As one of the most famous casinos in the world, Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget Casino has become a popular brand and must-see attraction for those interested in the industry.
Here, we explain everything there is to know about it and what the future holds.
Looking back
The Golden Nugget Casino was first built in 1946, which means it’s actually one of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas. Today, it sits downtown on the Fremont Street Experience and it’s owned by Landry’s Inc. As well as being a luxury casino, there are over 2,400 hotel rooms for those who want to make a night of it.
Originally, Jackie Gaughan had a stake in the casino but, in 1973, Steve Wynn increased his stake and became the majority stakeholder – as well as the youngest owner of a Las Vegas casino. Fast forward four years to 1977 and he opened the first hotel which was officially rated four diamonds in the Mobil Travel Guide. This success was just the start of his rise in the casino industry.
It wasn’t until 1984 that the second hotel was opened, and the third hotel later in 1989. Then, in 2000, the casino and hotel was sold to MGM Grand Inc. It was then later sold to Poster Financial Group, which was owned by Thomas Breitling and Timothy Poster – for over $215 million dollars.
The new owners didn’t waste any time updating the casino, removing outdated gaming machines, and replacing them with cashless slot machines. That wasn’t the only advancement either. They also increased maximum bets to $15,000 in table games – and the idea was soon picked up by producers at Fox.
Star-studded appearances
On 14th June 2004, The Casino which was based on the story of the Golden Nugget Casino premiered. However, that wasn’t the only media appearance. The casino itself has featured in a number of films including Diamonds Are Forever, Viva Las Vegas, Smokin Aces, and even the Night Fever music video.
Its popularity and iconic story has also been picked up by a number of gaming manufacturers. The Street Fighter franchise sets all of its games outside the Golden Nugget and in Fallout: New Vegas the casino has a similar logo to Golden Nugget’s. What’s more, a number of casino games are linked to the brand including Golden Nugget, Golden Nugget 64, Golden Nugget Casino, and Golden Nugget Casino DS.
As a hotel and casino, it cannot be denied that Golden Nugget’s links to the TV, film, and gaming world are testament to its fame, fame that few other brands have achieved. The brand has since made the move into the world of online casino experiences, too. Browsing through the list of the best NJ online casinos, it’s possible to see that Golden Nugget has made the transition successfully. The reviews compare casinos for their ranges of games and live dealer experiences, so clearly Golden Nugget’s offline quality has translated into quality in these areas online.
Looking ahead
Over the past 20 years, a number of renovations have taken place in the casino – not only expanding the unit physically but also its offerings. Most recently, it was revealed that DraftKings had bought Golden Nugget Online for over $1.5 billion in a bid to help the former reach even more iGaming customers and sports fans.
Having been delayed for nine months, it’s believed this acquisition will be able to reduce overheads, increase returns and boost advertising and partnerships. Many are also expecting current Golden Nugget properties to be rebranded into DraftKings sportsbooks, which will hopefully result in even more traffic for the popular casino brand.
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