When Did the Sahara Casino Close?

The Sahara Casino in Las Vegas was one of the first mega-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. It was built in 1952 by developer Milton Prell. The Sahara was originally intended to be an oasis in the middle of the desert, and its name came from the Arabic word for “desert”.

The Sahara was one of the most popular casinos in Las Vegas for many years, but it began to decline in the 1980s. The casino closed its doors for good in 2011.

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The Sahara had 2,000 hotel rooms and a 60,000 square foot casino. It was known for its Moroccan theme and its famous camel rides. The Sahara also had a popular nightclub and showroom.

Some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin, performed at the Sahara.

In the early 1980s, Prell sold the Sahara to Paul W. Lowe. Lowe began to make changes to the property that many people felt ruined its original charm.

PRO TIP:The Sahara Casino closed its doors in 2011, after a long period of declining revenues. The closure marked the end of an era, as the hotel and casino had been operating for 60 years.

Lowe added a roller coaster and an indoor theme park, which many visitors felt was out of place at a casino hotel. He also changed the name of the nightclub to “Club Congo” and hired a new headliner, Liberace.

The changes made by Lowe did not help the declining fortunes of the Sahara. The hotel continued to lose money, and it was sold again in 1995 to Bill Bennett.

Bennett tried to turn things around by investing $100 million in renovations, but he was unable to make a profit. In 2008, Bennett defaulted on his loan from Deutsche Bank and the Sahara was sold to SBE Entertainment Group.

SBE Entertainment Group planned to close the Sahara and build a new hotel on the site, but those plans were put on hold during the recession. In 2011, SBE Entertainment Group decided to go ahead with their original plan and close the Sahara.

The last day of operation was August 16, 2011.