CASINO TRIVIA: BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW
Beyond the slots, tables and jackpots, casinos are filled with fascinating history, unexpected attractions and colorful characters
By Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic
Casinos are full of surprises—and we’re not just talking about what might turn up on the next spin.
Behind the bright lights, ringing jackpots and green felt tables are plenty of fascinating stories. Some casinos have ties to notorious mobsters, others are home to vintage games that have survived for generations, and a few feature attractions you definitely won’t find at your neighborhood casino.
Ready to put your casino knowledge to the test? Here are some fun facts about gaming properties across the country that prove there’s always something new to discover beyond the casino floor.
- Making a Splash
The Bellagio Las Vegas fountains use more than 1,000 individual fountains to create their spectacular water shows, with performances choreographed to everything from classical music to modern hits. The dancing water has become one of the most recognizable sights on the Las Vegas Strip.
- Talk About a High Roller
The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Tower is home to the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States, soaring more than 1,100 feet above the Las Vegas Strip. But at The STRAT, simply standing high above the city isn’t thrilling enough—the tower is also home to two heart-pounding rides that take the concept of a high-stakes experience to an entirely new level.
Big Shot launches riders 160 feet straight into the air at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
Starting from the 921-foot-high platform, the ride catapults 16 passengers up the tower’s mast to an incredible height of 1,081 feet before plunging them back down. With the Las Vegas Valley stretching out below, Big Shot delivers an unforgettable rush from one of the highest vantage points in the city.
Then there’s X-Scream, a one-of-a-kind thrill ride that teeter-totters riders over the edge of the tower from 866 feet above the ground. The ride sends you soaring beyond the edge of the Tower before pulling you back, creating the sensation of dangling high above the Las Vegas Strip.
Together, Big Shot and X-Scream transform The STRAT from a spectacular observation destination
into an adrenaline-fueled Las Vegas experience where the views are breathtaking—and the thrills are even higher.
- It’s Practically a City
Foxwoods Resort Casino is so enormous that it feels more like a small city than a casino. The Connecticut destination features seven casino areas with more than 3,200 slot machines and 175 table games, along with poker, high-stakes bingo and a sportsbook. Beyond gaming, guests will find more than 1,900 hotel rooms, Tanger Outlets, dozens of restaurants, spas, entertainment venues, indoor karting, a 30-story zipline, bowling and two championship golf courses.
- Everyone Is a Caesar
Caesars Palace celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 2026—and there’s a fascinating story behind its famous name. When founder Jay Sarno opened the Roman-themed resort on Aug. 5, 1966, he intentionally left out the apostrophe in “Caesars.” He didn’t want it to be the palace of just one Caesar. Instead, Sarno wanted every guest to feel like a Roman emperor. Six decades later, the message remains clear: At Caesars Palace, everyone is a Caesar.
- Swimming With the Sharks
The Golden Nugget Las Vegas has turned a swimming pool into an underwater adventure. Its famous Tank features a clear waterslide that sends swimmers through an aquarium filled with sharks and other marine life. It’s probably one of the few places where you can take a swim and come face-to- face with a shark without leaving the casino.
- Rockin’ the Skyline
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood takes the phrase “big guitar” literally. Its 450-foot Guitar Hotel is shaped like a giant electric guitar and has become one of south Florida’s most recognizable landmarks, with elaborate nighttime lighting that can be seen for miles. And now, the Hard Rock guitar is heading west: a new guitar-shaped hotel is taking shape on the Las Vegas Strip at the former site of The Mirage. The Guitar Hotel is part of the transformation into Hard Rock Las Vegas, with the new tower expected to open in 2027.
- Mobsters Checked In
The El Cortez Hotel & Casino has a connection to Las Vegas mob history that’s more than just legend. In 1945, mobsters Bugsy Siegel and his partners purchased the downtown property. Siegel later went on to help develop the Flamingo, another landmark in Las Vegas history. Today, the El Cortez remains one of the city’s oldest and most historic casinos.
- The Mob’s Casino Banker
Meyer Lansky was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century organized crime—and a major player in the early casino world. Known as a behind-the-scenes financier, Lansky expanded into gambling after Prohibition ended in 1933, investing in casinos across the United States, Cuba and beyond.
