You’re standing on the corner of Fremont and Main, looking at the neon flicker of the Golden Gate. It feels old. It is old. But if you ask three different locals which of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas actually holds the crown, you’re going to get three different answers.
Vegas doesn’t do "history" like other cities. In London, a building from 1906 is practically a newborn. In Las Vegas, a building from 1906 is a miracle. This is a city that implodes its past to make room for bigger fountains and shinier glass. Yet, a few skeletons of the old world remain, tucked away in the shadows of the Fremont Street canopy or hiding in plain sight out on the Boulder Highway.
Honestly, the "oldest" title is kinda a trick question. Do you mean the oldest building? The oldest license? Or the one that has never once turned off the lights?
The Identity Crisis of the Golden Gate
Let’s talk about the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino. Most travel blogs will tell you it’s the oldest. They aren't lying, but they aren't giving you the whole truth either.
The property opened its doors as the Hotel Nevada on January 13, 1906. Back then, it was a two-story concrete box with rooms that cost a dollar a day. It had the city's first telephone—the number was literally just "1." There was gambling there, sure, but it wasn't the "casino" we think of today. It was a couple of tables in a dusty lobby.
Then things got messy.
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Nevada banned gambling in 1909. The tables vanished. The hotel lived on, changing its name to Sal Sagev (which is just "Las Vegas" spelled backward—real creative, guys). Even when gambling was re-legalized in 1931, the Sal Sagev didn't immediately jump back in with a full-blown casino. The modern Golden Gate casino operation didn't actually start until 1955.
So, it's the oldest building, but it spent decades as just a hotel. If you’re a purist who thinks a casino needs to, you know, have a casino to count, you might look elsewhere.
Why El Cortez is the Undisputed Heavyweight
If you want the real deal—the place that has been a hotel and a casino without a single break since the day it opened—you have to walk a few blocks east to the El Cortez Hotel & Casino.
Opened on November 7, 1941, the El Cortez is the longest continuously running hotel and casino in the city. It’s got a vibe you just can't fake. The floor is a bit uneven in places. The air smells like history and a hint of vintage tobacco.
It’s also got the best mob pedigree in town. In 1945, a group of guys including Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway bought the place for $600,000. They used it as a training ground before they moved out to the desert to build the Flamingo. Bugsy eventually sold it back to the original owners because he needed the cash for his Strip project, but the El Cortez never missed a beat.
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The Secret Winner: Railroad Pass
Most tourists never leave the Strip or Downtown, so they completely miss the Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino. It’s located out in Henderson, perched on the way to the Hoover Dam.
Technically, Railroad Pass holds Nevada Gaming License #4. It opened on August 1, 1931. While the downtown spots were bickering over names and renovations, Railroad Pass was quietly serving the workers who were building the dam.
Because it’s outside city limits, it avoided some of the legal drama that shut down other early shops. It has been operating since 1931. That makes it the oldest continuously licensed casino in the entire state of Nevada that still sits in its original spot.
It’s not flashy. You won't find a $500-a-night suite here. But you will find a safe from the 1930s still tucked into the wall and a sense of "Old Vegas" that isn't manufactured by a marketing team.
The Strip’s Lone Survivor: The Flamingo
Everything else on the Las Vegas Strip is basically new. The Sands is gone. The Stardust is dust. The Sahara and the Riviera? History.
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The Flamingo Las Vegas is the only name from the original era still standing on the Las Vegas Boulevard. When it opened on December 26, 1946, it was a disaster. It wasn't even finished. Bugsy Siegel opened the casino while the hotel rooms were still under construction, and since there was nowhere for winners to sleep, they just took their money and went back downtown.
Bugsy was murdered six months later, but the Flamingo survived.
To be fair, none of the original 1946 buildings are left. They were all torn down and replaced over the decades. The last of the original "Oregon" bungalows were bulldozed in the 1990s. So, while the name is the oldest on the Strip, the physical structure is a Ship of Theseus situation.
What You Should Actually Do
If you're looking to touch the history of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas, don't just walk through the lobby and leave. Do it right.
- Go to the El Cortez and look at the "Original 40" rooms. They still have them. They’re up a steep flight of stairs (no elevator for these) and they feel like a 1940s film noir set.
- Order a shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate. They were the first to serve it back in 1959 for fifty cents. It’s a buck or two more now, but the tradition is the point.
- Find the Bugsy Siegel memorial at the Flamingo. It’s outside by the wedding chapel, near the spot where his private suite once stood. It’s small and easy to miss, which is sorta ironic for a guy who loved the spotlight.
- Drive out to Railroad Pass for a steak. DeSimone’s Steakhouse there is surprisingly good and gives you that "middle of the desert" vibe that the early pioneers felt when they were trying to build a city out of nothing.
The "oldest" labels are mostly for marketing, but the feeling of these places is real. You can feel the weight of the millions of hands played and the thousands of dreams that started (and usually ended) on those casino floors.
Next Steps for Your Historical Tour:
Check the current operating hours for the Neon Museum "Boneyard." If you want to see the signs from the oldest casinos that didn't survive—like the Moulin Rouge or the Stardust—that is the only place they still live. Book your tickets at least 48 hours in advance, as the night tours almost always sell out.