Laughlin Entertainer: Cover Stories

August is a popular month to open a casino in the Laughlin area. Three casinos-from the oldest to the newest-are celebrating their anniversaries this month and visitors and guests will receive the presents. The casinos are

* Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort (42nd);

* Harrah's Laughlin (20th); and

* Crossing Casino on the Arizona side of the river (2nd).

Here's what's up....

RIVERSIDE RESORT

Forty-two years ago, Don Laughlin moved to one of the hottest places on the planet at the hottest time of year to open a business. And this begs the question-what was he thinking?

Did he see potential or was it a mirage brought on by the heat, clouding his judgment?

Maybe he just took a gamble and got lucky. After all, he was in the right state for it.

Or maybe he picked up on something very elementary: when it's hot outside, people look for a place to cool off inside. In any case, it was with a little bit of the luck of the Irish-Laughlin is Irish, you know-a good strategy and hard work that the venture paid off, transforming his original foothold in the desert into, not only a mega-resort called Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino, but an entire town to boot.

Take that, heat!

It was 1966, when Laughlin bought his Nevada bait shop on the Colorado River at a place referred to as Tri-State. Along with the anchovies, fishing line and salmon eggs, he bought into an eight-room motel located at the end of a dirt road, hard pressed against the river.

When he first started scouting the area, Don Laughlin was not only the owner of a small Las Vegas casino (the 101 Club), he was also an avid pilot. Thus, he would often take flights over the open desert that spread south of Vegas. From his movable perch, he could see the striking contrasts between the blues and greens of the Colorado River and the browns of the landscape along its banks.

His vantage point also showed him that it was not all that far from Nevada's slice of the Colorado River bank to Kingman...and Lake Havasu...and Needles....towns that already had established themselves as viable communities. And even closer, the small retirement/fishing getaway community of Bullhead City was a seed bed waiting to be watered.

Laughlin saw the gaming potential in all this. Few, if any others, had. Thus, he bought the bait shop...and much like the now famous line from motion pictures...he built it, and they came.

In fact, he built more than a casino. His Riverside Resort now boasts a 1,405 room destination resort with a full complement casino with race and sports book, numerous restaurants, a cinema complex, two nightclubs, a bowling center, classic car museum, a top rate showroom, swimming pools, retail outlets, RV park....in short, a resort town unto itself. Well, not quite unto itself as the Riverside Resort also offers complete charter air service to numerous locations around the U.S.

And what's in it for you?

In celebration of its 42nd Anniversary, the Riverside Resort will give players a chance to win thousands in cash with their “$168,000 Anniversary Cash Giveaway”.

On the two remaining Thursdays in the month, August 21 and 28, drawings will be held in the South Tower promotions at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day. Four winners will be selected at each drawing with each winner taking home $5,250 in cash. This makes for a total of $42,000 in weekly cash prizes, a number to coincide with the “42” of the anniversary.

To participate, players will receive one ticket for every 100 points earned at a single rate on their King of Clubs Players' Club card on reel, video poker and keno machines. If you are not a member of the players club, you can register at the booth located near the hotel lobby. There is no charge to become a member.

Complete rules on the anniversary cash giveaway, plus details on numerous other benefits of club membership, are available at the King of Clubs booth.

HARRAH'S LAUGHLIN

It was 20 years ago, on August 29, 1988, that Harrah's Del Rio (now Harrah's Laughlin) went into business. The Harrah's name was a well-known one in the gaming industry and when it first lit up on the Colorado River, it was a telltale sign that the “Big Boys” believed in the future of Laughlin. The Flamingo Hilton was under construction and Circus Circus had bought the Edgewater and the Colorado Belle. Steve Wynn was transforming the Nevada Club into the Golden Nugget Laughlin; the people who owned the Tropicana in Las Vegas were establishing their railroad casino the Ramada Express; and the Boyd Group was running a Laughlin version of their Vegas Sam's Town label in Sam's Town Gold River.

It was heady times for the area when the “long-necked-steel-crane” was the official Laughlin bird and Don Laughlin's original vision on the potential of the area was coming to fruition.

The Hilton people, Steve Wynn, Circus Circus, the Boyd Group and the original Ramada Express group have since packed up and left. Though restructured, Harrah's is still here and Harrah's is still believing in Laughlin. (So too, by the way, is Don Laughlin).

Over the intervening years, Harrah's Del Rio underwent some major changes including the construction of a South Tower and a Central Tower with their 956 hotel rooms and additional casino space, swimming pool and entertainment venue. The resort also underwent a name change to Harrah's Laughlin before adding a third tower, the North Tower and its 701 rooms, second pool, meeting space and parking garage.

