List of Las Vegas casinos that never opened

Over the years there have been several casinos and resorts planned for Las Vegas that never opened. The stages of planning may have been just an announcement or groundbreaking.

"Addams Family" Themed Resort

A resort themed after the television show "The Addams Family" was announced, but never got past the conceptual stages.Fact|date=September 2008

Asia Resort and Casino

Where the Palazzo Casino Resort currently stands (adjacent to the Venetian Hotel and Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center), an Asian themed casino was proposed but was rejected for the present Palazzo project.Fact|date=September 2008

Beau Rivage

Steve Wynn who had purchased and demolished the Dunes, had originally planned to build a modern hotel in the middle of a man-made lake. However he later built the Bellagio with a man-made lake in the front of the hotel.Fact|date=September 2008

Caribbean Casino

In 1988, a sign for a proposed casino was erected on a fenced vacant lot on Flamingo Road. Standing near the sign was a scale model galleon. For several years, that was all that stood on the property. The empty lot was the source of many jokes by the locals until the ship, which was later damaged by a fire started by a homeless person, was torn down in the 1990s and the lot became the site of the Tuscany Suites and Casino co-owned by Charles Heers, the same man that has owned the property since the 1960s. [http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/business/2004/apr/12/516675066.html]

Cascada

A proposed resort that was to have been built on a parcel of land across the street from the Sahara Hotel and Casino. The parcel is now partially taken by the Hilton Grand Vacation Timeshares.Fact|date=September 2008

City by the Bay Resort and Casino

A San Francisco-themed resort was proposed for the site of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino. The project was rejected in favor of the Swiss-themed Montreux, which itself was canceled in favor of the Plaza Las Vegas, modeled after the Plaza Hotel in New York City.Fact|date=September 2008

Countryland USA

A Country Music themed resort that was planned for construction of the site of the former El Rancho Casino (itself formerly the Thunderbird Casino, now the Turnberry Place condominium complex). For some years, the El Rancho sign stood with the words "Countryland USA - Coming Soon".Fact|date=September 2008

Crown Las Vegas

Formerly known as "Las Vegas Tower", the Crown Las Vegas was to have been a supertall skyscraper built on the former site of the Wet 'n Wild Water Park. In March 2008, the project was canceled and the property put up for sale.Fact|date=September 2008

DeVille Casino

After building the Landmark Hotel and Casino on Convention Center Drive and selling it to Howard Hughes, developer Frank Carroll later built the DeVille Casino across the street from the Landmark on 900 Convention Center Drive in 1969. Chips were made for the casino (and are sought after collectibles), but the casino never opened. [http://www.oldvegaschips.com/devillesale.htm] The building was renovated in 1992 as a race book parlor named Sport of Kings which closed after nine months. [http://www.oldvegaschips.com/sportofkings.htm] It became the location of The Beach nightclub which was later demolished in 2007, leaving only the small parking structure. [http://www.lasvegasmikey.com/landmark.htm]

Harley-Davidson Hotel and Casino

A resort themed after the motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson was proposed, complete with hotel towers shaped like gigantic exhaust pipes, but was never built.Fact|date=September 2008

Jockey Club Casino

The Jockey Club is a timeshare resort at 3700 Las Vegas Blvd South. Plans were to have a casino, and chips were made for its use, but the casino was never opened. [http://www.oldvegaschips.com/jockeyclub.htm]

London Resort and Casino

An announced project by the Voyager company that was to have been themed around the city of London, and featuring replicas of the city's landmarks. No construction ever took place.Fact|date=September 2008

Montreux Resort

A Swiss-themed resort to have been built on the property of the former New Frontier Casino (chosen after a proposed San Francisco-themed "City by the Bay" was rejected). Instead, a casino modeled after the Plaza Hotel in New York City will be built.Fact|date=September 2008

Moon Resort and Casino

Proposed by Vancouver, BC, Canada developer Michael Henderson, this is a planned 10,000-room, 250-acre lunar-themed casino resort. [http://www.moonworldresorts.com/] Gaming experts are stating it will never be built in Las Vegas, simply because there is no room for a resort so large.Fact|date=September 2008

