Riviera (hotel and casino)

Casino infobox
casino=Riviera
theme= Modern
address=2901 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

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logo=Rivlogo 1 .gif
logo_size = 150
rooms=2,100
date_opened=April 20, 1955
space_gaming=110,000 ft² (9,000 m²)
attractions=
shows="An Evening at La Cage"
"Crazy Girls"
restaurants="Ristorante Italiano"
owner=Riviera Holdings Corporation
casino_type=Land-Based
renovations=1999
names_pre=
website= [http://www.rivierahotel.com/ Riviera Hotel and Casino]

The Riviera, or "The Riv," is a hotel and casino located on the famed Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. The hotel has over 2,100 rooms, many located in a 23-story tower. The casino has over 110,000 square feet (9,000 m²) of space.

The hotel is owned and operated by Riviera Holdings Corporation, which announced on April 6, 2006 that it was being acquired by Riv Acquisition Holdings, a private investment group that includes real estate developers Neil Bluhm, Barry Sternlicht, Paul Kanavos and Scott Butera (president of the acquisition group). However, on August 29, shareholders rejected the Riv Acquisition offer of $17 a share.

History

The Riviera opened on April 20, 1955 as the first high-rise and the ninth resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The Riv is one of the oldest and most famous casino resorts in Las Vegas. The Riviera also broke new ground in its design: previously, Strip resorts resembled roadside motor courts.

The Riviera was built by a group of investors from Miami. The resort has gone through many ownership changes over the years, including a period of control by owners linked to the Mafia (as was the case for many Vegas resorts in the 1960s and 1970s). Harpo Marx and Gummo Marx held minority interests at the opening, and Dean Martin once held a minority ownership stake while he was a headliner in the showroom.

Liberace was the featured headliner at the resort's opening, and for many years afterward.

In 2006, "Splash", a traditional Las Vegas revue, ended an extended run at the Riv.

Film history

The Riviera is often chosen as a shooting location due to its lack of any discernible "theme". Portions of the following features were filmed at The Riviera:

*"Ocean's Eleven" (1960).
*"" (1997).
*"Casino" (1995).
*"Go" (1999).
*"3000 Miles To Graceland" (2001).
*"21" (2008).

hows

The resort has two long-running shows:
*"An Evening at La Cage", featuring female impersonators which include Frank Marino and his impersonation of Joan Rivers;
*"Crazy Girls", a topless show. The performers for "Crazy Girls", one of whom, Jahna Steele, is a transsexual, are immortalized with a bronze sculpture at the front of the casino. The thong-clad buttocks of the performers have been worn to a shine by passers-by rubbing them.

ee also

*Leroy's Horse & Sports Place, which operates the sports book at this casino.

External links

* [http://www.rivierahotel.com Riviera Hotel and Casino - Official Site]
* [http://www.americanmafia.com/Cities/Chicago.html Chicago Mob influence on Las Vegas]
* [http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-08-29T221111Z_01_WEN4674_RTRUKOC_0_US-LEISURE-RIVIERA.xml&archived=False Reuters: Riviera shareholders reject offer (August 29 2006)]