Casino Gaming History and News

From 1977 to 1979 at the address of 4600 Paradise Rd sat the El Inca Casino. The off-strip casino was one of three casinos to actually open in 1977. The other two were the Bingo Palace Hotel and Casino and the Maxim Hotel and Casino. They were both as well not on the strip.

Located less than a mile from the airport, it very well could have been a gaming stop for people before they headed in or out of town. Based on what I was able to find out about El Inca, I learned that the establishment provided free reservations for shows and a tram service to your hotel rooms.

It was the 1970s, so of course, there was disco dancing. The gaming business also had three restaurants, a cocktail lounge, a gift shop, and a shopping center. Based on what information I found, there were some hotel rooms there as well that a person could stay in.

Today, the area of 4600 Paradise Rd is occupied by an apartment complex called the Chalet Vegas Condominiums.

As for the gaming, the most interesting part is there are only three known chips from the El Inca Casino. There is a $1 No Cash Value and a $5 and $25 casino chip. We have all of them in our collection and you can purchase any of them or all 3 chips clicking the pictures below of each.

Ashtray of the Week:

We are selling this great ashtray from the Sands Hotel and Casino for $10. If you are interested, send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com and I will gladly process the order for you.

Legendary Carol Channing Chip on Ebay:

With the recent passing of show business legend Carol Channing, we have a chip from Harrah’s Casino in Tunica Mississippi up for auction this week. You can bid clicking the picture below: 

In the past, we have told you about casinos and chips from other cities in Nevada besides Las Vegas. This week we are going to explore some of the history of casinos and casino chips in the city of Wendover, Nevada. Better known as West Wendover. Did you know there is also a Wendover, Utah?

Based on the research I’ve done, at this moment in time, there are currently eight casinos doing gaming/business in West Wendover, Nevada. With the introduction of gaming to Nevada in a legal form at the beginning of the 1930s, Wendover ended up in the gaming business from a gentleman by the name of William “Bill” Smith.

He created a rest area/service station area as people were traveling between Nevada and Utah since the Nevada city is right near the border of Utah. Then that would become a hotel and casino. Today, that piece of land is known as a casino by the name of the Wendover Nugget Hotel and Casino. In the past, it was known as Stateline Casino and till the resort ended up under new ownership, it had the longest running continually operating casino license in the state for 66 years.

Another casino from Wendover that is still in operation today is a place called the Red Garter. It opened in the early 1980s as a Super 8 Motel with some casino gaming in the same area. Today it is owned by the same company that owns the Wendover Nugget. There are reportedly around a dozen table games that include blackjack, roulette, and craps.

The city of Wendover has a population of just over 4000, but this town has a gaming community that is thriving. Below you will find all of our casino chips from our collection you can purchase from a variety of places in Wendover including Stateline Casino, Red Garter and some others. You can purchase each chip by clicking the picture.

High-End Chips from Wendover, Nevada:

 Below are some chips from the closed Stateline Casino that are harder to find. If you are interested in any of them, send an email to marketing@spinettis.com and I can help you place an order or answer questions. You can see the pictures of those chips below:  

To this very day, it is located at 3700 Las Vegas Blvd S. The Jockey Club opened in 1974 and today, people can either own a timeshare there or stay there for a visit. Located on the Las Vegas Strip, its location is right by the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino. The developer of The Cosmopolitan actually invested over $9 million into the Jockey Club. Upgrades to the lights, fire safety, lobby and roads around the resort were done.

Besides the short stay patrons and timeshare owners, just under 80 residences have families who do live there year round. Originally, the property was on 10 acres of land.

Now to the interesting part of this conversation on the gaming front. In the 1980s, there was hope to have some casino gaming at the Jockey Club, but the resort never got the gaming license approved. In certain cases from Las Vegas History much like the Deville Casino, World Trade Center and Shenandoah, the chips were made but the casino was never opened. That is the same case with the Jockey Club. You can find below all those chips that were made for the Jockey Club Casino but were never used. You can purchase each one from our collection clicking the photo below.

Ebay Auction of the Week:

This week we are running a rare chip on Ebay for auction from the Palace Club from Reno. You can see the picture below. You can bid on it by clicking the picture:

From 1963 to 1987, Castaways Hotel and Casino operated on the Las Vegas Strip. Today, the land is occupied by the Mirage which is an MGM property.

