Happy 75th Birthday to the Flamingo Las Vegas
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The Flamingo Las Vegas is 75 years old. It was the third casino built on the Las Las Strip and is the oldest still in operation on that stretch of road. The dealer slapped his wife's hand when she showed her cards. The first year I covered the World Series of Poker live at the Rio, my brother entered a poker tournament at Flame and won several hundred dollars. He promised to treat his friends to a fancy steak dinner if he won the tournament. They went to In-N-Out Burger instead.
The Flamingo Las Vegas opened on December 26, 1946. It was the project of Billy Wilkerson, founder of The Hollywood Reporter and owner of nightclubs on Sunset Boulevard. Bugsy Siegel and his partners bought two-thirds of the building. The building was closed after six weeks because the hotel wasn't done and the casino took heavy losses. Less than four months later, Bugsey Sieri was killed. Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum, owners of El Cortez, took over. Kirk Kerkorian bought the Flamedo in 1960 and moved it away from mob era to corporate gambling. Hilton bought it in 1972. In 1998, the property was spun off as part of Park Place Entertainment, which later became Caesars Entertainment. Harrah’s bought Caeres Entertainment in 2005 and it still owns and operates the flamingos today.