Moulin Rouge Resort & Casino

Patterned after the Moulin Rouge Hotel (which abruptly closed in 1954), this was to have opened where the Paris Las Vegas is today. Conceptual drawings resemble various aspects of the 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!".Fact|date=September 2008

Palace of the Sea Resort and Casino

To have been built on the former Wet 'n Wild waterpark site. Conceptual drawings included yacht-shaped towers that housed suites, a casino resembling the Sydney Opera House and a 600 foot tall ferris wheel type attraction dubbed a "Sky Wheel". It never left the planning stages.Fact|date=September 2008

Planet Hollywood Resort (The Original)

"Not to be confused by the current Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino".

Originally planned to open in the late 1990s, it was to be one of the largest hotels in Las Vegas. However because of the bankruptcy by Planet Hollywood Restaurants, the hotel never was built. However in the 2000s, a group of investors bought the new Aladdin Hotel and Casino and remodeled it with a modern Hollywood theme. The hotel does not feature a Planet Hollywood Restaurant.Fact|date=September 2008

Playboy Hotel and Casino

A proposed casino resort themed after Playboy Magazine was rejected in favor of a nightclub and suites built at the top two floors of the new Palms tower. The planned location for the Playboy Hotel and Casino will instead be the site of the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino. [http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/cosmopolitan.htm]

unrise

To have been located at 4575 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas.

Property developer Michael Mona Jr. built the hotel-casino, bragging that he was going to break tradition by starting a "casino without a theme". He failed to get an unrestricted gaming license when suspicions arose concerning Mona's associations with alleged organized crime figures. Chips were made for the casino, but were never used. [http://www.oldvegaschips.com/sunrise.htm] The building still stands and is now Arizona Charlie's East.

Titanic

Themed after the doomed luxury liner RMS Titanic, this resort was to have been modeled after the ship and would have been 400 feet long with 1,200 rooms, standing across the street from the Sahara Hotel and Casino. The project was rejected by the Las Vegas City Council.Fact|date=September 2008

Unnamed "Haunted House" Casino

An announcement was made in the local press for a "haunted house" themed resort and casino to be built on where the El Rancho Casino used to stand (formerly the Thunderbird Casino, now the Turnberry Place condominium complex). The project never went past the announcement stage.Fact|date=September 2008

Unnamed "South Beach" Casino

A proposal was made to renovate the Golden Palms Casino, formerly Howard Johnson's, into a resort modeled after the South Beach region of Florida. Renderings were made, but no renovations were ever attempted.Fact|date=September 2008

World Trade Center

To have been located at 925 East Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas.

Leonard Shoen, co-founder of U-Haul truck rental, purchased the property of what had been the Chaparral Hotel & Casino in 1996, renovating it into the World Trade Center Hotel. A gaming license was applied for, but when it was discovered that two of Mr. Shoen's closest partners were convicted felons, the application was denied in 1998. He withdrew his application, and later died in a car crash in 1999 that was ruled a suicide. Cards and gaming chips were produced for the World Trade Center Casino, but were never used. [cite web |url=http://www.oldvegaschips.com/worldtradecenter.htm |title=World Trade Center Casino |accessdate=2008-09-02 |work= |publisher= |date= ] The property has since been demolished and is now vacant.

World Wrestling Federation

A casino resort themed after the World Wrestling Federation was proposed for a property near Interstate Highway 15 across from Mandalay Bay. The project never went past the proposal stage.Fact|date=September 2008

Xanadu

Planned in the mid 1970s, it would have been the first themed mega-resort. Much information and artifacts of the project are housed at University of Nevada - Las Vegas library. [cite web |url=http://gaming.unlv.edu/Xanadu/index.html |title=Welcome to Paradise, misplaced |accessdate=2008-09-02 |work= |publisher= |date= ]

References

External links

* [http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/dreams2.htm Vegas Dream Projects and Failed Renderings]