Vegas Fun Facts
In 2009, I started a twitter account called @VegasFunFacts. At the time, I was reading a ton of books on the history of Vegas, and I thought it'd be a fun little account to have. It has since changed to @LasVegasTalk because I wanted to do more with it than just post fun facts. That said, I still love little fun Vegas-y quips, so I couldn't help but create a page for them on this site.
Some of these are historical, some of them are new. Most of them are facts, I think. Either way, have a read and feel free to share your own Vegas facts with me at @LasVegasTalk on twitter. I'll retweet and share them with my followers.
Cheers!
175 Vegas Fun Facts!
- When the Sundance opened in 1980, it was the tallest building downtown. Sundance became Fitzgeralds in 1987.
- The Flamingo was the 3rd casino/hotel to open on the Strip, behind the El Rancho ('41) and the Last Frontier ('42).
- Jay Sarno, who built Caesars Palace, left the apostrophe out of "Caesars" because he wanted everyone to feel like they are a Caesar at his hotel.
- The Dunes was the first hotel/casino in Nevada to offer a topless show. It debuted in 1957 and was named Minsky's Follies.
- Per Nevada code, no county with a population over 400,000 people can legalize prostitution. County license fees range from $200 to $100,000 a year.
- The first legal gaming license in the state of Nevada was issued to a woman, Mamie Stocker, for the Northern Club in 1931.
- The original Dunes towner, casino, parking lot, and other buildings all originally fit into the Bellagio lake.
- When the International opened in 1969, it was the largest hotel in the world. It became the Las Vegas Hilton, and now the LVH.
- The Sapphire Las Vegas Gentlemen's Club is the world's largest strip club, featuring 70,000 square feet of entertainment.
- The Rio Las Vegas was the first all suite hotel/casino built in the Las Vegas area.
- The first neon sign installed in a Las Vegas casino was at the Las Vegas Club in 1930.
- In 1955, the Golden Gate began operating as a casino underneath the Sal Sagev (hotel). The hotel then took Golden Gate's name in 1974.
- The first phone number in Las Vegas was given to the Hotel Nevada in 1907 (later renamed Sal Sagev in 1931 and Golden Gate in 1955).
- Wayne Newton had his first Vegas gig at age 15 (1959) with brother Jerry in the Carnival Lounge at the Fremont.
- The Palms Hardwood Fantasy Suite features an indoor basketball court with customized team jerseys and optional cheerleaders.
- In 1967, Evel Knievel missed the jump over the Caesars Palace water fountains with his motorcycle. His son Robbie completed the same jump in 1989.
- The International was the first Vegas 3-wing hotel design (also used by MGM, Mirage, Monte Carlo, TI, and Venetian).
- Though many think of the Flamingo is the first real "carpet joint" in Las Vegas, the Horseshoe was technically the first to install carpet.
- The exterior sign for the Moulin Route Hotel was designed by Betty Willis, creator of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign on the south strip.
- When Excalibur opened in 1990, it was the largest hotel resort in the world.
- Video Poker as we know it today was not popular in Vegas until SIRCOMA (now International Game Technology) introduced Draw Poker in 1979.
- Former Mayor Oscar Goodman was a part of the legal defense team that kept Tony "The Ant" Spilotro (Joe Pesci in Casino) out of jail.
- The Frontier hosted Elvis' first Vegas appearance in 1956, and the final performance of Diana Ross and the Supremes in 1970.
- In 1988, Binion's purchased The Mint Casino next door from Del Webb and incorporated it into the Horseshoe, holding the entire block from 1st to 2nd.
- Each "window" at Bellagio, TI, Wynn (and others) actually covers 2 floors and 4 rooms.
- The most expensive gaming token ever approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board was a $10 million Plaque used by the London Club in 2000.
- M&M's World on the Strip offers 22 different M&M colors to choose from, including teal and light purple.
- Vegas has nearly 10 million square feet of convention and exhibit space between the hotels and convention center.
- Fremont Street was named after John Charles Fremont, a 19th century explorer and general who camped near the Las Vegas Springs in 1844.
- Downtown Fremont Street was permanently closed to automobile traffic on September 7, 1994 in anticipation of the Fremont Street Experience.
- The Strip dimmed its lights for the passing of Ronald Reagan, JFK, Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and George Burns.
