Who opened the first casino in Las Vegas

By Steve Beauregard

The first casino on the Las Vegas strip was the Red Rooster, at the site where the Mirage now stands.

Years before gambling arrived in Sin City, the Red Rooster was actually a popular nightclub that continued to serve alcohol during the prohibition era. It’s strange to think that both alcohol and gambling were once both outlawed in Las Vegas, but it’s true. Nevada officials had banned gaming in 1911.

So when the state of Nevada passed legislation legalizing gambling in March of 1931, owners of the Red Rooster quickly took advantage of the new law, becoming the very first recipient of a gaming licenses in Clark County, Nevada. They were granted this license on April 1, 1931. Reportedly, they opened with just a few slot machines and one blackjack table.

Oddly enough, in addition to becoming the first casino on the Las Vegas Strip, the Red Rooster became the first casino in Las Vegas to lose its gaming license.

According to the book, “License to Steal” (a great book by the way), by author Jeff Burbank, the new gaming board revoked the Red Rooster’s license on July 7, 1931, after federal authorities raided the casino for selling alcohol as prohibition was still the law of the land.

(Here’s a photo of the Red Rooster)

So because of its short longevity, I don’t know if the Red Rooster counts. If so, you could say that the Las Vegas strip’s very first casino lasted for less than 100 days.

Pair O’ Dice

The other “first casino on the Strip” contender was established on a desolate parcel a little south of where today’s Stratosphere now stands. It was the oddly named Pair O’ Dice, which had been a successful club previously, but which was granted a gaming license in May of 1931, just a month after the Red rooster.

Like the Red Rooster, the Pair O’ Dice was built on Highway 91, also known as the Los Angeles Highway, which would later be called the Las Vegas Strip. (More on this can be found here: What Street is the Las Vegas Strip On? The Pair O’ Dice’s location was on land that would later become the Frontier Hotel and Casino (shown in the photo at the top of the page)- directly across the street from where the Wynn and Encore stand now.

Back then however, that parcel of land was in the middle of nowhere. Owners of the Pair O’ Dice purposely built the nightclub/casino south of downtown, so as to try to capture some of the Los Angeles tourist traffic headed on Hwy 91 into downtown. Like the Red Rooster, they too illegally served alcohol, but were somehow spared the wrath of the United States government, and continued to stay open.

After years and years of successfully operating as “The Frontier”, and then the “New Frontier” Hotel and Casino, the resort was closed and demolished in 2007. Grand plans to build a replica of the famous Plaza Hotel in New York City on the now-vacant land have failed to materialize, meaning this parcel of land on the Las Vegas strip was busier and more happening back in 1931 than it is today.

First Resort on the Las Vegas Strip

While the Pair O’ Dice was the first sustained casino on the Strip, the first resort (and by “resort” we mean casino with a hotel), was the El Rancho Vegas, which opened in April of 1941.

Unlike the Pair O ‘ Dice, which was basically a nightclub with a few slot machines, one blackjack table, one craps table, and one roulette wheel, the El Rancho Vegas was more like the grandpa of the Strip casinos we know today. It had a swimming pool (a big feature for hotel guests at the time), a showroom, the first buffet in the nation, and fancier accommodations than at the hotels on Fremont Street a few miles to the North.

According to UNLV, the resort also had a whopping 70 slot machines, and 4 table games, and the largest restaurant in Las Vegas. The hotel portion consisted of 63 rooms. This first Las Vegas resort sat on the land across from what is now the Sahara Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

Flamingo the First Casino?

One false, but common belief is that the Flamingo was the first hotel/casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Warren Beatty/Annette Bening 1991 hit film “Bugsy” helped spread the misconception around. In one dramatic scene, Warren Beatty’s character Bugsy, (based on mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel) stops his car in the middle of a lonely desolate highway in the desert. Here, as it was told, Bugsy came up with his vision of what would soon be the luxurious Flamingo Hotel and Casino.

In reality however, Siegel and his mob associates purchased a majority interest in the already-planned resort, with Bugsy forcibly taking over the design and construction aspects.

In fact, the Flamingo opened on December 26, 1946 – a good 15 years after the opening of the Pair O’ Dice a mile up the road, and five years after the opening of El Rancho Vegas. For their part, Flamingo officials can brag that they were the first casino on the southern part of the Las Vegas strip.

What the Pair O ‘ Dice, El Rancho Vegas, and Flamingo started, has turned into a multi-billion dollar miles-long stretch of entertainment that is the premier gambling destination in the country.

Of the Strip, and nearby Strip properties, twenty-two are mega resorts, which the UNLV Center for Gaming defines as a resort having gaming revenues of at least $72 million per year.

Combine, Strip properties bring in over a billion dollars of gaming revenue a year – a pretty big change from the small, humble Red Rooster, Pair O’ Dice and some of the other first hotel/casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

Spanish for ‘The Meadows’, Las Vegas got its name because of its provision of spring-fed water. The city was officially recognised in 1905, becoming a perfect resting oasis for The Union Pacific Railroad. 2005 brought celebrations for the city’s centennial commemoration, although everybody knows that this place never needs an excuse to party.

Although recognised during 1905, it did not become incorporated as an official city until 1911. During Great Depression Era (the 1930’s), people were eagerly seeking work. Thousands flocked to this area. Building the Hoover Dam (formerly known as Boulder Dam) began construction on Colorado River.

