Sands
Famed for its ties with the rat pack (Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jnr, Dean Martin etc) the Sands Hotel is steeped in Vegas history. Way before the days of casino games online real money, for a period of decades, the words Vegas and Sands went hand in hand. Memorable performances from those from the rat pack era took place here. Sadly in the 90s changing times and mega resorts meant that the Sands was no more. It was replaced by the Venetian and Palazzo. Despite this, it still holds legendary status in the annals of Vegas history.
Sahara
The Sahara was another regular ‘haunt’ for the Rat Pack, and sadly has become the latest iconic hotel to close in recent years. It will live on in some form though, as instead of being demolished it’s undergoing a refurbishment and will, or indeed has, become SLS Las Vegas. Back in its day, in the 50s and 60s, the Sahara was a big celebrity hangout.
Dunes
Starting as a low rise hotel in the 50s before being transformed in the 60s and 70s with the addition of towers, Dunes was one of the more memorable and indeed notorious hotels in Las Vegas. It was thought to have ties to the mafia. Brought down in the 90s to make way for the Bellagio, its now another memory of Vegas past.
Not all iconic hotels and casinos are now a thing of the past, even in this online casinos age. Just look at Caesars Palace as an example. It was founded in 1966 and is still going strong today. The home of high rollers, hotel rooms and huge sporting events, it shows that some venues can stand the test of time.
Set in New York, Axel Freed (played by James Caan) is English Professor be day and compulsive gambler by night. The movie is set in the midst of attempting to sustain these parallel lives. After a big sports betting loss Freed borrows money from his Mother, but then uses this bail out to sink yet further into his addiction. As the losses pile up, the loan sharks’ patience begins to come to an end.
Starring eternal ladies man Warren Beatty as well as Susannah York and Clive Revill, Kaleidoscope centres around a cardsharp’s accepted mission to trap a drugs baron to avoid serving a jail term. In what he feels is a genius move he breaks into a playing card factory with the plan of marking and hence recognising them later, but all doesn’t go to plan as his girlfriends father (a Scotland Yard detective) find out about the scheme, opting to blackmail him into going along with a plan of their own.
The murder of a mutual friend prompts wanabee con man evading the FBI Johnny Hooker (played by Robert Redford) and old hand Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to deliver payback to the responsible party, crime boss Doyle Lonnegan. The idea for an elaborate scheme comes to mind and the two plot to swindle Lonnegan. That task may be more complicated than it first seems though. The entire movie takes place in a landbased casino and so is an ideal watch for us gamblers. Winner of seven Academy Awards.
