The Casinos That Built the Strip (1941-2024)
Before the mega-resorts, there was a dusty desert highway lined with neon dreams. From El Rancho Vegas — the first casino on the Strip in 1941 — to the implosion of the Tropicana in 2024, explore the legendary hotels, mob hangouts, Rat Pack showrooms, and wedding chapels that made Las Vegas the Entertainment Capital of the World.
Las Vegas as we know it began on April 3, 1941, when Thomas Hull opened El Rancho Vegas on a barren stretch of Highway 91 south of town. The idea was simple but revolutionary: build a resort hotel with a pool and casino where Los Angeles tourists could stop on their way to Hoover Dam. Within two decades, the Strip would become the most famous stretch of road in America.
The mob built Vegas. Bugsy Siegel's Flamingo Hotel (1946), the Sands (1952), the Stardust (1958) — all were funded with dirty money laundered through legitimate-looking casino operations. The Rat Pack turned the Sands into the coolest place on Earth in the early 1960s, and Howard Hughes began buying up casinos in 1966, ushering in the corporate era that would eventually push the mob out.
Las Vegas is a city that constantly reinvents itself, and that means tearing down the old to build the new. Some of the most iconic casinos in history no longer exist:
The first casino on the Strip burned to the ground in a suspicious fire that was never solved. The lot sat empty for decades before becoming the Hilton Grand Vacations development.
Headquarters of the Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. made the Copa Room the hottest ticket in entertainment. They filmed Ocean's 11 here during the day while performing shows at night. The Sands was imploded in 1996 and replaced by The Venetian.
Featured the longest sign on the Strip and was the setting for the real-life events depicted in the film Casino. Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal ran the casino for the mob while Tony Spilotro enforced their interests with violence. The Stardust was imploded in 2007 and its site became Resorts World Las Vegas.
When the Desert Inn's management asked Howard Hughes to check out of his penthouse in 1966, he bought the entire hotel instead. This began Hughes's buying spree that would transform Las Vegas from a mob town to a corporate one. The site is now Wynn Las Vegas.
First casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Burned down 1960.
DemolishedBugsy Siegel's vision. The mob's first major Strip investment.
Still Open (rebuilt)Home of the Rat Pack and the Copa Room. Demolished 1996.
Replaced by The VenetianTwo iconic casinos that defined the Strip's golden age.
Both demolishedLongest sign on the Strip. Later the real-life "Casino" hotel.
Replaced by Resorts WorldHoward Hughes buys the Desert Inn. Corporate era begins.
Still OpenBuilt on the Dunes site. Ushers in the mega-resort era.
Still OpenOne of the last original Strip casinos falls for a baseball stadium.
DemolishedEl Rancho Vegas, which opened on April 3, 1941, was the first resort on the Las Vegas Strip. It burned down in a suspicious fire in 1960 that was never solved.
The Sands (1952-1996, now The Venetian), the Stardust (1958-2006, now Resorts World), the Desert Inn (1950-2000, now Wynn), and the Dunes (1955-1993, now Bellagio) are among the most famous demolished Las Vegas casinos.
The Rat Pack performed at the Copa Room inside the Sands Hotel. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. would perform shows at night while filming Ocean's 11 during the day in 1960.
The Dunes became Bellagio (1998), the Sands became The Venetian (1999), the Desert Inn became Wynn (2005), and the Stardust/New Frontier site became Resorts World (2021).