- Encore has 63 floors (3 more than Wynn), though floors 13 and 40 through 49 are left out. 13 is unlucky and 4 is a homonym for death in East Asian cultures.
- In the movie, "Casino," the Tangiers Casino is based on the Stardust. The song "Stardust" appears in the movie 3 different times.
- In "Diamonds are Forever," 007 stays at the Tropicana and states that "it looks quite comfortable."
- Liberace made his Vegas debut in 1944. By 1972, he was earning $300k per week for his performances.
- The five Vegas casinos robbed in the original Ocean's 11 movie were Sahara, Flamingo, Riviera, The Dunes, and the Desert Inn.
- Peter Lawford told Frank Sinatra about the idea for the original Ocean's 11 movie. Sinatra replied, "forget the movie, let's pull the job!":
- The Luxor originally had a river that circled the casino with a ferry that carried guests to different parts of the pyramid.
- Howard Hughes allegedly bought the Silver Slipper for $14m because the slipper sign kept him awake (seen from his penthouse in the Desert Inn).
- Steve Wynn once filmed a commercial standing on the roof of the Encore.
- The Flamingo is the oldest strip resort still in operation today.
- When the tower was planned for Paris Hotel and Casino, it was originally supposed to be full scale, but airport proximity made them change it to 5/8 the size.
- The Mandalay Bay was originally going to be named "Project Paradise."
- The Monte Carlo was originally named "Grand Victoria" and then was shortened to "Victoria." Finally changed to Monte Carlo.
- Regardless of what casino staff may tell you, Vegas hotels do in fact pump aromas into their casinos.
- During construction, the Luxor considered changing its name to "The Pyramid," but eventually settled on the original name.
- When the Palazzo was being built, it was the setting for the early construction scene in Ocean's 13.
- Steve Wynn wanted a new project. Original plans called for a tower addition to the Mirage, but eventually evolved into a separate hotel, Treasure Island.
- The movie "Casino" was filmed entirely in Las Vegas. Can see the Riviera, Fremont Street, Landmark, Lefty's actual house, and the Clark County courtroom.
- Billy Wilkerson came up with the name "Flamingo" (not Bugsy Siegel, as most believe).
- The lion that was featured at the entrance of the MGM was the largest bronze statute in the western hemisphere (45 feet tall).
- Zumanity was the first permanent Vegas Cirque show to require 18+ for admission.
- The LVH Sports Book ("Superbook"), built in 1986, is the largest sports book in the world.
- The 4 cars Rusty (Nick Papageorgio) won in the movie, "Vegas Vacation," included a '96 Mustang Convertible, AM Hummer, Ford Aspire, and Dodge Viper.
- Vegas Vic (the huge cowboy on Fremont Street) is the world's largest mechanical neon sign.
- Between 1951 and 1992, 928 nuclear tests were conducted on the Nevada test site near Las Vegas (100 above ground, 828 below).
- Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal convinced the Nevada legislature to allow sports books in casinos in 1975. Stardust was the first and rest soon followed.
- In 1945, famed mobsters Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway bought the El Cortez, four years after it was built.
- In Back 2 Future II, Biff's "Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel" was a mock-up of the Plaza Hotel and Casino.
- Producer Jerry Weintraub played a high roller in the remakes of the Ocean's movies. He played the same high roller character in Vegas Vacation (also produced).
- There are over 130 unique employee uniform styles at the Aria. Each uniform is equipped with a radio frequency ID chip.
- There is enough concrete in the CityCenter to build a 4 foot sidewalk from Las Vegas to New York and back.
- In response to Ed Thorp's famous "Beat the Dealer" blackjack book, NV casinos changed 21 rules forbidding split of aces and only allowed double down on 11.
- The blackjack rule changes from #63 were very unpopular and casinos eventually went back to old rules.
- The Thunderbird Casino opened in October 1947. Despite losing $145k on the craps table opening night, it became a financial success.
- Birth of the Vegas buffet goes to El Rancho Vegas in 1947. Rolled "chuck wagons" at midnight to fuel patrons for all-night gaming. Cost? $1.00.
- Steve Wynn's first ownership interest in a Vegas casino was a 3% ownership of the Frontier in 1965. Cost was $45,000.
