Castaways (casino)

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This article is about the Las Vegas Strip casino. For the Boulder Strip casino, see Castaways Hotel and Casino.
Castaways Hotel and Casino
Location Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Address Las Vegas Boulevard
Opening dateOctober 18, 1957[1]
Closing dateJuly 20, 1987; 34 years ago (July 20, 1987)
ThemePolynesia
Signature attractionsGateway to Luck
Casino typeLand
Previous namesSans Souci Hotel (1957–1963)
Coordinates36°07′16″N 115°10′31″W / 36.12111°N 115.17528°W / 36.12111; -115.17528Coordinates: 36°07′16″N 115°10′31″W / 36.12111°N 115.17528°W / 36.12111; -115.17528

The Castaways was a hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada that operated from 1963 to 1987 on the Las Vegas Strip.

History[]

Sans Souci hotel front entrance in July 1959

The property had originally been San Souci Auto Court, an early motel which opened in the 1930s, and developed into Sans Souci Hotel in the 1950s.[2]

In August 1963, Mississippi oilman Ike P. Larue Jr. planned to purchase the Sans Souci hotel-casino and rename it as the Castaways Casino.[3] Larue closed the casino portion on December 31, 1964, due to financial problems. The hotel, restaurant and bar remained open. In August 1965, four men – three Californians and a Las Vegas resident – planned to reopen the casino and invest $300,000 for eight table games and 70 slot machines.[4] The Castaways had a 1500-gallon aquarium in its bar. Three times a day, a show was put on by naked showgirls in the aquarium.[5]

In 1967, the Castaways was sold to billionaire Howard Hughes for $3 million as part of his spree of buying Las Vegas properties.[6]

The Castaways Hotel and Casino closed on July 20, 1987, with plans to demolish it in the coming months to make room for a new resort being planned by Steve Wynn.[7] Wynn's resort opened as The Mirage on November 22, 1989, occupying a portion of the Castaways land.

Attractions[]

Gateway to Luck[]

A historic wooden temple St. Louis Jain temple, originally a part of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, stood besides the pool. It has now been reconstructed at the Jain Center of Southern California, Los Angeles.

References[]

  1. ^ "Gaming History - Week of October 18, 2009". Museum of Gaming History. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Vintage Las Vegas (24 August 2017). "Las Vegas Strip index".
  3. ^ "Two Denial Recommendations Mark Game Board Meet". Nevada State Journal. August 7, 1963. Retrieved March 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Gaming Board Reviews Nevada License Bids". Nevada State journal. August 6, 1965. Retrieved March 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Padgett, Sonya (January 3, 2008). "Live Art: Flipping Over Fish". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008.
  6. ^ "Howard Hughes Buys". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas Review-Journal. 23 September 1967.
  7. ^ "Teary-Eyed Dealers Bid Casino Farewell". San Jose Mercury News. July 20, 1987. Retrieved March 1, 2019 – via NewsLibrary.

External links[]

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