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UK
Casino Times
> The Story Of Vegas
11 September
2005
Las Vegas History. The Story Of
Vegas (Part 2)
(continued from
Las
Vegas History. The Story Of Vegas Part
1)
As
every online gambling fan knows, Vegas is the ultimate
gambling experience, the capital of world punting. As
Las
Vegas
celebrates its 100th birthday, we look at how a tiny desert
town turned into the ultimate gambling Mecca.
How The Strip Was
Born
Gambling was legalised in
Las
Vegas in 1931, but
at first gaming there was strictly small time. It wasn't
until the 1940s that the town really began to take off as a
major international gambling centre.
The early history of Las
Vegas is as colourful as the neon lights that illuminate it
today. Developers began building large hotels with casinos
in them in the 1940s, and it is widely held that this early
growth had crime syndicate associations, in particular
involving famous mobsters such as Meyer Lansky and Bugsy
Siegal.
The first hotel and casino
on Highway 91, which was to become the famous Strip where
you'll find the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign, was the El
Rancho Vegas. This was destroyed by fire in 1960.
The third hotel to open
there was the Flamingo, Siegal's initially unsuccessful
venture, which, legend has it, led to his sensational
murder. He was shot in his girlfriend Virginia Hill's
apartment in 1947. The original Flamingo building is gone,
demolished in 1993, but the name remains.
The Showbiz
Age
As the years passed,
gambling in the city began its transition into legitimate
business.
More, ever larger and
increasingly spectacular casino resorts, such as the
landmark Caesars
Palace, opened
both on the Strip and Downtown. Las Vegas was also
establishing its reputation as an entertainment capital,
with the Beatles playing two shows in 1964 at the Las Vegas
Conference Center. Elvis Presley first played in Las Vegas
at the New Frontier in 1956, returning to the city in 1969
and performing 826 times at the International over the next
eight years.
Most famously of all, of
course, 60s' Vegas was the playground of Frank Sinatra and
his Rat Pack. For more on this swinging set, see part 3 of
this history series.
Big
Personalities
Billionaire businessman
Kirk Kerkorian was a major figure in the shaping of the
modern city. He bought the Flamingo in 1967, as well as
opening the International Hotel in 1968, which was then the
biggest hotel in the world. In 1973, he added the huge
resort, the original MGM Grand, now Bally's,
to the Strip.
Another big personality on
the Las Vegas scene was eccentric film producer and aviator
Howard Hughes. He first got involved in the city when, the
story goes, in 1967 he bought the Desert Inn for $13million
in cash after being asked to leave when his ten-day
reservation ran out. The Desert Inn was bought by casino
owner Steve Wynn in 2000 and is now the site of the
Wynn
Las Vegas. It was
the first of several resorts that Hughes purchased in the
city, including Castaways, the Sands and the Silver
Slipper.
Bigger &
Bolder
More recently, amazing
resorts such as the $630million Mirage, the $375million
Luxor and the $430million Treasure Island have helped define
Las Vegas. New resorts and attractions are constantly
springing up, adding to the city's credentials as a major
international tourist attraction. Among the latest arrivals
is the $2.7billion Wynn Las Vegas.
Now, one hundred years on,
Las Vegas is the largest city founded in the 20th century
with a population predicted to exceed two million this year.
It's all come a long way since its origins as a dusty
stopping point on the Spanish Trail.
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The story of
Las Vegas, part 2: key dates
1931
Gambling is legalised in Las Vegas.
1947
Crime boss Bugsy Siegal, believed to have had a
hand in developing the first big hotels and
casinos, is gunned down in his girlfriend's flat.
1956
Elvis Presley makes his Las Vegas debut, at the New
Frontier.
1960
The first hotel and casino built on Highway 91, the
El Rancho Vegas, is destroyed by fire.
1964
The Beatles play two shows at the Las Vegas
Conference Center.
1967
Billionaire businessman Kirk Kerkorian buys the
Flamingo.
1968
Kerkorian opens the International Hotel in 1968,
then the biggest hotel in the world.
1973
Kerkorian opens the original MGM Grand, now
Bally's, on the Strip.
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Also in this series:
Las
Vegas History. The Story Of Vegas - Part
1
Las
Vegas History. The Story Of Vegas - Part 3
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