- The Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino opened in 1955. It was the 1st major Vegas hotel-casino where African American staff/guests weren't restricted.
- Guy McAfee was credited as being the first to call Highway 91 the "Strip." It was in reference to the Sunset Strip in L.A.
- McAfee (See 69) had a hand in the Pair-O-Dice Club, Frontie Club, Pioneer Club, SS Rex (later Binion's), Golden Nugget, and Last Frontier.
- Billy Binion's "Horseshoe" wasn't just a clever name. He grew up in rural Texas working as a horse trader (and bootlegger).
- The Last Frontier Hotel was the 2nd resort built on the Las Vegas Strip (1942). One year after its new neighbor -- the El Rancho.
- The state of Nevada banned gambling in 1909. Illegal gambling continued, and was generally accepted, until gambling became legal again in 1931.
- Sam Boyd arrived in Vegas in 1941 with $80 in his pocket. Worked his way up, bought an interest in the Sahara, and was later GM of The Mint.
- Clark County was named after William Andrews Clark, who helped create Las Vegas in 1905 with auctioning off of lots around burgeoning railroad.
- In 1969, the Nevada legislature passed the most important gaming bill since 1931. The 2nd Corporate Gaming Act allowed corporate ownership of casinos.
- The first airport near the Strip was the Alamo Airport (1942), but was renamed the McCarran Airport (1950) honoring Nevada Senator Pat McCarran.
- Jay Sarno's Caesars Palace featured the Bacchanal Room, where waitresses dressed like Roman goddesses and massaged backs of male customers.
- Sammy Davis, Jr. made his Vegas debut with the Will Mastin Trio at El Rancho in 1945. The trio later moved to Last Frontier to be the top act.
- In a nod to "The Silver State" motto, Betty Willis put 7 silver dollars to back the 7 letters of the word "Welcome" on the famous Las Vegas sign.
- The Sands was the first strip hotel to permit a black headliner -- singer Nat King Cole -- to stay as a guest in the hotel while performing.
- Early on, builders thought that the Strip's hard desert and underground water could only support low rise buildings. The first high rise was Riviera (11 stories).
- Kirk Kerkorian's MGM Grand (now Bally's) was the sole casino constructed on the Vegas Strip between 1969 and 1989. Price tag was 6x that of Caesars.
- When the 2nd MGM opened in 1993, it had a 33 acre theme park, casino, 12 restaurants, 3 pools, 5 tennis courts, arena, and 5,000 rooms.
- Bugsy Siegel's suite at the Flamingo had reinforced steel walls, a secret trap door, gun portals, and fake hallways. It was also bulletproof.
- On opening night at the Flamingo, some Vegas locals were upset that casino employees required them to remove their cowboy hats while indoors.
- The Crystals at CityCenter has no architectural repetition. It incorporates 16,455 unique pieces of steel.
- The Barbary Coast opened in 1979. It later became Bill's Gamblin' Hall in 2007 (named after Bill Harrah). Recently closed for remodel and rebranding...
- The first motion picture shown in Las Vegas was at the Overland Hotel (now Las Vegas Club) in 1911.
- Las Vegas has been referred to as Hawaii's 9th island with over 80,000 former residents of Hawaii living in the city.
- The first black woman to receive a Nevada gaming license was Sarann Knight Preddy, owner of the Tonga Club, in Hawthorne, NV.
- Aria's main porte cochere features a striking wall of stone mined less than 30 miles from Las Vegas.
- Until the purchase of The Mint, Binions did not have a permanent poker room. The World Series of Poker was held on temporary tables.
- In 1969, the downtown train station was removed to make way for the Union Plaza Hotel/Casino, opened by Sam Boyd and others (now "The Plaza").
- The original Sands sign stood 56 feet in the air, tallest on the Strip at the time. The recognizable "S" was over 35 feet on its own.
- The Desert Inn's "Sky Room" hosted "Dawn Parties" where drinking marathons went through the night, culminating at sun break with an atomic blast.
- Ray Bolger (Wizard of Oz scarecrow) performed the opening of Sahara.
- Coin slot machine developers used the loudest metal available on trays to make the "clang" of coins more audible throughout the casino.
- The 4 Queens casino opened in 1966 and was named after builder Ben Goffstein's four daughters -- Faith, Hope, Benita, and Michele.
