Gaming History - Week of June 25, 2017
 
June 25th
2017 - Sunday

1937 - Reno, NV.   The Reno Bar, at 209 East Second Street was licensed for 21, for about 2 months .

2018 - Atlantic City, New Jersey.   Soft opening of the Hard Rock Atlantic City Casino for invited guests of the casino that replaced the Taj Mahal. .

2018 - Atlantic City, New Jersey.   Soft opening of the Ocean Resort for invited guests of the casino that replaced the Revel. .

 
June 26th
2017 - Monday

1935 - Reno, NV.   The Dog House opened at 130 North Center St, Reno.

1944 - Reno, NV.   Eugene's opened at 2955 South Virginia St, Reno .

1979 - Atlantic City, NJ.   The casino opened on June 26, 1979 being the second casino to open after Resorts International in 1978. The casino first opened as the Boardwalk Regency omitting the Caesars name as the Casino Control Commission continued to investigate the corporation. In 1983 Caesars was added to the name and it became Caesars Boardwalk Regency. A 1985 expansion of the property included the addition of the 1100-seat Circus Maximus Showroom, replacing the 440-seat Cabaret Theater. Both venues have hosted names such as Diana Ross, Buddy Hackett, Ann-Margret, Paul Anka, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner and Celine Dion.
Link to: Boardwalk Regency Wikipedia
$100 chip

1979 - Atlantic City NJ.   Caesars Atlantic City is a luxury hotel, casino, and spa resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, it has an ancient Roman theme. Atlantic City's second casino, it opened in June26,1979 as the Caesars Boardwalk Regency. The 124,720 sq ft). casino has over 3,400 slot machines, and is one of the largest in Atlantic City. The resort has experienced much expansion and renovation in the past decade, including a new hotel tower, a new parking garage, and a new shopping center.
Link to: Caesars Website   Link to: Caesars Wikipedia
$500 chip

 
June 27th
2017 - Tuesday

1947 - Reno, NV.   Golden Gulch Casino replaces the Brunswick Club as the casino in the Golden Hotel.

1967 - Las Vegas, NV.   Frontier Hotel & Casino opens at 3120 Las Vegas Blvd. South, a Summa Corp. (Howard Hughes) hotel. The New Frontier (formerly Last Frontier and The Frontier) was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, US. It was the second resort that opened on the Las Vegas Strip and operated continuously from October 30, 1942 until it closed on July 16, 2007. The building was demolished on November 13, 2007. The land is now owned by Crown Resorts, which began construction on Alon Las Vegas in 2015 and plans to open in 2018.
Link to: The Frontier Wikipedia
$25 Chip

1995 - Coahoma, MS.   Lady Luck Casino opens.

2008 - Las Vegas, NV.   Klondike demolished.

2018 - Atlantic City New Jersey.   The Hard Rock Hotel And Casino opened. Taking the place of the shuttered Trump Taj Mahal.
Link to: Hard Rock Hotel Atlantic City Website   Link to: Hard Rock Hotel Wikipedia

 
June 28th
2017 - Wednesday

1980 - Las Vegas, NV.   The Sundance Hotel opened in 1980 on land owned by Moe Dalitz. Dalitz, an organized crime figure tied to the Chicago Outfit, faced difficulty from the Gaming Commission, so the casino was nominally run by his associates, Al Sachs and Herb Tobman, who also owned the Stardust and Fremont casinos.In 1983, Sachs and Tobman faced suspension of their gaming licenses due to charges of skimming. Dalitz applied to manage the Sundance himself, but the Gaming Commission stalled on his application, until July 1984, when he agreed to surrender management to Jackie Gaughan until the casino could be sold. Later became Fitzgeralds.
Link to: Sundance Wikipedia

1996 - Hammond, IN.   Empress casino opens.
When the boats first opened in Indiana, they were required to cruise away from the dock. They issued boarding passes to each customer. Even if they didn't sail, because of the weather, you were only allowed to board at scheduled times.

2018 - Atlantic City.   Ocean Resort Casino (formerly Revel Casino Hotel Atlantic City) is a resort, hotel, and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. It is the northernmost casino on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, located on 20 acres of land, adjacent to the Showboat Hotel. Revel opened on April 2, 2012, and after declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time, closed on September 2, 2014. Revel was the third of four Atlantic City casinos to close in 2014.
Link to: The Ocean Resort Casino Website   Link to: The Ocean Resort Casino Wikipedia

 
June 30th
2017 - Friday

1920 - Reno, NV.   Charles Mapes was born in Reno, Nevada.

