Sahara Hotel and Casino closes after nearly 60 years

One of the oldest casinos on the Las Vegas strip was in the general casino news last month as it closed its doors for the last time. The casino, the Sahara Hotel and casino was opened in the early 1950s and together with the Riviera and the Flamingo was one of only three resorts remaining from that period. The Sahara Hotel and casino once boasted 1750 rooms and was recognisable by the architecture from Morocco and is most famous for the association with the rat-pack of Frank Sinatra and his cronies who were regular visitors. The list of stars that are reported to have stayed there reads like a who’s who of the entertainment world and include such well known names from the period as Clint Eastwood and Marlene Dietrich but later even the Beatles and Elvis have performed. The casino was purchased in 2007 by SBE Entertainment Group but casinos.ie  believes that it was no longer economically viable although the property itself is well situated on the strip and must have considerable value. Chief Executive of SBE Group Sam Nazarian was passing no comment about the future of the property but it is reported in the casino news that after the last customer had left he shouted to the crowds “Be back soon” whatever that may or may not signify. Some accuse the management of not keeping up with developments in the city with consequential reductions in visitor numbers but on the day of closure there were plenty of people picking up mementos from the gift shop as well souvenirs in the form of chips or decks of cards. The strip in LasVegas continues to move on as new casinos open and yet another piece of history is confined to memory only..