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1945 Purchased by Meyer Lansky, Davie Berman & friends for $600,000 1946 Remodel - Bugsy Siegel 1946 Sold to unknown investor for $766,000 1963 Tower addition and sold to Jackie Gaughan 1980 Tower addition 2007 $20 Million makeover & remodel If you're looking for vintage Las Vegas with a side-order of seedy, you'll LOVE the El Cortez! It is neither a resort or a theme park like its Las Vegas Strip and Freemont Street counterparts... it's an old hotel with an old casino where people go to gamble, drink and best of all, avoid children! It's a little stinky and a lot smokey, but that just adds to its retro charm. The room rates are fantastic, the slots are loose and the tables have low limits. It's like stepping back in time. While there have been complaints about the neighborhood, a recent effort by Mayor Goodman the city to clean up the downtown area has proven positive. You might still run into a pesky bum or two on the street, but they seem harmless enough. Again, its part of the experience. And there is plenty of security at the hotel and on bicycle around the premises. Perhaps the El Cortez isn't the right choice for Mr. & Mrs. Middle-America who are looking for Las Vegas as portrayed on the Travel Channel. Those of you would be better off to STAY on The Strip and, frankly, avoid downtown all together. But those of you who are looking for a taste of vintage Vegas; those of you who are looking for an attraction that "just is" and not developed by some marketing team; those of you who like it a bit on the sleazy side, the El Cortez is possibly the last great piece of Old Vegas. 
The oldest privately owned casino in downtown Las Vegas. Built by Marion
Hicks in 1941, the El Cortez is located at 600 East Fremont Street. The
El Cortez was purchased by a group of underworld investors in late 1945
for $600,000. The group included:
Benjamin "Bugsy" Segal ,
Meyer Lansky,
Gus Greenbaum, Willie Alderman, Davie Berman, Moe Sedway, and
others. Six months later in July 1946, the group sold the El Cortez
making a $166,000 profit. The money was reinvested in a new hotel being
built on the Strip called the
Flamingo.
El Cortez Hotel and Casino - Image Gallery Chip scans courtesy of Ross Poppel
and Silver State Treasures Click on picture for full-size view | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
