Gaming and Tourism

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra easily ranks among the greatest singers to grace a stage in Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. In Nevada, he achieved this status despite an often-cantankerous demeanor, run-ins with casino executives and state officials, and onstage struggles as he played major showrooms long past his peak.

Flamingo Hotel

The opening of the Flamingo Hotel in late 1946 signaled the beginning of the modern era of Las Vegas hotel-casinos on Highway 91, later known as the Strip. The Flamingo set a new standard of luxury for hotel guests and became the first of many stylish casino resorts constructed on the Strip after World War II.

Ffolliott (Fluff) LeCoque

Ffolliott LeCoque's career in dance spans the history of the Las Vegas Strip. She continues to work in the Las Vegas entertainment industry as manager of the show "Donn Arden's Jubilee!" at Bally's.

West Wendover

West Wendover, which sits on the eastern edge of Nevada, is a flourishing community, and a testament to the powerful lure of the gaming industry. The city is an offshoot of Wendover, Utah, which was established by officials of the Western Pacific Railroad as a watering station in 1907.

Elvis Impersonators

Elvis Presley left the building more than thirty years ago, dying of heart problems linked to his massive intake of prescription medication, but The King remains a surprisingly enduring Las Vegas icon. His estate continues to earn millions every year, his home at Graceland in Memphis remains a top tourist attraction, and Las Vegas surely has not abandoned him.

El Rancho Vegas

In Las Vegas in the late 1930s, when casino gambling was concentrated on Fremont Street downtown, a number of would-be casino developers speculated about the potential of building a casino resort outside of town on Highway 91, where increasing numbers of tourists were arriving from Los Angeles and elsewhere.

El Cortez Hotel-Casino

[VR Morph by Howard Goldbaum.]

When it opened in 1941, the El Cortez Hotel-Casino was considered the finest such establishment in downtown Las Vegas. It was the brainchild of Marion Hicks, who migrated to Las Vegas when authorities shut down Southern California's gambling operations.

Dunes Hotel

One of the venerated original properties associated with the Las Vegas Strip, the Dunes Hotel opened during a mid-1950s casino building boom, and soon became one of its casualties. Over the next four decades, the controversial Dunes would survive a succession of owners, allegations of hidden mob ownership, and marginal profits before it was destroyed to make way for several Las Vegas resorts including the $2 billion Bellagio Hotel.

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