In Las Vegas, Lansky enlisted longtime associate Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel to oversee construction of the Flamingo. The resort’s costs skyrocketed from an estimated $1.2 million to roughly $6 million, fueling tensions among its investors. When Siegel was assassinated on June 20, 1947, Lansky’s associates soon took control of the Flamingo.
The twist? Historians still debate whether Lansky approved Siegel’s murder—or had nothing to do with it.
- Bugsy’s Big Gamble: The Birth of the Flamingo
When Bugsy Siegel took over the Flamingo project in 1945, he envisioned something Las Vegas had never seen: an upscale casino resort with a hotel, restaurants and entertainment. The property was named for the long-legged bird and, reportedly, Siegel’s girlfriend Virginia Hill’s nickname.
The Flamingo opened its casino on Dec. 26, 1946, but the launch was a bust. Poor weather and a lack of guests contributed to disappointing business, and the resort closed temporarily after just a few weeks. It reopened in March 1947 and began to find its footing— but Siegel wouldn’t live to see its success. He was murdered on June 20, 1947, at Hill’s home in Beverly Hills.
The Flamingo went on to become one of the most famous names in Las Vegas, helping usher in the era of the destination casino resort.
Fun fact: The Flamingo still pays tribute to its name today. Live pink flamingos can be found on the property, keeping the colorful connection alive nearly 80 years after the resort opened.
- Old Vegas Meets a New Race
Golden Gate Hotel & Casino has been making Las Vegas history since 1906, making it the city’s oldest continuously operating hotel. Located at the corner of Fremont and Main streets, the downtown landmark opened five years before Nevada legalized casino gambling— and it recently added another piece of Las Vegas history to its lineup. In June 2026, Golden Gate became the new home of Sigma Derby, the beloved coin-operated mechanical horse-racing game that had been a longtime attraction at The D Las Vegas. The vintage game made its move in true Las Vegas style, complete with a downtown parade to celebrate its arrival. Now players can gather around the glass-enclosed track, place their bets and cheer on the tiny mechanical steeds.
- A Beautiful Name
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino gets its name from the French phrase for “beautiful shore,” an especially fitting name for a resort overlooking Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. The name was chosen to evoke the property’s waterfront setting and French-inspired character.
- Gaming Meets the Great Smokies
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort offers something few major casinos can match: a backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains. Owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the resort combines gaming, hotels, restaurants, entertainment and meeting space with easy access to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Heat From Below
The Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno gets some of its energy from beneath the Earth. The property taps naturally occurring geothermal water to help heat and cool portions of the resort. So while guests are enjoying the Tuscan-inspired surroundings, Mother Nature is helping keep the place comfortable.
- The King’s Ride
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has a piece of rock ’n’ roll history parked near its lobby. The property is home to Elvis Presley’s personal 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom. For Hard Rock’s 2018 opening, the car was driven with a police escort from a warehouse in nearby Pleasantville, NJ, to the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Even better, the Rolls has a Beatles connection: Elvis used the car when the Fab Four visited him in Los Angeles in 1965.
- Digging Into Nevada History
The Silver Legacy in Reno was built around a giant mining theme. When the resort opened in 1995, its signature dome enclosed a massive silver mining rig, paying tribute to Nevada’s mining heritage. The dramatic centerpiece helped make the property one of Reno’s most recognizable landmarks.
- Lights, Camera, Casino!
The Plaza Hotel & Casino has had quite a career in Hollywood. The iconic downtown Las Vegas property has appeared in movies and television shows including Casino, Pay It Forward and The Stand. Its vintage neon, distinctive architecture and location at the head of Fremont Street make it a natural movie backdrop.
Bonus Trivia: Now That’s a View!
Fallsview Casino Resort may have one of the most spectacular views in casino gaming. Built on a cliff overlooking Niagara Falls’ famous Horseshoe Falls, the 2.5-million-square- foot resort is Canada’s largest gaming facility, with more than 3,200 slot machines and more than 100 table games. Here, the view from the casino floor comes with one of nature’s greatest shows just outside the window.
