing brand sues former landlord over alleged ‘insider-tenant’ system
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Especially when it involves a popular Columbus business recently shuttering all locations. Dueling Axes, which closed its four Ohio locations and its lone Las Vegas storefront last month, is alleging that the closures of all five Dueling Axes locations are tied to an ongoing dispute with their Las Vegas landlord, Area15 Las Vegas LLC. The Columbus-founded axe-throwing brand filed a lawsuit in Clark County (Nevada) District Court earlier this year over the issue.
“Dueling Axes confirms that it has recently permanently closed its five locations, with local Las Vegas operations ending on July 17, 2026. The closures stem from an ongoing dispute with its prior landlord, Area 15 Las Vegas LLC, which is currently the subject of a lawsuit pending in the Eighth Judicial District Court for Clark County, Nevada,” Dueling Axes’ legal counsel said in a statement.
Area15, an entertainment attraction in Las Vegas offering art exhibits, VR experiences, axe throwing, and more was formerly home to the Vegas Dueling Axes location. An August 13th article in the Las Vegas Review Journal reports that the recently closed axe throwing bar and lounge is suing Area15 for breach of contract and other allegations.
According to court documents, Dueling Axes was allegedly one of the first tenants to “commit capital, build out its space, and commence operations at the Property” after opening for business in December 2020. The Dueling Axes location within Area15 offered a bar, small bites menu, and an “upscale axe throwing experience within its premises.”
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Per the lawsuit, “Dueling Axes quickly became very profitable, generating six-figure profits each month by early 2022.” It was around that time that Area15 allegedly made changes to how they marketed and operated the property, Dueling Axes claimed. The lawsuit continues to allege “Specifically, Area15 unilaterally began implementing experience-pass systems that were intended to, and had the effect of, promoting and benefiting certain insider-tenants within the Property at the expense of independently owned tenants such as Dueling Axes.”
Allegedly, since the implementation of the experience passes for guests at Area15, the property has made many changes to the offering, “each of which is believed to have been designed to promote and benefit Area15’s insider-tenants at the expense of independently owned tenants such as Dueling Axes,” according to Dueling Axes lawsuit. The suit continues to allege that one such change included written statements to property visitors that discouraged them from purchasing entry to individual attractions, like Dueling Axes.
Dueling Axes allegedly notified Area15 of their breach of contract numerous times per the court documents, including a written, formal letter on March 31st, 2026. To date, per the suit, “Area 15 has refused to cease its Competitive Conduct or appropriately remedy Dueling Axes’ damages.”
Additionally, the suit says “Area 15’s conduct has denied Dueling Axes’ justified expectations and caused it damages in excess of $15,000, which damages continue to accrue.”
The lawsuit also claims that “As a result of Area 15’s conduct, Dueling Axes has lost numerous contracts with prospective customers, resulting in enormous losses of revenue and profit, to the point that Dueling Axes is suffering substantial losses each month.”
In June 2026, per a publicly available timeline with Eighth Judicial District Court for Clark County, Nevada, Area15 filed a counterclaim. Area15, which houses nationally-known attractions like Omega Mart from Meow Wolf, has allegedly hosted over 16 million visitors since their opening in 2020, and has received designations like “Best Attraction in Las Vegas.” 614NOW has reached out to Area15 for comment.
Dueling Axes originally announced their Area15 expansion via a press release in October, 2019, as one of the early attractions committed to the space. The press release mentioned a planned 6,300 square foot space with room for 18 axe throwing lanes.
On August 3rd, 2026, 614NOW reported that Dueling Axes had quickly closed all their locations, and sold their mobile unit to Canal Winchester-based Square Canvas: Social Art Studio. Dueling Axes cited “reasons outside their control” for the closures.
“Because this matter is currently in litigation, Dueling Axes will not comment in detail beyond the public filings. Dueling Axes is grateful to its Las Vegas employees, guests, partners, and supporters. The company sincerely appreciates everyone who visited, booked events, celebrated milestones, and supported the location during its time in the Las Vegas market,” a statement from Dueling Axes’ legal counsel reads.
This is an evolving story last updated on August 19, 2026. 614NOW will update this page with new facts as we learn more.
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