1978 - Rochester Minnesota.   Over time, Harrah expanded his casino several times, and built a hotel tower in 1969. Harrah's Lake Club at Lake Tahoe is another story in and of itself, having grown from one side of the highway and then to the other at the old Stateline Country Club, but Harrah loved it even more, if that was possible. Harrah's Tahoe opened its Hotel in 1973. Harrah was a huge sports enthusiast, but nothing compared to his love for cars and his massive car collection grew to easily become the largest and finest in the world.Harrah trusted his top executives, and while he spent time walking his properties and demanding that things were perfect, he delegated authority and his managers appreciated his trust in their ability to manage his properties. Harrah died on June 30, 1978, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at the age of 66, during a cardiac surgery operation to repair an aortic aneurysm. .
Link to: William F Harrah Wikipedia

1996 - Las Vegas Nevada.   The Sands Closed June 30, 1996. On November 26, 1996, it was imploded and demolished, much to the dismay of longtime employees and sentimentalists.on June 30, 1996. On November 26, 1996, it was imploded and demolished, much to the dismay of longtime employees and sentimentalists. Footage of the demolition also appeared in the closing credits of The Cooler. The climactic plane crash in 1997's Con Air ended with the aircraft crashing into the soon-to-be-demolished Sands' lobby.
Link to: Sands Wikipedia

2002 - Bossier City, LA.   Casino Magic! closes.

 
Month of July Events
1937 - Reno, NV.   John's Bar (a/k/a John's Place) opened at 16 West Second Street. It was slots-only until October of 1940 when a license was obtained to run football pools. In January of 1946 roulette and 21 were added. In February of 1947 John's was sold to Bill Dixon and Bill Wirts, who changed the name to Stork Club.

1951 - Reno, NV.   Haymarket Club opened at 10 West Commercial Row. The property had been idle since May of 1949, when a fire severely damaged the Blue Bird Club which had been on the property. .

1959 - Aruba.   Aruba Caribbean Grand Opening. In the summer of 1959 the official opening took place of the Aruba Caribbean Hotel, the first luxury resort of Aruba. With the capacity of 120 rooms, the hotel provided jobs for 160 people, 120 of which were ‘locals’, the rest American managers.
Aruba Caribbean Hotel - 1962

1975 - Reno, NV.   The Sundowner Hotel-Casino opened at 450 North Arlington Avenue. .

 
July 1st
2017 - Saturday

1938 - Reno, NV.   Harrah's Plaza Tango was licensed for one tango (bingo) game. Harrah's Plaza Tango was located at 14 East Commercial Row, next to the Wine House. It was the second tango parlor opened by Bill Harrah, in Reno. It closed after two months.

1938 - Reno, NV.   The Monte Carlo cocktail lounge opened at 218 Sierra Street, in the Ames Hotel. It offered 21, craps and roulette for approximately six months.

1941 - Reno, NV.   The Mint opened at 210 North Virginia Street, former location of the Block N Club. The Mint closed in August of 1942. In 1946 Bill Harrah opened his first full casino at this site.

1943 - Reno, NV.   Acme Bar opened at 268 North Virginia Street, Reno. Closed January 10, 1944.

1944 - Reno, NV.   The Tropics, at 130 North Center Street, was licensed for 21, roulette, craps and big-6. Formerly the site of the Dog House, the site was redecorated with a tropical Hawaiian Island theme. The Tropics wasn't licensed after July 1, 1946, and it closed in February of 1947.

1948 - Reno, NV.   Harlem Club opened at 221 East Douglas Alley, in Reno. In 1968 the name was changed to the Soul Club, which operated until 1977.

1948 - Reno, NV.   Jim's Bar opened at 135 East Second Street, where one 21 game operated until April 1, 1949.

1948 - Reno, NV.   The Mesa opened on the Mount Rose Highway, offering slots, roulette and 21, in addition to dining and dancing.

1948 - Reno, NV.   The Rancho Bar opened at 3310 South Virginia Street, offering slots, 21 and roulette. The club operated until September 30, 1950. .
Swede Collet was one of the owners of the Rancho Bar

1955 - Reno, NV.   The Primadonna Club opened at 241 North Virginia Street...the first major casino allowed to cross the "red line" and operate on the west side of Virginia Street. In July of 1964 five showgirl statues were placed on the club's marquee; the center statue was 35 feet tall, the other four were each approximately 20 feet. Ernie Primm sold the Primadonna to the Del Webb Corporation in 1974. The Webb Corporation ran the Primadonna until 1979, when it was absorbed into Del Webb's Sahara Reno. On December 31, 1981, the Hilton Hotel Corporation purchased all of the Sahara Reno property.

1957 - Reno, NV.   The Coral Reef opened at the former site of Colbrandt.

