Antique, mechanical slot machines provide a direct link to the days of yesteryear, from the Roaring 20's Prohibition Honky Tonk to post World War II gleaming chrome Nevada-style machines. Computerized slots and video pokers are also available for modern casino play at home.
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The area that would become Las Vegas was first settled in 1905 and from the start gambling was part of the city’s fabric. Unfortunately, gambling was outlawed for several decades and the oldest casino on this list had to stop their gaming activities for a time.
Many of the other casinos on this list have also not been in continuous operation as they’ve undergone major renovations and ownership changes. However, these are still technically the oldest casinos in Las Vegas.
11. Harrah’s Las Vegas
Harrah’s Las Vegas was originally called the Holiday Casino when it opened in 1973 until 1992. The Holiday Casino was small, had a riverboat theme, and was built in front of the Holiday Inn Las Vegas Center Strip. Following years of renovations after a change in ownership, Harrah’s Las Vegas reopened with a Mardi Gras and Carnival theme. It is the Caesars Entertainment (formerly Harrah’s Entertainment) flagship property as there are many other Harrah’s hotels around the country.
Did You Know?
Harrah’s Las Vegas has a fairly large gaming space at 91,833 sq ft (8,531.6 m²) and contains over 1,200 slot machines.
10. The LINQ Hotel & Casino
The LINQ Hotel & Casino was opened as the Flamingo Capri motel in 1959. The motel was named after the larger Flamingo Hotel and Casino and the Flamingo Capri was technically part of the original Flamingo’s property. The casino was not added until 1972 and a few years later, the property was turned into the Asian-themed Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino. In 2012, the Imperial Palace was turned into The Quad Resort and Casino. It was renamed again two years later to the LINQ Hotel & Casino.
Did You Know?
The LINQ Hotel & Casino is home to the 550-foot-tall High Roller, The World’s Tallest Observation Wheel.
9. Circus Circus Las Vegas
Unlike most of the other casinos on this list, which didn’t add gambling spaces until later, Circus Circus was only a casino before a hotel was added. While this was a unique idea, Circus Circus faced financial problems from the beginning because there were no rooms available to attract high rollers.
A hotel was eventually added to the the casino, but Circus Circus owner Jay Sarno borrowed the money from the Teamsters Pension Fund. This led the government to investigate Circus Circus and Sarno ended up selling the casino a few years later.
Did You Know?
Circus Circus is the largest permanent big top (circus tent) in the world.
8. Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace was established in 1966 by Jay Sarno, who sought to create an opulent facility that gave guests a sense of life during the Roman Empire. It is one of the largest and most recognized landmark in Las Vegas. The actual casino portion of Caesars Palace is significantly larger than most other casinos, clocking in at a massive 24,181 square feet (11,536.8 square meters). From the very beginning, Caesars Palace has attracted high rollers from around the world.
Did You Know?
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The reason Caesars Palace doesn’t have an apostrophe in its name is because the purpose of the of the palace was to ensure an atmosphere in which everybody staying at the hotel would feel like a “Caesar.”
7. Planet Hollywood Las Vegas
Although Planet Hollywood Las Vegas opened in 2000, its on the site of the previous Aladdin hotel and casino, which traces its history to 1962. Initially, the Aladdin was only a hotel called the Tallyho, which tried to add a casino in 1963. However, there were a lot of issues with licensing and a casino was not opened on the property until Milton Prell bought the hotel in 1966. The building was heavily renovated and received an Arabian Nights theme.
The Aladdin closed in 1997 and was demolished to make room for the new Aladdin. The name of the hotel and casino was changed to Planet Hollywood in 2007.
Did You Know?
The first skill-based gambling machines, from Gamblit Gaming, in Las Vegas were installed at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in March 2017.
6. Tropicana Las Vegas
Tropicana Las Vegas was built in 1957 by Ben Jaffe, an executive of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Jaffe set out to build the finest hotel in Las Vegas and settled on a Cuban-inspired theme for his new resort. In the late 1970s, the Tropicana was the unfortunate target of a mob skimming operation. The Kansas City crime family, aka the Civella crime family, siphoned money from the cashier cage through Joe Agosto, the owner of the Tropicana’s Folies Bergere show.