Nevada was first in the country to legalise gambling. The Las Vegas gaming industry got its start in 1931 when Clark County issued a three-month gaming license to a downtown club. Not long after this, a dusty desert road came to life south of downtown. Once just a nicknamed ‘Strip’, she is now a much more famous street.

Something that most people do not know about the Strip is that she lies outside of city limits; officially under Clark County jurisdiction. Opening 1946 on New Year’s Eve, Flamingo was one of the earliest resorts along here. This establishment was built with mob money supplied by gangsters Benjamin Siegel (‘Bugsy’) and Meyer Lansky.

These earlier days had fewer restrictions with no state speed limits, no state income or sales tax, no waiting period for marriage licenses, with gambling being completely unregulated. It is easy to see how Las Vegas earned its reputation for fun, carefree behaviour. Gambling involved using silver dollars, which were replaced by now recognised silver dollar sized plastic chips.

Once 1950 hit with its explosion of Elvis, The Rat Pack, Liberace, the area was now a real destination for a vacation. At this time it also held a reputation as number one place in America for quick marriages as well as divorces. There were close to 1,800 rooms o the Strip with rooms going for an average of $7.50 a day. With rooms nowadays averaging between $50.00 to $300.00 a night, things have changed. There are also more than 150,000 rooms now. One thing that has remained consistent over time; an average stay is still 3 or 4 days with most of these visits falling on a weekend.

The 1960’s brought multiple coin slot machines, with the mechanical penny/nickel machines being replaced with computerised dollar slots. As the city generated more money, visitors could gamble with more money. Today, there are even machines that take $500 chips. Payouts had grown from a couple of hundred dollars daily to several millions of dollars of progressive jackpots.

Some original resorts still operate today (now over 50 years old). Still using their original name, The Flamingo, Riviera and The Tropicana are still popular destinations. The birth of the showgirl cabarets occurred at Minsky’s Follies at the Dunes Resort around 1957. An attraction that is now a staple feature of casinos.

Another attraction Las Vegas is known for is their amazing shows. The original one came from The Stardust around 1960. They brought in the Lido de Paris from France. The Tropicana bought rights to infamous Follies Bergere during 1959; this show continued for almost 50 years. Finally closing in 2009, it has been the longest running performance.

In 1959, the Convention Center was opened, with a goal of keeping rooms filled during slow months. People would like trave here for an assortment of conventions. Now boasting 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space, it is one of the largest convention centres worldwide, with over 5.5 million convention goers meet there every year.

1960 and years to follow saw more recognised casinos of today opening their doors; Caesars Palace being first in 1966. Followed by many other names that we see today. A few older resorts have kept their traditional atmosphere, but most newer additions and a few older establishments kept up with current trends, offering newer features.

As times change so does Las Vegas. With each visit, you are likely to see something new. There is always building, expansions and remodelling to strip residents. One thing that noticeably changed was an overall theme; no longer a family style vacation place, locals now caters to adults or convention goers who come to party while spending money. The birth of Sin City, as we now know her, had arrived.

In1990 several older resorts were imploded to make room for newer mega-resorts designed with big spenders as the top priority. The Vegas World which is a legend in history books became The Stratosphere in 1996. However, the poor location at the far north end of the Strip hurt its popularity and she did not benefit from class renovations like those resorts discussed next.

The Dunes turned into Bellagio; The Sands became Venetian; Hacienda turned into Mandalay Bay, and The Desert is now The Wynn mega resort. These newer resorts are commonly thought to be defined as best that Vegas has to offer, regarding lodging and amenities. If you do your research, it is not impossible to get into these places for reasonable prices. There are several strategies available to keep the 150,000 plus rooms filled year round, so if you look, you can find a deal.

The “New Vegas.”

Mega casinos now dominate the Strip, which is no longer a dusty road. Steve Wynn is praised for his design and development of the more famous luxurious Las Vegas hotels. Each new addition is more lavish than its predecessor, and emphasis has transformed from gambling to being an upscale destination.

Wynn’s changes started downtown, with The Golden Nugget, selling this to build The Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. He created new luxuries with his new mainly expensive hotels, with each being unbelievable success stories. He also brought the Cirque du Soleil acrobatic show from Canada to his Treasure Island resort. Almost twenty years later, now known as ‘Mystere’, performances continue today. Since this introduction, seven Cirque du Soleil shows now play and are regularly sold out attractions.

The MGM Grand Corporation ought Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio around 2000. After this, Wynn turned his sights to a new 50 story, $2.7 billion dollar project; Transforming Desert Inn into Wynn Las Vegas in 2005. Now known as the most luxurious resort in the city. Right next door to his prized hotel, Wynn continued expansion with his Encore Resort in 2010.

Wynn’s expansions did not stay local. In 1997, Macau (once a Portuguese colony) became one of two new administrative regions of Peoples Republic of China. Just like that, an opportunity was born. Portuguese government officials had legalised gambling back in 1850. China decided to continue this policy. ‘Wynn Macau’ opened its doors in 2006, expanding to dozens of casinos. 2007 marked a unique turn of events, as Macau overtook Las Vegas regarding generating gaming revenues.