- Oldest Casino In Vegas Strip
- Oldest Casino In Vegas Still Open
- Original Las Vegas Casinos
- Oldest Casino In Vegas
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The oldest casino in Las Vegas is the El Cortez Hotel & Casino, which opened on November 7, 1941. Golden Gate Hotel & Casino opened in 1955 (the hotel part opened in 1906). If you're curious what the oldest casino on the Las Vegas Strip is, it's the Flamingo Hotel &. See full list on bestuscasinos.org.
Las Vegas is largely renowned thanks to The Strip, a large section of the Las Vegas Boulevard South that is home to many of the world’s largest resorts and casinos. It’s recognized for being a city always illuminated by the bright and vivid colors that abound throughout the entire city. A place where fun is the priority, reason why it is also known as the Sin City; amusement parks, restaurants, casinos, hotels, live performances, shows… Las Vegas is filled with these.
Contents
- 1 Which are Las Vegas’s oldest hotels?
Which are Las Vegas’s oldest hotels?
However, how did Las Vegas reach such acknowledgement? Most of its fame is thanks to the hotels that have been built in the zone. That’s why we’ll analyze some of the oldest hotels to ever be built in Las Vegas – more specifically, in The Las Vegas Strip – independently if they are operational or not.
El Rancho Vegas
El Rancho Vegas was officially the first hotel to ever be built in The Las Vegas Strip. Its inauguration took place back in April 1941, approximately 80 years ago. By the time it was built, it had the largest dining room in the entire city. Some of the most interesting activities that El Rancho Vegas catered to visitors were a large swimming pool, horseback riding and frequent shows in its theater called popularly as the Opera House. Of course, it had its own casino, which counted with 4 table games and 70 slot machines.
Actually, this hotel is extinct. The Hilton Grand Vacations and Club Las Vegas Festival Grounds now occupy the space where El Rancho Vegas once stood.
New Frontier
It was also known as The Frontier and Last Frontier. After El Rancho Vegas, New Frontier was the second hotel in The Strip. It was opened publically in October 30, 1942, slightly more than a year after El Rancho Vegas was inaugurated. Its Western style attracted many visitors, which were eager to stay the night in one of the 986 rooms available. Even though it originally was intended to be a nightclub, it was remodeled to become the New Frontier Hotel. This hotel was the pioneer of the arrival of important persons to Las Vegas, because it hosted Elvis Presley’s first visit to the city, in 1956.
In our days, what used to be New Frontier does no longer exist. It was demolished in 2007, and the land it was built on will soon lay beneath the Alon Las Vegas.
The Riviera Hotel & Casino
Oldest Casino In Vegas Strip
The Riv, how it was colloquially known as, was inaugurated in April 1955. It set a record for the first high-rise building in the area, thanks to the 23-floor tower that was part of the hotel’s complex. It rapidly gained fame across the country and famous people started to visit this site frequently. Its innovative design and vivid colors that abounded in its facade rapidly caught people’s attention. In fact, until the day it was demolished, in 2015, it was a very interesting and striking hotel.
No trace of the Riviera is left, actually. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority demolished it to make place for the Las Vegas Global Business District.
Tropicana Resort & Casino
The Tropicana Resort & Casino first opened in April 1957. It is the oldest hotel in Las Vegas to still be operating. This resort was very impressive for the time it was built. It counts with a 21-story tower called “Paradise Tower”, built in 1979. The amount of rooms was also plentiful: 1878. It also offered 61.000 sq. ft. of gaming space, and until our days, the Tropicana casino is one of the most popular casinos in The Strip. Besides, entertaining shows are presented periodically.
Las Vegas is constantly reinventing itself. The city once run by the mob (*supposedly – I don’t want to get whacked) is now run by billion dollar corporations. The Vegas Strip is especially corporate with two casino operators, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International, owning 18 of the 28 casinos.
The people visiting Las Vegas have changed too. Visitors don’t want the same things that their parents and grandparents wanted when they visited Las Vegas. The casino operators understand this and restaurants, bars and shows seem to rotate every few months to meet the demands of those visiting today.
New Vegas isn’t the same as Old Vegas and that’s a good thing for many people. However, there’s always a little love for the past. Earlier this year we said goodbye to one of the oldest casinos on the Vegas Strip. The Riviera was imploded to make way for an expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center in the next few years.
Oldest Casino In Vegas Still Open
The next casino to go away won’t be erased from the landscape like the Riviera. Monte Carlo will undergo a major renovation to become Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas. Not all older casinos are closing or have plans for a complete makeover. Here’s a look at the 4 oldest casinos on the Vegas Strip:
Flamingo (Photo: Wikimedia)
Original Las Vegas Casinos
The Flamingo is the oldest casino on the Vegas Strip. It first opened in 1946 and has undergone many changes over the past 70(!) years. There have been rumors floating around that another major makeover will begin by the end of the year. Time will tell about the rumors. The iconic property could certainly use a little TLC.
Tropicana (Photo: Wikimedia)
This was the 3rd oldest casino on the Vegas Strip until the Riviera was imploded. It’s now the second oldest casino on the Vegas Strip having opened in 1957. The Tropicana has undergone a few ownership changes in the past 10 years. Every owner tries to reinvent the casino while keeping the south beach feel. Expect more changes next year from new owner Penn National Gaming.
Caesars Palace (Photo: Wikimedia)
This iconic casino-resort has been celebrating its 50th anniversary all year long. Caesars Palace is a much larger property than it was in 1966. There are now 5 hotel towers, a mall, massive nightclub, grand pool complex, a huge casino floor and more. This property has come a long way over the years and shows no signs of slowing down.
![Oldest Oldest](https://static.reservedirect.com/media/product/gallery/original/El_Cortez_Hotel_and_Casino_(5872_76).jpg)
Circus Circus (Photo: Wikimedia)
The family friendly casino at the north end of the Vegas Strip opened in 1968. Circus Circus has been a go-to location for two groups of people over the years. The circus theme with rides and attractions is a great option for families visiting Las Vegas with children. More recently this older casino has been home to many bargain hunters just looking for an inexpensive hotel room on the Vegas Strip.
Oldest Casino In Vegas
There have been rumors about changes happening to Circus Circus for the past 5 years or so but nothing more. Those rumors will eventually come true. If there’s any old casino that could see the end of days in the near future it might be Circus Circus.