Las Vegas History Series: Continental Hotel and Casino, Terrible’s and Silver Sevens

The address of 4100 Paradise Road in Las Vegas has had three different casinos occupy the property. The location is just one-mile East of the strip. In this edition of our Las Vegas history series, we are going to look at each of them. We are unsure what occupied the land before the first casino opened there.

Continental Hotel and Casino:

It all started with the Continental Casino back in 1981. Marketing for the resort touted that they offered a free shuttle service to the Las Vegas Strip. It mentioned the location is minutes away from the Las Vegas Convention Center and McCarran International Airport besides the strip as well. When it came to the casino, they noted it was large with a huge slot parlor with a sportsbook.  According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun, there were 500 slot machines, nine table games and seven blackjack tables.  

With two restaurants and a lounge, the 400 room Continental was a unique venue. One of the eateries was a 24 hour place called Big Daddy’s Diner. Las Vegas lounge singing legend Cook E. Jarr even made appearances there. A tribute to Ed Sullivan from Steve Rossi also entertained audiences. In 1998, the casino ended up filing for bankruptcy and it was foreclosed on in 1999.

Below you can see the chips, dice and cards used at the Continental Hotel and Casino that we have in our collection for sale. Clicking each picture gives you the option to purchase that item.

Continental Casino Decks:

Continental Casino Dice:

Terrible’s Hotel and Casino:

The Herbst family, which has a privately-owned gas station/convenience store chain, decided to venture into the casino business in 1999. The interior of the building for Continental was demolished, but the outer shell was maintained. The cost was a reported at $65 million between acquiring the property and renovating it.  The final structure would have four buildings surrounding the pool. You had the option of having a courtyard view of the pool or a city view which could have a nice panorama view of the strip.

In late 2000, Terrible’s opened to the public. The hotel was sold to Affinity Gaming, which was named at the time E-T-T Gaming. That was the Herbsts gaming division at the time. The place catered to locals and also hoped to attract budget-minded tourists who wanted to save money on their lodging and spend more money in the casinos and on other activities. A place where a 40 and older crowd would play video poker, slots and some table games was the observation of one guest who shared memories of the place online. Terrible’s also offered one pound of steak or baby back ribs for $9.99 around the clock. There was also a steak and shrimp combination for $9.99 at one point as well.

Aside from a casino in Las Vegas, there were Terrible’s resorts in other cities in Nevada as well including Dayton and Searchlight. No one can forget their signature mascot which is a sheriff. Terrible’s would close in 2012 for 18 months and be renamed to Silver Sevens. You can see chips, cards and dice from Terrible’s below. Click on the picture to purchase the item or items you are interested in.

Silver Sevens:

In 2013, Silver Sevens opened again after the 18 month renovation period completed. Hotel rooms that were remodeled and upgrades to the main floor ended up occurring. Affinity Gaming thought it was in the best interest of the resort to rename it to Silver Sevens. When it comes to food, Silver Sevens offers a breakfast combo for $3.99, all you can eat pancake stacks for $5.99 a and a burger for $7.99.

When it comes to gaming machines, the resort has video poker and slots. On the table games front, they also offer 3 to 2 Blackjack with a lucky ladies side bet that can pay up to $5000. Roulette, craps, and pai gow poker are some of the other games offered. See the $1 chip from Silver Sevens below that would be a great addition to your collection.

Three casinos have occupied the same grounds over almost 40 years. They all catered to Las Vegas travelers and locals on a budget who wanted to get more for their money. Silver Sevens continues that tradition today. It makes a great choice for a budget-friendly resort near the Las Vegas Strip.

WSOP Tournament Deck Blowout Sale:

Our 2016 World Series of Poker Tournament decks have been one of our biggest sellers over the last year. Now you can own a case of over 100 red and black mixed decks for $288. Send us an email or give us a call at 702-362-8767 if you are interested.

Casino chipsContinentalGambling memorabiliaLas vegas historySilver sevensWsop

2 comments

Linda Lang

Linda Lang

My husband and I plus several friends stayed at the Continental Hotel in February 1997 and had a wonderful time there! We ate at Big Daddy’s several times while there, I had a great time. We wound up there by accident after the reservations that our friends had made at Lady Luck hadn’t been confirmed in time. After 4 days we switched to the Riviera because we were all there in Vegas from Oklahoma to play in a foosball tournament. The Riviera was nice, but i I really liked the Continental more because it was charming, fun, and not nearly so much walking to get from our room to the ground floor. I’ll never forget my stay at the Continental.. What a great place it was.

Cesar

Cesar

Is there a terrible’s casino near or just off the strip?

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