Oldest Casino on the Strip

The Flamingo's casino opened on December 26, 1946, followed by a three-story hotel on March 1, 1947. It's the oldest continuously operating resort on the Strip. Proposed by Billy Wilkerson, founder of "The Hollywood Reporter," who bought the land in 1945, he later joined forces with mobsters, including Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, to secure financing. Siegel took control of the $1 million project, causing construction costs to escalate to $6 million. Siegel was killed by an unknown shooter in June 1947 and numerous ownership changes would take place in the years to come.