Before The Castaways became a gaming establishment in that area of the Las Vegas Strip, there was a motel there by the name of San Souci Auto Court in the 1930s, which later changed its name to Sans Souci Hotel in the 1950s.

By the early 1960s when the Castaways Hotel and Casino was opened for business, reportedly one of the signature things of the resort was a bar where you could have a drink and look at a 1500 gallon aquarium tank.

During Howard Hughes buying spree of Las Vegas resorts, he would end up purchasing the casino and hotel for a reported three million dollars. It operated all through 1987 until the property would end up being demolished.

What sits there again today is The Mirage, but one of the earlier names for the property was Golden Nugget on the Strip due to Steve Wynn’s ties with the downtown property Golden Nugget. However, it became the Mirage.

Castaways centered around the Polynesian Islands as its theme. Below you can find our entire chip collection from Castaways Hotel and Casino. You can purchase each one by clicking the photo of the chip.

We are excited to announce we got in some quantity of the 2016 WSOP final table red decks. In the past, we only sold them in our set. If you would like to buy an individual deck, you can do so clicking the picture below:

When it comes to $20 casino chips, there are two reasons why $20 chips have been used on casino tables. 

The first reason is an easy one. You will see some of the casinos from the past have $20 chips that say baccarat on them from Dunes and Aladdin. The $20 chip is used in baccarat because of the five percent commission. 

The second reason was poker when you play a $10/$20 game. In research for this newsletter, I came across a few articles who talked about the use of a $20 chip in the game of poker.

Finally, even though a $20 chip was used for those two games, it does not mean you could not take a $20 chip to the blackjack table for example. You very well could put down $20 on a hand. 

Below you will find our collection of $20 chips to purchase. Simply click the picture on each one to purchase: 

This week’s Las Vegas casino coverage actually involves a casino at two locations in Las Vegas. There just is not one Arizona Charlie’s actually. It is known as mostly a local hangout. The locations are on Boulder and Decatur.

The creation of these two properties comes from a longstanding family by the name of Becker. Their early projects included a bowling alley with slot machines. In the early 1970s, the son of the Becker family decided to move to Las Vegas and then had the desire for the bowling alley to expand into a casino. The name Arizona Charlie’s comes from a relative “Arizona” Charlie Meadows. He was actually a performer in Buffalo Bills Wild West Show

The Decatur Location opened in 1988 for 18 million. By 1994 there was an expansion of an additional 40 million dollars. Even Carl Icahn who many known as part of MGM invested in this local casino brand in Vegas.

The company that owns the resorts today is Golden Entertainment. They also own the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino and Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin.

Three quick facts about the Arizona Charlie’s

One: There are 559 rooms between the Boulder and Decatur locations of Arizona Charlie’s.

Two: The two locations are just over 10 miles apart.

Three: By locals, it is considered a great place for breakfast, cheap eats, and bingo according to the Best of Las Vegas Award Contest.

So if you live in Las Vegas or are coming on another trip, you may want to consider visiting one of the two Arizona Charlie’s locations. Below you will find our chips and cards we have from our collection you can purchase:

Our card section includes a case/144 decks of Arizona Charlie's Decks for only $72. That's only 50 cents a deck. We also have the individual decks you can buy purchasing below:

Speaking of Arizona Charlie’s, we are just around a month away from the Casinorama 2019 Casino Collectibles Show where you will be able to find lots of casino chips and other memorabilia. This takes place at the Arizona Charlie’s Decatur location. If you are a collector, this is a show not worth missing. See the flyer below for more details. If you plan to be in Vegas, make sure you stop by.

As we close 2018 and move forward to 2019, I just wanted to mention a few items I think would be great to have in 2019. A few of them are great $5 bargains. Happy New Year’s from Spinettis Gaming Supplies.

