Written by Sahara Casino & Resort Closing in May
May 16th will be a sad day for Las Vegas. Or at least it will be a sad day for those of us who 
are aware of the history of of the last of the Rat Pack casinos. The Sahara Casino has decided it can no longer compete against the new mega-casinos and hotels at the other end of the strip and to cut its losses it will be closing in about two months.
The North African themed casino was probably the first venue to promote the entertainment side to its fullest extent and the roll call of entertainers who have performed there includes The Beatles and Dean Martin. It contains the famous NASCAR experience and was also the casino famously robbed in the original version of Ocean’s Eleven.
The writing has been on the wall for some time and in 2009 it mothballed hotel rooms in two of its three towers to cut costs. It also has the misfortune to be a neighbour of The Riviera hotel which is currently facing bankruptcy and several projects which would have brought business to the adjacent plots have been cancelled or halted due to the current, uncertain, economic climate.
The news also doesn’t appear to be too surprising for some employees, a strategic agreement between owners SBE Entertainment and MGM will ensure that some are relocated and others will be given assistance finding new jobs.
There are vague possibilities of restructure and renovations but SBE CEO Sam Nazarian said
Sam Nazarian
that “while no final decisions have been made at this point, the continued operation of the ageing Sahara was no longer economically viable.”
Customer bookings up until the 16th May will be honoured and any tournaments scheduled will still be going ahead so if you want to experience one of the last great pioneers of Las Vegas gaming, book in now before it’s too late.
