the first casino was opened in las vegas in 1931.
when was the first casino opened in las vegas?
1931
though during the early 20th century gambling had been mostly illegal throughout the nation, nevada legalized gambling in 1931. initially this development sparked minimal national attention but during the 1940s the city of las vegas had begun to attract interest from gaming figures around the country. as tolerance of illegal gambling and other vice in texas gradually waned and crackdowns on vice by state and local officials increased, many gaming leaders in the state began to move their operations to the nevada desert becoming instrumental in the city's development. in 1942, dallas theater magnate r. e. griffith opened the hotel last frontier, the second major casino to be built in las vegas and the most luxurious until the 1950s. galveston's sam maceo became a major investor and facilitator for moe dalitz's desert inn, which opened in 1950. houston's jakie freedman opened the sands hotel and casino in 1952 at a cost of $5.5 million ($ in today's terms). benny binion was a partner in the las vegas club and opened the binion's horseshoe casino. galveston's american national insurance company helped to finance much of the development las vegas and was even investigated for its connections to organized crime.
history of vice in texas
wynn's first major casino on the las vegas strip was the mirage, which opened on november 22, 1989. it was the first time wynn was involved with the design and construction of a casino, and he financed the $630 million project largely with high-yield bonds issued by michael milken. the resort's high cost and emphasis on luxury meant that it was considered high risk at the time, though the project ended up being enormously lucrative. the hotel, with its erupting volcano and south seas theme, ignited a $12 billion building boom on the strip. its construction is also considered noteworthy in that wynn had set a new standard for vegas resorts, and when it opened the mirage was the first casino to use security cameras full-time on all table games. known for its entertainment, the hotel became the main venue for the "siegfried & roy" show in 1990, and in 1993 the hotel hosted the cirque du soleil show "nouvelle expérience". afterwards wynn invited cirque to create "mystère" for the soon-to-be-built treasure island resort next door. after mirage, wynn's next project treasure island hotel and casino opened in the mirage's old parking lot on october 27, 1993, at an overall cost of $450 million. intended to be family-friendly, pools in front of the casino enacted the battle of buccaneer bay with two full-sized sailing ships, while the interior featured romantic tropical island theming. the establishment was the home of the first permanent cirque du soleil show in las vegas, and the show went on to be voted nine times as the best production show in the city by the "las vegas review journal" reader's poll.
steve wynn