It is impossible to find a person who has not heard about the gaming capital of the United States – Las Vegas. It is hard to imagine that a city founded a little more than 100 years ago, so quickly became the world center of gambling entertainment.
Entertainment 24, backed by Cosmolot, tells the story of the Golden Gate Casino, whose slogan says, “Everything that happens in Las Vegas, started here”, and does not lie. This is the first casino that appeared in the “city of sins.”
History of The Golden Gate Casino
The city of Las Vegas was founded only in 1906. Gambling was legalized here later – in 1931. Until that time, this place on the map was quite unremarkable.
When Las Vegas officially became a city, land along one of Fremont Street’s main streets was sold at auction. The site, which now houses the Golden Gate Hotel-Casino, was bought for $1,750 by a man named John Miller. Within a year, the Nevada Hotel had opened its doors.
In 1907, the hotel began to offer visitors to play poker and roulette in the bar. But this attempt to start a gaming business in Vegas was not successful. In 1909, gambling was outlawed.
After the legalization of the casino in 1931, the hotel changed its name from Nevada to Sal-Segev. There are tables for roulette, poker, dice, and 8 slot machines. The establishment quickly became popular among the residents of the city, who every evening came to enjoy gambling entertainment and a large selection of different beers.
In 1955, the hotel was bought by Italo Gelfie along with his San Francisco business partners. At the same time, the name of the institution was changed to Golden Gate with a hint of the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. In 1990, the Gelfi family bought some shares from partners and concentrated the business in their hands. With the development of Las Vegas, the city was visited by more and more tourists and casinos began to bring a good income.
In 1959, Italo Ghelfi invented the casino’s “chip” – a shrimp cocktail, which is now considered one of the symbols of Las Vegas. When he showed up, an incredible number of residents and visitors lined up to try this cocktail for 50 cents. Its price remained unchanged for 50 years. Because of this, the casino lost about $300,000 in revenue each year. In 1991, a holiday dedicated to the sale of 25 millionth portion of the cocktail was held. It is still being cooked in the Golden Gate, but the price has risen to $4.
After the renovation, the casino design played with new colors but retained the spirit of old Las Vegas. New and bright lobbies, wooden decor, antiques, and gilding all create an atmosphere of intriguing luxury. The hall displays artifacts from the past of the Golden Gate. One of the walls is decorated with a collage with photos of each decade from the history of the casino. A large display case at the entrance demonstrates elements of the playing entourage of different years, starting in 1907. There is also a collection of bottles of whisky from the dry law.