Did You Know?
The Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection, has the most hotel rooms of any intersection in the world and pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, the Tropicana is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos.
5. Sahara Las Vegas
Although the Sahara Las Vegas was opened over 67 years ago, the casino and hotel has not been in continuous operation. The Sahara was closed in 2011 after it became unprofitable and was not re-opened until 2004. The building was completely renovated and all of the Sahara’s original Moroccan themed décor was removed.
The hotel and casino was also renamed to SLS Las Vegas as part of SBE’s chain of SLS hotels. However, after the the Meruelo Group purchased the SLS Las Vegas, they decided to change the name back to Sahara Las Vegas. While the new Sahara has a modern look, it does make minor references to the old Moroccan theme.
Did You Know?
The Sahara Las Vegas has been home to many notable performers, including Marlene Dietrich, Tony Bennett, Sonny and Cher, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and many more.
4. Flamingo Las Vegas
Flamingo Las Vegas was opened as The Fabulous Flamingo in 1946. The hotel and casino was the third resort built on the Las Vegas Strip and is now the oldest remaining establishment on the Strip. Like many old Vegas casinos, the Flamingo has ties to the American mafia. Famous mobster Bugsy Bugsy Siegel and his partners took over the final phases of construction of the Flamingo and invested a significant amount of money to open the hotel and casino.
After Siegel’s death, Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum, magnates of the nearby El Cortez Hotel, took possession of the Flamingo. Ownership of the Flamingo has changed many times since then.
Did You Know?
Allegedly, Bugsy Siegel named The Flamingo after after his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, who loved to gamble and was nicknamed “Flamingo” because of her long, skinny legs.
3. Golden Nugget Las Vegas
Golden Nugget Las Vegas, commonly called by its original name The Golden Nugget, has been in operation since 1946. The hotel and casino is an iconic part of Las Vegas’ Fremont Street Experience. Over the years, various prominent Las Vegas hotel/casino owners have had part ownership in the Golden Nugget, such as Jackie Gaughan (long-time owner of the El Cortez) and Steve Wynn early on in his career.
Did You Know?
Fox television series, The Casino, is based on Poster Financial Group, who purchased Golden Nugget Las Vegas in 2003 and upgraded the gambling operation by installing new cashless slot machines and by increasing the maximum bet available at table games to $15,000.
2. El Cortez
Opened since 1941 as both a hotel and casino, the El Cortez is the oldest continuously existing casino in Las Vegas. El Cortez was built by Marion Hicks and J.C. Grayson as the first major resort in downtown Las Vegas. The casino has been in continuous operation for over 77 years and is one of the only casinos to have never changed its exterior façade; the original ranch-themed architecture remained even when the signage was modernized in 1952.
Did You Know?
Although many people thought that the El Cortez was too far from the main downtown area, but the casino became so profitable that it was purchased by famous mobsters Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Gus Greenbaum, and Moe Sedway for $600,000.
1. Golden Gate Hotel and Casino
There is some argument over whether or not the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino is older than the El Cortez and many people do cite Golden Gate as older. This is because the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino was built in 1906 and despite some misinformation, the hotel did operate a casino for its first few years. However, gambling did become illegal in Las Vegas in 1909, so the Golden Gate ceased casino operations. After gambling was reinstated in 1931, Golden Gate resumed gambling activities, making the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino the oldest casino in Las Vegas.
Did You Know?
As the oldest hotel and casino in Las Vegas, the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino set many firsts, including being the first lodging establishment in the city to receive plumbing and having the first telephone/number in Las Vegas.
If you like slot machines, then you probably know the Bally name. This iconic brand has had a presence in the American casino and gaming industry since the 1930s.
It provided the slot machine designs that changed the way people play, and the company had a hand in the historic spread of casinos across the United States.
While Bally has had its ups and downs through several mergers and acquisitions, the brand survives to continue its mission of providing entertaining and innovative machines.
Where to play slots like Bally
Free to play Bally slots online
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It shouldn’t be surprising that Bally has a large catalog of slots available, given their time in the industry. Many of their classic Atlantic City slot machines have been made into online games. These five favorites are a great place to start.