- The Sands, which opened in 1952, was the 7th hotel/casino on the Strip. When opened, it had 200 rooms.
- The Caesars cost $19 million to build. It opened in 1966, setting the record for most spent on construction of a Vegas casino.
- The original Eiffel Tower is made of wrought iron. The one at Paris Hotel and Casino is made from welded steel and is structurally stronger.
- Vegas has a ton of fountains despite its desert location. Most of them use "grey water" (i.e., recycled sink and bath water), instead of normal water.
- When opened, the Tropicana landscaped its grounds with a tropical theme at a then staggering price of $80,000.
- Bingo has always been a popular Vegas tradition, though it hasn't always used that name. In the 1930s, it was often called "tango."
- The Last Frontier Casino took the Western motif so far that, instead of a car, it sent a stagecoach to pick up guests from the airport.
- The Holiday Casino, opening in 1972 (now Harrah's) had a showboat as a podium and was nicknamed the "Ship on the Strip."
- The first World Series of Poker winner was Johnny Moss in 1970. He did not receive a bracelet, but instead, a silver cup.
- When Wynn built its golf course, Wynn and course designer Fazio salvaged and relocated 1,200 trees from the former DI course (some over 50 years old).
- Peter Buol was the first mayor of Las Vegas, winning the election by a mere 10 votes.
- In 1959, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was built exactly 4.5 miles outside city limits. Today, it's only .4 miles south of Mandalay Bay.
- Siegfried and Roy met each other on a cruise ship in 1957. Their first Vegas appearance was in 1967 at the Tropicana.
- The bill the Nevada legislature approved to legalize gambling in 1931 was authored by Phil Tobin, a Nevada rancher who had never visited Las Vegas.
- When Fremont Casino built its 13-story hotel tower, it was at that time the tallest building in the state of Nevada.
- The Sahara was the first hotel/casino to receive a loan from a local Vegas bank, the Bank of Las Vegas.
- Elvis first performed Vegas in 1956, when he was 21. Booked in Venus Room at New Frontier, which billed him as "The Atomic Powered Singer."
- In 1958, an exodus of grasshoppers visited Vegas and forced casino owners to shut off neon lights because the lights were attracting them.
- Vegas Vic stopped speaking ("Howdy Pardner") in 1966. Though he is still around, his hat was reduced in size to fit under the Fremont Street Experience canopy.
- The Luxor's inclinators (elevators in the Luxor pyramid) move up (or diagnoal) at a 39-degree angle.
- In the 1971 Bond film, "Diamonds are Forever" you can see the construction of the Plaza Casino.
- In the movie "Showgirls" the only interior scenes actually filmed in Vegas are the ones where Liz Berkley is playing slots at Caesars.
- Before the Golden Nugget's bullnose sign was built (and before Wynn came in and transformed the joint), the Las Vegas post office once stood in its place.
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal became a "daily" newspaper in 1929, reflecting the city's growth at that time.
- Each room/suite at the Artisan Hotel in Vegas is named for an artist that is featured in the room (or hanging on the wall OR ceiling).
- Victor Drai, owner of Drai's Nightclub, was the producer for the Weekend at Bernie's films.
- The "extreme shooter" nozzles in the Bellagio fountains shoot water up to 460 feet in the air.
- In 1945, advertising expert, J. Walter Thompson, received the first advertising contract to promote Las Vegas as a tourist destination.
- The real Caesar really did live in Caesars Palace...
- The MGM was the first to offer "skyboxes" in its sports book to watch sporting events. Each box can host 8-10 guests.
- The Orleans Arena at the Orleans Casino seats 9,500 people.
- The NYNY roller coaster tops 203 feet, drops 144 feet, and has a top speed of 67 miles per hour.
- At the Mirage, you can get up close and personal with the dolphins when you purchase the "Dolphin Trainer for a Day" pass.
- The Wynn was the first Vegas casino to feature a car dealership (Ferrari/Maserati).
- Bugsy Siegel encouraged performers to gamble with guests and often gave the performers chips to use (and would not take winnings).
- The Apache Hotel was the first Vegas hotel to have an electronically powered elevator (now Binions and the elevator is still there!)
- The land that LVH currently resides upon was once the home of the Vegas Park Speedway, a horse and automobile racing facility.
