- Jackie Gaughan
John D. "Jackie" Gaughan, Sr. (born
October 24 ,1920 ) is acasino owner and operator from the early 1950s in Las Vegas,Nevada . Jackie is a native of Omaha,Nebraska who currently calls theEl Cortez home. He is often seen daily on the El Cortez's modest size casino floor which begins at the hotel's front desk and main entrance doors. Many players have been surprised by his unpretensious manner and willingness to talk about "old Las Vegas".Family
Son Michael Gaughan took over many of the day to day operations of Jackie Gaughan's casinos over the years. His other son Jackie Gaughan Jr. (
November 24 ,1947 -November 12 ,2002 ) had ownership interests in the El Cortez andThe Gold Spike . His grandson isNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driverBrendan Gaughan .Biography
Gaughan earned a degree from
Creighton University inOmaha, Nebraska before moving toNevada duringWorld War II as an enlisted man. He first got involved in setting spreads for sporting events while working part-time at legalhorse racing tracks around Omaha. After the war he stayed in Las Vegas and purchased theEl Cortez fromBugsy Seigel who sold to finance the Flamingo.cite web |url=http://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/scarlet/public/FMPro?-db=scarletstory&-format=storydetail.htm&-lay=public&-op=eq&storyid=732785S36974X&-max=1&-find= |title= Family provides capstone gift for multicultural center |accessdate=2007-09-28 |format= |work= UNL Communications Office "The Scarlet" ] OnMarch 25 ,2004 , Barrick Gaming purchased four of Jackie's downtown casinos for $82 million. Under Gaughan's casino ownership, places like the El Cortez, have tried to value a diverse workforce. In recognition of this practice, the University of Nebraska named a new on campus student center "The Jackie D. Gaughan Multicultural Center".Casino involvement
*
Boulder Club
*Flamingo Las Vegas
*The Vegas Club 1961-2004
*El Cortez 1963-
*The Western 1970-2004
*Plaza Hotel & Casino 1971-2004
*Royal Inn Casino 1972-
*Golden Nugget Las Vegas -1973
*The Gold Spike 1985-2004
*Showboat Hotel & Casino
*Showboat Casino, Atlantic City
*Ambassador East Hotel Resort Casino References
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