- Quick Hit Super Wheel Wild Red – This mouthful of a machine features 5 reels and 30 paylines along with a lot of features and bonuses. While the design is inspired by traditional slot machines, the gameplay is completely modern. Lucky players will get a chance to spin the Super Wheel to unlock instant winnings, multipliers, wilds or loaded free spins. There’s also a range of Quick Hit jackpots on the line for every spin.
- Triple Cash Wheel – Another machine that mixes a classic design with a lot of modern bells and whistles. This slot machine plays three separate games simultaneously for a total of 15 reels and 60 paylines. On top of the exciting base game, Triple Cash Wheel includes a big bonus game that lets players earn instant credits or free spins with big multipliers.
- Lucky Tree – A fun Asian-themed 5-reel slot machine game with 30 paylines and several bonus rounds. The titular Lucky Tree adds a little excitement to each spin, with the potential for a breeze to send extra wild spaces tumbling down onto the reels. Lucky Tree also features a free spin bonus round and a special pick bonus round, which lets players turn over mystery tiles to try and create matching sets of animals for big bonuses.
- Acorn Pixie – A beautiful slot machine that brings an enchanted forest and its pixie inhabitants to life. The 5-reel machine with 30 paylines includes a touch of magic, which can flip losing spins around with a lucky 2×2 cluster wild that can appear to fill gaps. The bonus round is based around an extended version of the game, with 6 rows to fill and permanent wild spaces that branch out from the bottom to help fill out the reels with winning paylines. Players can choose to skip the basic spins and simply pay to play a number of free spins in the bonus round.
- Fu Dao Le – A very popular Asian-themed slot machine that features numerous ways to win. This 5-reel game doesn’t use traditional paylines, instead it allows any one of 243 potential left-to-right combinations to trigger a win. The game also includes 4 Red Envelope progressive jackpots that can be won with a lucky spin or through the Match-3 bonus game. There are also free spin bonus rounds, multipliers, stacked wilds and mystery spaces.
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Players interested in Bally games should be happy to hear that their interest in technological innovations extends to making many of their games available for play on mobile devices. This includes all of the top 5 picks listed above. While Bally does not have a dedicated slot game app, players should be able to find their slots listed on several different apps for iOS and Android phones. Free apps usually provide some free coins each day with an option to buy more for anyone who wants to play a longer session. Locations that allow players to bet real money on online slots should be able to find Bally machines on casino apps.
In general, Bally online slot games should play well even on mobile devices. Their clean designs scale well with smaller screens and should be easy to read, although games that use expanded reels may get a little cramped during the bonus round. Certain features such as the U-Spin wheel may not be fully supported on mobile apps. Players may have to settle for just pushing a “spin” button instead of actually spinning the wheel. It should be a small price to pay for the convenience of playing these great games on-the-go or at home.
Bally’s Innovations & Features
Throughout the company’s history, Bally has been a leader in general slot machine innovation. Aside from their historic contributions, they continue to provide improvements such as larger screens in cabinets and faster software. These important technological developments have been accompanied by some fun gameplay innovations too.
Following the merger with Alliance Gaming, Bally’s slot design shifted to focus on providing an engaging and fun experience along with the thrill of gambling. Its primary competitor, IGT, felt that gamblers didn’t want more complicated systems.
This directly led to innovations such as their Thrillions system, a twist on classic linked progressive jackpots. Beginning with their classic Betty Boop, Popeye and Blondie themed machines, the rollout in 1999 put the focus on smaller jackpots that were triggered more frequently.
Running off of the same philosophy, players will probably notice the common Quick Hit feature on Bally slot games. This non-progressive jackpot system provides a full range of payouts with frequent minor pots and rarer, proper jackpots for the big strikes.
Bally hasn’t forgotten the joys of large community-linked payouts though. Players looking for larger more traditional progressive jackpots in modern machines can stick to the Red Envelope series, which includes fun games such as Fu Dao Le, Heavenly Riches and Super Rise of Ra.
The U-Spin bonus game is probably Bally’s most visible success. Starting with the Cash Spin slot machine, this eye-catching innovation provided a thrilling change to the typical bonus round format.