- The 20,000 gallon lobby aquarium at the Mirage is managed by in-house aquarists and contains nearly 1,000 specimens.
- The music and percussion that plays during the Mirage volcano eruption was created by Ethnomusicologist, Mickey Hart.
- When the new lobby at the Planet Hollywood opened, it had 8 new chandeliers, each comprised of 66,000 individually hand-strung crystals.
- The lagoon that guides outdoor gondola rides at the Venetian is 32,235 square feet.
- At the Excalibur opening in 1990, the Vegas hotel hired mounted knights to patrol visitor parking lots on horseback.
- Allan Glick's Argent Corp. secured the Teamsters loan to build the Stardust. Argent name was an abbreviation of Allan R. Glick Enterprises.
- Radio stations KOAS 105.7 and KVGS 107.9 have on-channel FM boosters at the top of the Stratosphere.
- The Palamino Club was Vegas' first full-frontal strip club. It opened in 1969 and remains the only Vegas club serving both full nudity and alcohol.
- The "World's Largest Gift Shop" is Bonanza Gifts on corner of Sahara and Strip. Over 40k square feet of shopping!
- The Chandelier Bar in the Cosmopolitan contains over 2 million beaded crystals stranded throughout the bar.
- The Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas has 10,000 square feet of pinball goodness. Registered as a 501(c)(3), all excess revenue is donated to charity!
- Sandra Kay Vaccaro is the only woman on the List of Excluded Persons (aka "the Black Book"). Implicated with spouse in big slot cheating case.
- When built, the NYNY was Vegas' tallest building. Eventually surpassed by Wynn in 2005.
- The Fiesta Rancho was George Maloof's first venture into the Vegas casino business. Sold it to Station Casinos for $185 million to finance the Palms.
- A villa at the Mirage gets you a private back yard with a lap pool, fountain, and a putting green.
- The Eiffel Tower ride at Paris Las Vegas goes 460 feet above the Las Vegas strip.
- The MGM Grand has the largest privately owned laundry in Nevada.
- The pool at Ballys is the deepest pool in Vegas.
- From 1990 to 1998, the Las Vegas population grew by 55%.
- Thomas Hull opened the El Ranch Vegas, the first resort on Highway 91, on April 3, 1941.
- When the Stardust opened in 1958, it was the largest resort hotel in the world (and biggest casino in Nevada).
- When the Stardust opened, it had the biggest pool in Nevada.
- When the Bellagio opened on October 15, 1998, it was the most expensive hotel construction in the world, topping $1.7 billion.
- Nearly 10,000 spectators watched Evel Knieval attempt his (failed) jump over the Caesars fountains in 1968.
- The land where Golden Gate currently sits was bought in 1905 for $1,750.
- O'Sheas Casino opened in 1989 and closed in April 2012 (only to reopen in a new location in the Linq).
- The show "Vegas on CBS portrays Dennis Quaid as Sheriff Ralph Lamb. The real Lamb served as Clark County sheriff from 1961 to 1979.
- In the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11, the script called for NYNY to be imploded. However, after 9/11, they changed it to the fictional "Xanadu."
- Hoover Dam is filled with 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete, enough to pave a strip 16 feet wide and 8 inches thick from San Francisco to New York.
- Casino chips are technically called "checks" or "cheques." On the roulette table, the term "chips" is appropriate.
- Each column surrounding the Aria Poker Room contains exactly 52 bronze playing cards.
- The Red Rock Casino was the first billion dollar Vegas resort located off the strip.
- The Sahara was the first hotel/casino to build an Olympic sized swimming pool.
- The idea for the Welcome to Las Vegas sign came from Ted Rogich, who said that Las Vegas had a sign heralding everything except itself.
- The shark tank by the Golden Nugget pool contains Sandtiger sharks, Brown sharks, Pacific Blacktip sharks, Nurse sharks, and Zebra sharks.
- The Barrymore restaurant is named after the old Barrymore restaurant that was inside the old MGM Grand (now Bally's).
- The Long Bar at the D is the longest bar in the state of Nevada.
- The 38 year old Dunes Casino was imploded on October 27, 1993 to make way for what would later become the Bellagio.
- A "dolly" marks the winning number on a roulette table. It is called a dolly because it sorta kinda looks like the profile of a doll.