1963 - Las Vegas, NV.   Lady Luck Hotel & Casino opens at 206 North 3rd Street, downtown Las Vegas.
Link to: The Lady Luck Casino and Hotel

1963 - Las Vegas Nevada.   The Castaways Hotel and Casino, formerly the Showboat Hotel and Casino was a hotel and casino located at the north end of the Boulder Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel consisted of a 19 story tower containing 445 rooms, a 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) casino and an adjacent RV park.Harrah's refused to sell the Showboat name, not wanting the Las Vegas property to be confused with Showboat Atlantic City, so VSS renamed it as the Castaways.The new owners never did well and according to the Associated Press, the facility was crippled by a downturn in tourism that occurred in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Discussions were held in 2002 to rebrand the property as a Holiday Inn and start a $57 million renovation and expansion,but these plans did not come to fruition. .
Link to: Castaways Wikipedia
$5.00 chip

1965 - Reno, NV.   The Sands Motel opened at 345 North Arlington Avenue, with three slot machines. In March of 1970 the Sands received the approval to install 415 slot machines. By 1977 blackjack and keno had been added to the casino. The hotel and the casino both continued to grow, and on April 1, 1981, Mr. C's Casino opened in the Sands...not a new casino, just a new name for the casino which had been known as the Sands Plaza. In 1999 the Cladianos family, the original owners of the Sands, sold their shares to Sapphire Gaming LLC. .

1965 - Reno, NV.   The Whistle Stop opened at 275 North Virginia Street, the former location of Poor Pete's. Whistle Stop closed in 1966.

1967 - Las Vegas, NV.   Bonanza Hotel & Casino opens at 3645 Las Vegas Blvd. South - later to be the site of the original MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

1968 - Reno, NV.   The Silver Spur Casino opened at 221 North Virginia Street, where it operated for 13 years. Late in the 1980's the Silver Spur was sold to Bob Cashell, who operated it as part of his Horseshoe Club until 1995.

1969 - Las Vegas, NV.   The Landmark Tower was a hotel/casino located in Paradise, Nevada. The Landmark opened on July 1, 1969 and closed on August 8, 1990.The Landmark played host to famous celebrities such as Danny Thomas, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Freddy Fender's first appearance.With just 525 rooms, the Landmark was small in comparison to the newer Las Vegas mega resorts.
Link to: The Landmark Wikipedia
The Landmark in 1978

1969 - Reno, NV.   The Money Tree opened at 211 North Virginia Street, owned by Charles Mapes. Due to the success of the Money Tree, Mapes built an expansion that opened on July 1, 1978...the same time that Reno's Circus Circus and the Sahara Reno opened. The sudden increase in the amount of available gaming and hotel rooms, without an equal increase in customers, meant severe financial problems for some of the casinos in Reno- including the Money Tree. In December of 1982 the Money Tree Closed.

1970 - Las Vegas, NV.   Little Caesars Casino opens at 3665 Las Vegas Blvd. South, on the Las Vegas Strip.
$100 chip

1971 - Las Vegas, NV.   The Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The property includes a 77,000-square-foot (7,200 m2) casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms. The 15-acre (6.1 ha) site's architectural theme is reminiscent of the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne style of Miami and South Beach, with a garden courtyard housing a wildlife habitat featuring flamingos. It was the third resort to open on the Strip, and it is the oldest resort on the Strip still in operation today. The Flamingo has a Las Vegas Monorail station, the Flamingo/Caesars Palace station, at the rear of the property. After opening in 1946, it has undergone a number of ownership changes.
Link to: The Flamingo Website   Link to: The Flamingo Wikipedia

1972 - Las Vegas, NV.   Royal Inn Casino opens at 305 Convention Center Drive. 1st casino owned by Michael Gaughan and Frank Toti.
Opening week ad from Fabulous Las Vegas Magazine

1973 - Las Vegas, NV.   Riata Casino opens at 3001 Las Vegas Blvd. South, later becomes Silver City - Las Vegas Strip.

1973 - Las Vegas, NV.   The property began as the $2 million, 180-room Flamingo Capri motel, owned by George E. Goldberg and Bill Capri. The motel was built directly north of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, where Capri was an employee. The motel began construction in May 1959, with a planned completion date of August 15, 1959. Douglas Honnold and John Rex, both of Beverly Hills, California, were the architects. Maurice N. Aroff of Beverly Hills was the general contractor.The Flamingo Capri opened in 1959. The original Flamingo agreed to provide hotel services to guests at the Capri.
Link to: The Flamingo Capri Wikipedia

1973 - Las Vegas, NV.   Mecca Club opens downtown Las Vegas, closes in 5 months.

1974 - Las Vegas, NV.   Nevada Hotel opens at 235 South Main St., Las Vegas.

1976 - Las Vegas, NV.   Sundance West Casino opens at 32 East Fremont Street, downtown Las Vegas, the former site of Gambler's Hall of Fame, future site of Sassy Sally's and Mermaids.