Lucky winners get to actually spin the digital wheel at the top of the machine for a chance to win large credit payouts, free games or even progressive jackpots. The real thrill comes from the built-in gesture control, which reacts to the speed and direction of the player’s swipe. The U-Spin wheel adds the fun of a game show to basic slots gameplay.
In general, players will see that Bally’s attention is focused on providing interesting and exciting bonuses. Bally slots can include large, expanding reels that provide more ways to win, or even simple money bag bonuses that let players pick one of three mystery bags with the chance of a big payout.
The introduction of the Buy A Bonus feature in the recently released Acorn Pixie machine clearly shows where future development is headed. The option for players to just pay for one last shot at the bonus round before they leave shows Bally’s commitment to a fun experience.
The Winding Tale of Bally
The actual Bally company began not as a slot machine company, but as a pinball developer. Raymond Moloney founded the Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1932 in Chicago. The name came from its first product, the Ballyhoo.
The Ballyhoo pinball game was an early coin-operated piece that filled bars across America. In 1936, Bally used its experience and connections to expand into the growing gambling industry by creating the Bally Baby, a small mechanical slot machine.
Bally would mostly cease production of gaming machines during World War II to provide manufacturing power for the war effort. This didn’t slow down their product development though, with their tall “Hi-Boy” model releasing after the end of the war in 1945. This iconic design, while very basic by modern standards, created a look that would inspire the one-armed bandit for decades. Raymond Moloney’s death in 1958 triggered a rough patch for the company, with Bally almost falling into bankruptcy before a buyout and revival in 1963.
The revival was built upon the release of Money Honey, an innovative electromechanical slot machine. Featuring an electric hopper, the machine was able to handle larger and more complex payouts than purely mechanical machines. This raised expectations for slots and set up Bally as a market leader. By the end of the 1960s, it was estimated that Bally controlled nearly 90% of the worldwide slot machine market.
The 1970s and 1980s would see Bally use its profits to grow into a large umbrella company. Bally built the Park Palace Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City in 1979 as its first foray into casino operation.
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Its electronics division attempted to enter the home video game market with the ill-fated Bally Professional Arcade.
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Their acquisition of Midway Manufacturing in the 1960s would bear fruit as it dominated the arcade and home video game markets through its distribution of hits like Pac-Man and Space Invaders.
By the end of the 1980s, Bally owned the Six Flags chain, a set of health and fitness clubs and multiple casinos. This expansion proved to be draining. The Bally parent company would begin to separate and sell off its diverse divisions in the early 1990s to avoid financial hardship.
The slot machine division, now a subsidiary branded as Bally Entertainment, would be acquired in 1996 by the Alliance Gaming Corporation.
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Founded in 1968, Alliance had its own long storied history. It began as Advanced Patent Technology, with a focus on developing new electronics and medical products.
Starting in 1979, the company tried to enter the rapidly growing gambling industry by buying the United Coin Machine Company and developing the Colorado Belle casino near Las Vegas.
Its 1985 merger with Omega Gaming allowed it to enter the video slot market. The next decade would see more property development, several rebrandings and a few mergers until it settled as the Alliance Gaming Corporation in 1994.
The merger with Bally Entertainment was a somewhat messy affair. Alliance Gaming hoped to compete for space against the dominant IGT in the newly developing riverboat and Native American casinos by joining with the still powerful Bally in 1993.
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Early negotiations failed though, as Bally Entertainment ultimately sought a merger with WMS Industries. After a few lawsuits and a hostile takeover attempt, Alliance Gaming won out in 1995 with the merger completing in 1996. Bally ultimately became a subsidiary called Bally Gaming and Systems.
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Following the merger, Bally grew and adapted to the changing markets by innovating gameplay. They focused on building more entertaining machines and providing powerful systems for casinos.
In 2006, it would go through its final name change, with Alliance Gaming renaming themselves Bally Technologies. After 8 years, Bally Technologies would be bought out by Scientific Gaming in 2014.
Scientific Gaming made its mark on the gaming industry with innovations in instant lottery games, including development of online lotteries and a mobile gaming app for retail lottery games. Somewhat poetically, this brought Bally under the same umbrella as WMS, which had been also bought by Scientific Gaming.
The Bally legacy lives on today as a leading slot machine developer and brand within the Scientific Gaming powerhouse.