Las Vegas Stardust Hotel-Casino Demolished

Stardust Hotel-Casino: 1958-2006

Reportedly, the last dice was thrown at a Stardust craps table by tourist Jimmy Kumihiro of Hawaii then the casino was officially closed at 12 Noon forever. Bobbie Howard Band led the customers out the doors for the last time in a conga line to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In." The Stardust Hotel-Casino complex was also closed forever after a 48-year run of continuous 24-hour operation.

The hotel and casino opened its doors for the first time in 1958. The hotel complex once featured 25,000 square feet convention center, car rental service onsite, 9 dining venues, a fitness center, a 40,500 square feet pavilion and exhibit center, shops, a spa, swimming pools, and even a wedding chapel. There was even a movie made about the Stardust Hotel called Casino.

The movie was based on the book "Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas" written by Nicholas Pileggi and Larry Shandling about the historical days when The Stardust Casino as well as two other Las Vegas casinos were run by Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal and Anthony 'The Ant' Spilotro. Rosenthal and Spilotro ran the three casinos on behalf of the Chicago and Kansas City based Mafia during the 1960's through to the 1970's.

The film version starred Robert De Niro who portrayed the head of The Stardust Sam 'Ace' Rothstein as in Rosenthal's and Joe Pesci who portrayed Nicky Santoro as in Spilotro. One of the two casino bosses ran into the unfortunate circumstances of being listed in the black book of the Nevada Gaming Control Boards after being denied a gaming license. While the second of the two casino bosses, Spiltoro and his brother were found dead and buried half naked in Indiana.

The iconic hotel and casino was demolished early morning ending the physical presence and reminiscence to the past that saw the likes of Frank Sinatra and his rack pack grace its casino and corridors long long ago. The 48-year-old hotel complex was playground to hundreds of thousands of guests, celebrities and entertainment personalities. The complex set the bar on luxury in its day and had maintained that level of excellence for decades.