1976 - Reno, NV.   Gold Dust East opens at 34 West Second Street, Reno.

1976 - Las Vegas Nevada .   Palace Station is a hotel and casino located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Station Casinos and has 1,053 rooms. Palace Station has a large Asian customer base due to its 10 mini-baccarat tables and 2 full size baccarat tables, and because of its location near Chinatown.
Link to: Palace Station Website   Link to: Palace Station Wikipedia

1977 - Las Vegas, NV.   Bingo Palace Hotel & Casino opens at 2540 Rancho Road, Las Vegas.

1977 - Las Vegas, NV.   El Inca Casino opens at 4600 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. Closes exactly two years later.

1977 - Las Vegas, NV.   Maxim Hotel & Casino opens at 160 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas.

1978 - Las Vegas, NV.   Big Nickel Casino opens at 400 East Ogden, downtown Las Vegas.

1978 - Las Vegas, NV.   Holiday International Hotel & Casino opens at 300 North Main Street, downtown Las Vegas. Later this will be the location of Main Street Station.

1978 - Las Vegas, NV.   Ambassador Hotel & Casino opens at 377 East Flamingo, Las Vegas.

1978 - Las Vegas, NV.   Nob Hill Casino opens at 3411 Las Vegas Blvd. South, on the Las Vegas Strip, later becomes Casino Royale.

1978 - Reno, NV.   Circus Circus opened at 500 North Virginia St., Reno.

1978 - Reno, NV.   The Sahara Reno opened at 255 South Virginia Street with 900 slot machines, 79 table games and keno. The property was owned by the Del Webb Corporation. Never financially sound, the Sahara Reno was sold to the Hilton Corporation on December 29, 1981, and the property operated as the Flamingo Hilton.

1980 - Las Vegas, NV.   Slot Joynt Casino opens at 3750 Las Vegas Blvd. South, on the Las Vegas Strip, later becomes Boardwalk Hotel & Casino.

1980 - Reno, NV.   Golden Resort Hotel & Casino opens at 567 West Fourth Street, the former location of the Reef Hotel. It closes after less than 11 months.

1982 - Las Vegas, NV.   Paddlewheel Hotel & Casino opens at 305 Convention Center Drive, Las Vegas.

1982 - Las Vegas, NV.   San Remo Hotel & Casino opens at 115 East Tropicana, had been Polynesian, Las Vegas.

1988 - Las Vegas Nevada.   The Mint closed July,1 1988. Then was sold to become part of Binions Horseshoe.
$25 Chip

1989 - Las Vegas, NV.   O'Sheas Casino is a casino located within The Linq on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. As part of The Linq, it is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation and is connected to the exterior to a shopping/dining promenade, also owned by Caesars. The revitalized O'Sheas has three bars - the main Dublin Up Bar, the Lucky Bar and the exterior-facing Blarney Bar. The casino includes beer pong tables, a stage, a dance floor and a pit with games including blackjack, roulette, and craps. .
Link to: O' Sheas Casino Wikipedia

1989 - Reno, NV.   Flamingo Hilton opened at 255 North Sierra St, Reno.

1993 - Las Vegas, NV.   Debbie Reynolds' Hotel & Casino opens at 305 Convention Center Drive, had been the Paddlewheel, off-strip Las Vegas .

1994 - Philadelphia, MS.   Silver Star Casino opens.

1995 - Lake Charles, LA.   Isle of Capri casino opens.

1997 - Atlantic City, NJ.   Bally's Wild Wild West casino opens as an adjunct to Bally's Park Place. .

2000 - Lula, MS.   Isle of Capri casino opens.

2000 - Natchez, MS.   Isle of Capri casino opens.

2000 - Coahoma, MS.   Lady Luck Casino closes.

2002 - Bossier City, LA.   Boomtown casino opens.

2014 - Las Vegas Nevada.   In November 2011, it was reported the Las Vegas Hilton would be renamed as the LVH-Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on January 3, 2012, as the contract to use the Hilton brand ended. Like its now-former sister property, ACH Casino Resort, it took on its initials as its new name.The LVH was sold at a foreclosure auction in October 2012 to the only bidder, a partnership of Goldman Sachs and Gramercy Capital. The Navegante Group was brought in to manage the property. On February 4, 2013 it was announced that LVH would be affiliating with Red Lion Hotels.Goldman Sachs and Colony sold the resort to Westgate Resorts on June 30, 2014 for between $150 and $170 million. Westgate renamed the resort the Westgate Las Vegas on July 1, 2014. The letters LVH were removed from the huge sign in front of the hotel that day. .
Link to: Westgate Las Vegas Wikipedia   Link to: Westgate Las Vegas Website


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