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History

The term chip is actually a misnomer. The true name is "check" (or, in the original British, "cheque"). Gamblers in the Old West started referring to gaming checks as chips, and it sticks to this day. Occasionally you may find someone who still calls them checks (he or she are probably a long time chip collector). However, they are more commonly called gaming chips, as we refer to them throughout this website.

Unlike high-end coin collecting, chips are not as expensive to acquire and they make unusual, beautiful, and interesting displays. Also, because chip collecting is still a relatively new hobby in an industry that has only recently become international in scope - substantially aided by the poker phenomenon that has exploded these past couple of years - there are plenty of opportunities to start on the "ground floor" with your collection.

The following is arranged beginning with the first major hotel/casino resort or casino to the present. There may have been clubs, casinos, or motels on the properties before, which is listed underneath the name. We have numbered the top ten as they held the pathway for the rest of the Strip.

• April 3, 1941 - The mother of the Strip, El Rancho Las Vegas opening with 63 rooms.
• October 30, 1942 - Second, Hotel Last Frontier opening with 105 rooms.
  1930 - Pair-O-Dice
  1936 - Ambassador Night Club
  1939 - 91 Club
  April 4, 1955 - New Frontier
  1967 - The Frontier
  1999 - New Frontier
• December 26, 1946 - Third, Flamingo Hotel opening with 105 rooms.
  March 1, 1947 - Fabulous Flamingo
  1971 - Flamingo Hilton
  1999 - Flamingo Las Vegas
• September 2, 1948 - Fourth, The Thunderbird opening with 76 rooms.
  1977 - Silverbird
  1982 - El Rancho
• April 24, 1950 - Fifth resort, Desert Inn opening with 300 rooms.
  ???? - Players Club
  April 28, 2005 - Wynn Resort
• September, 1950 - First major casino, Silver Slipper/Golden Slipper.
• October 7, 1952 - Sixth resort, Sahara opening with 240 rooms.
  April 8, 1947 - Club Bingo
• December 15, 1952 - Seventh resort, Sands opening with 200 rooms.
  ???? - La Rue's
  1988 - Sands MGM
  May 3, 1999 - The Venetian opening with 3,036 rooms.
• April 19, 1955 - Eighth, The Royal Nevada
• April 20, 1955 - Ninth, Riviera opening with 300 rooms.
• May 23, 1955 - Tenth, Dunes opening with 200 rooms.
  October 15, 1998 - Bellagio opening with 3,026 rooms.
• June 1956 - Hacienda opening with 256 rooms.
  March 2, 1999 - Mandalay Bay opening with 3,309 rooms.
• April 4, 1957 - Tropicana opening with 300 rooms.
• July 2, 1958 - Stardust Resort & Casino opening with 1,000 rooms.
• 1960 - San Souci. This property was shared by two establishments. The Red Rooster "clan" was first, then the San Souci. The Red Rooster eventually disappeared. San Souci was then the evolving property.
  1931 - Red Rooster Nite Club
  1933 - The Red Rooster
  1933 - Red Rooster
  1941 - Alice Morris Red Rooster
  1942 - Red Rooster Nite Club
  1947 - Gracie Hayes Lodge
  1948 - Red Rooster
  1950 - Martello's Red Rooster
  1951 - Red Rooster
  1953 - Hi Ho Club
  May 4, 1954 - The Patio Club
  1954 - The Rendezvous
  1956 - Gracie Hayes Lodge Sharing the property with
  1942 - San Souci Auto Court
  1949 - San Souci Court
  1950 - San Souci Auto & Trailer Court
  1955 - Sans Souci Hotel, Inc.
  1963 - Castaways
  1967 - Oliver's New Castaways Casino
  November 22, 1989 - The Mirage opening with 3,044 rooms
  October 27, 1993 - Treasure Island opening with 2,891 rooms (this property was Mirage's parking lot)
  June, 2000 - MGM Mirage
  October, 2003 - TI
  
• 1961(?) - El Morocco Motel
  ???? - Ginseng Korean and Japanese Bar-B-Q Restaurant
• 1963 - Its first "motel" resort Westward-Ho
• April 1, 1966 - The Aladdin opening with 335 rooms.
  1962 - The Tally Ho
  1964 - King's Crown
  August 18, 2000 - Aladdin opening with 2,567 rooms
• August 5, 1966 - Caesars Palace opening with 700 rooms.
• 1972 - Circus Circus Hotel Casino Resort opening with 400 rooms.
  October 18, 1968 - Circus Circus Casino
• July 2, 1973 - Holiday Casino
  1949 - Tumbleweed Motel
  195? - The Pyramids Motel
  1992 - Harrah's
  19?? - River Boat Casino
• July 1, 1967 - Bonanza Hotel and Casino opening with 160 room
  1963 - Three Coins Motel s
  1969 - New Bonanza Hotel and Casino
  December 23, 1973 - MGM Grand Hotel opening with 2,100 rooms
  1986 - Bally Grand
  1996 - Bally's
• 1973 - Riata Casino
  1974 - Silver City Casino
  2004 - Silver City Mall
• 1975 - Marina Hotel and Casino
  December 18, 1993 - MGM Grand Hotel/Casino opening with 5,005 rooms.
• March, 1979 - Barbary Coast opening with 150 rooms.
  195? - Desert Villa
  195? - Empey's Desert Villa
• November 1, 1979 - Imperial Palace
  19?? - Flamingo Capri
• 1979 - Slots-A-Fun
• July 1, 1989 - O'Shea's
• June 19, 1990 - Excalibur opening with 4,032 rooms.
• January 1, 1992 - Casino Royale
  ???? - Joey's New Yorker Night Club
  1979 - Nob Hill
• October 15, 1993 - Luxor Las Vegas opening with 2,526 rooms.
• 1993 - Boardwalk Holiday Inn
  1969 - Holiday Queen
  February 13, 2002 - Boardwalk Hotel & Casino
• June 21, 1996 - Monte Carlo - opening with 3,002 rooms.
  1953 - Desert Rose Motel
• January 3, 1997 - New York New York opening with 2,033 rooms.
  195? - Lone Palm Motel Sharing property with:
  1965 - Rodeway Inn
• September 1, 1999 - Paris Las Vegas opening with 2,914 rooms.
  19?? - Galaxy Motel
  1970 - Little Caesar's