One: 2019/2020 Calendar: If you are a fan of Las Vegas, how could you go wrong with our 2019/2020 calendar? There are some great pictures of the city’s best sights. The best part is that it is only $5. You can purchase clicking the picture below:

Two: Two-Deck Card Cases: If you are somebody who would like to show off some of your most valuable or favorite cards, one of our two deck card case boxes is a perfect choice. Each of them is five dollars. Choose from either a wooden two deck case or a box with the card suits. You can purchase either clicking the photo below:

Three: 2019 American Casino Guide: If you are someone who visits casinos frequently, then purchasing the American casino guide for $18.95 makes a lot of sense. There are many great gaming, buffet and other coupons in there that will no doubt pay for the price of the book. You can purchase it clicking the picture below:

Four: 2019 Chip Rack: For all the serious chip collectors out there who like to follow the pricing, the 2019 edition of The Chip Rack was just released. Buy it below and you can get up to date with the latest in the chip collecting industry:

Five: For those who like to take road trips or travel, buy our 200 chip or 300 chip cherry wood case setups. The 200 comes with 4 chip trays and the 300 comes with 6 trays. Play some poker games and enjoy your drink at the same time. The 200 chip case is $15 and the 300 chip is only $18. Please note that the 300 chip case may have some slight damage on the outside, but it does not hinder the usability of the case and set.

WSOP Decks on Sale. One last chance:

To the end of year, you still have a chance to get the 2016 and 2017 WSOP decks at a discounted price.

The 2016 decks are $3.00 down from $4.95 when you enter the promo code wsop2016 at checkout. Click the picture below to purchase them.

The 2017 decks are $4.00 down from $5.95. Enter the promo code wsop2017 at checkout. Click the picture below to purchase them.

We at Spinettis Gaming Supplies want to wish you all a very great holiday season. We thank you all for your continued support online and here in our store in Las Vegas. Here’s a shot of the outside of our store from this holiday season.

We wanted to have a little fun with this week’s newsletter. You can check out our dancing Las Vegas Rocks musical pig below in a video on YouTube below by clicking the picture.

If you would like to buy our Las Vegas rocks musical pig, you can clicking the picture below:

This week, we are going to take you again into the history of Downtown Las Vegas and look into another casino and hotel property tied to Jackie Gaughan who was one of the pioneers of the city’s casinos. Unlike many of the other past Las Vegas hotels and casinos that have come and gone, the El Cortez is still a place one can visit when they are in the Entertainment Capital of the World.

It was opened in 1941. In 2013 it was put on the National Register of Historic Places. Before the era of Jackie Gaughan owning it in the 1960s, it was originally constructed by a duo of Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson for a price of just under $250,000. In 1945, Bugsy Siegel and a group of partners bought the El Cortez for $600,0000. But in 1946, John Kell Houssels, Sr, the original person who opened El Cortez, acquired it back from the world of organized crime. In 1952, there was a grand opening after the property added some new decorations. The resort is also credited with having the first maitre ‘d in 1955. Her name was Pat Gallagher.

Moving ahead, when the casino legend Jackie Gaughan acquired El Cortez in the 60s for four million dollars from John Kell Houssels, he ended up expanding the hotel and casino with a 15 story tower and additional rooms which were completed in the 1980s. Mr. Gaughan was known to live in the El Cortez Tower Penthouse and was on the casino floor almost every day. Even after Jackie sold the casino in 2008 to Kenny Epstein, he continued to live at the casino and play poker there to the day he passed away.  

Additionally, in 2009, a 64 cabana suites were completed that are right across the street from the hotel. Today, the resort’s website reports that they have just finished a remodeling job of their Premium Tower Rooms. In 2016, the hotel and casino celebrated its 75^th anniversary. If you’re Downtown and on the Fremont Street Experience, its worth going over to El Cortez to see some of the history. A restaurant by the name of Siegel’s 1941 after Bugsy Siegel and the year the El Cortez opened, has a variety of things on its menu at affordable prices. Most things are $15 or less.

Below you can find our collection of El Cortez chips for sale. You can purchase each one clicking the picture. We have just added some of these to our website this week:

Below we have 2 decks of this version of El Cortez that are used but uncut decks. They are $10 each. Send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com if you want one of these or both or call us at 702-362-8767.

We also sell some other El Cortez decks for $1.25 you can buy clicking the picture below: 

New Chips from California:

We have just added these two chips from the Regency California Casino to our website. You can buy either click the picture below:

WSOP Decks on Sale Reminder:

Through December 31st we are giving people a chance to get our individual 2016 and 2017 WSOP decks for a discounted price. You can find out all the information below.

2016 WSOP Decks:

You can get our 2016 WSOP decks in red or black for $3.00 each down from $4.95 each. Enter the promo code wsop2016 at checkout to get the discount. Click the picture below to purchase.

2017 WSOP Decks:

You can get our 2017 WSOP decks in red or black for $4.00 each down from $5.95. Enter promo code wsop2017 at checkout to get the discount. Click the picture below to purchase: