The occasional news about Las Vegas goes without mentioning the Las Vegas Strip. The world's most famous street hosts the most popular casino hotels. It attracts Americans from all states and tourists from different parts of the planet.
All kinds of entertainment are available there. High rollers risk incredible amounts at the gaming tables, seniors spend time playing video pokies, beautiful girls looking for wealthy sugar daddies in casino halls, and fans of gambling rattle their nerves.
Do you know that the most popular street in Las Vegas is located outside the city? It stretches South of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada.
How has it become a symbol of the "world gambling capital"? And how did it get its strange name? Let's briefly discuss the history of Las Vegas to figure out everything.
History of the Las Vegas Strip
The history of the Las Vegas Strip dates back to 1931 when Nevada became the first American state that makes the gambling business legal. Clark County began to issue licenses for providing gambling activities.
The same year, Pair-o-Dice Casino opened its doors for customers on Highway 91. It was opened by Frank Detra and his wife, Angelina.
The gambling facility was located outside the modern Las Vegas Strip. It was the first casino opened outside the city. The hotel, with sixty-three rooms and a hall with gambling game tables, brought the owners an impressive income for almost two decades. A fire destroyed the hotel. Bootlegging during the Prohibition era was a source of profit for the owners.
In 1938, the Detra couple sold the casino to former police captain Guy McAfee. He renamed the gambling house, and now it is called 91 Club. MacAfee is said to coin the name The Strip. It reminded him of his native Californian street Sunset Strip.
The first casino that appeared directly on the Las Vegas Strip, though it was not called in this way, was Hotel Last Frontier. It started operating in 1942.
In the 1940s, the famous mobster Bugsy Siegel noticed the prospects for developing the gambling business in Las Vegas. He invested the mafia's money, and with the help of his partner, who would be removed from the company, he built Flamingo Casino. The construction of the complex cost a fantastic amount at that time, and the first months of its operation were unprofitable. It is believed that this was the cause of Bugsy's assassination. He was shot in his own house in Beverly Hills.
After Siegel's death, Flamingo Casino continued to operate. It was reconstructed and finally became the property of Caesars Entertainment Corporation.
Another cult gambling house in the history of the Las Vegas Strip is the legendary Desert Inn hotel casino, which operated from 1950 to 2000.
Subsequently, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and other famous complexes were opened on the Strip. We will not enumerate all of them because the list is too long. All casinos located on the Las Vegas Strip can be found in any guide, including the corresponding article on Wikipedia.
Interesting Facts about the Las Vegas Strip
Are you ready to read some interesting facts about the Las Vegas Strip?
- Thirty gambling houses were closed on the Las Vegas Strip during its existence.
- The Las Vegas Strip is the brightest street on Earth if you look at the planet from space.
- The lion statue near the MGM Grand Hotel weighs fifty tons. It is the largest bronze statue in the United States.
- Once, Howard Hughes, a famous millionaire, stayed at Desert Inn. He ordered about two hundred gallons of ice cream. Naturally, he could not eat it, and the gambling facility treated its guests free of charge during the year.
- The maximum winning amount in the history of pokies in the Las Vegas Strip was obtained by a 25-year-old programmer. His one-hundred-dollar bet brought him thirty-nine million.
- A copy of the Egyptian sphinx near Luxor Casino is thirty meters taller than the original version.
- The illumination of the pyramid near Luxor Casino costs fifty-one dollars per hour.
- Las Vegas Boulevard, where the Strip is located, has changed its name several times. It used to be called 5th Street, Arrowhead Highway, Los Angeles Highway, Salt Lake Highway, US 91, US 93, US 466, and State Route 6.
- In recent years, the cost of one acre of land on the Strip has varied from three to six million dollars.
Conclusion
Luxury resorts with huge casinos operate in many countries, but Las Vegas is still the most famous and popular gambling center. The Strip is the soul of Vegas, which continues to evolve despite financial crises, competitors' activities, and other challenges that the gambling world is exposed to.
Have you ever visited the Las Vegas Strip? If the answer is affirmative, share your impression with Casinoz's readers.