Today Harrah's Laughlin boasts three hotel towers with 1,505 rooms, including 171 suites; more than 50,000 sq. ft. of casino space including a separate non-smoking gaming area; a poker room; four restaurants; three casino bars; salon and spa; health club; private soft sand beach; two swimming pools (one family and one adults only); boutique; gift shop; two entertainment venues in an indoor showroom and outdoor amphitheater; and an air charter service from more than 100 cities nationwide

And what's in it for you?

On Saturday, August 23, Harrah's Laughlin will host their “$10,000 Anniversary Cash Craze”. Beginning at 4 p.m., one name will be drawn every 15 minutes for a chance to win $1,000 with one final name drawn at 6 p.m. for a chance to win $2,000. Participants must be actively playing slot or table games on the casino floor using their Total Rewards card to be eligible to win (excluded are poker room, race and sportsbook, and live keno). If you are not a member of the Total Rewards program, you can register at the center located on the main casino floor. There is no charge to become a member.

Other anniversary bonuses include:

* Baja Blue-get two entrees for $20 in Baja Blue Restaurant every Tuesday, through August 26, when you present the Harrah's ad in this publication (page 34 of this issue).

* Commemorative gaming chip-throughout the summer.

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Harrah's Laughlin has designed a commemorative anniversary gaming chip which will be available in $5, $25 and $100 denominations and available for purchase at the cashier cage. The chip design features a special 20th Anniversary logo and a black and white photo of the property as it opened on August 29, 1988 with its first hotel tower.

And to put a smile on your face..

Also making a special appearance as part of the birthday party will be another staple of the early days of Harrah's Del Rio-Earl Turner. This one-man production show was a regular in the Club La Bamba (located at the site of the current high-roller slot area) where he showed off an energy and audience-friendly style of performing that would eventually bring him headliner status in Vegas and New Orleans

Turner performs in the Fiesta Showroom, August 20-21, 23; and August 25-28, with shows at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $17.95 per person and are available at the Harrah's ticket booth in the non-smoking casino.

Earl Turner's show combines singing and dancing that takes audiences through a broad range of musical styles-from classic Motown to a touch of country to contemporary pop and hip-hop hits. A couple of years ago, Turner was recognized for his powerful show by being named Las Vegas' Best Male Vocal Performer by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The success of his shows lies in Turner's ability to connect with his audience and pull them into the show. In short, an Earl Turner show is a classic Las Vegas show-no tigers, trapeze artists-just a talented entertainer backed by top rate musicians. You know. Show biz.

CROSSING CASINO

When the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe built their huge Mojave Crossing Event Center across the river from the Avi a couple of years ago, they created a staging spot for events beyond what other hotel casinos could offer. It could be, and has been, home to rodeos, speed racing, graduation ceremonies, equestrian events-even an alpaca breeders convention.

But what the complex didn't have that other properties in the area had was a casino.

So...

The Crossing Casino opened on August 24, 2006, in a site connected to the event center. With its own entrance and identity, the 17,100 sq ft. casino fit the bill for not only those interested in doing a little gaming while attending an event but also for those locals and visitors seeking a calmer, more intimate site to do their gaming.

Currently, the casino offers the latest in slot machines-including “Fort Knox” and “Jackpot Hunter” progressives-and “Game King” video poker and keno machines. It has a full service bar offering a $1 margarita special daily; and a small food outlet with sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs and other snacks and beverages.

The casino is open daily from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

What's in it for you?

To celebrate their 2nd Anniversary, the Crossing Casino will be holding drawings on Sunday, August 24, for cash and prizes. Drawings for a total of $2,000 in cash will take place throughout the day. The times and prizes are: 11 a.m.-$200; 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-$300 at each drawing; 7 p.m.-$400; and at 9 p.m.-$500.

A grand prize drawing for a set of Nike Golf Clubs, valued at $3,000, will take place at 10 p.m. The prize of the golf clubs is a natural. The Crossing Casino is affiliated through the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe with the 18-hole championship-designed Mojave Resort Golf Club located just across the river, next to the Avi. The winner of the clubs won't have far to travel to try them out.

Entry tickets into the Sunday, August 24, drawings can be earned in a variety of ways through casino play. These include:

* with any hand paid jackpot;

* with any straight flush with maximum coins in; and

* with a natural four-of-a-kind with maximum coins in.

All winning combinations must be verified by a floor attendant and no wild cards are allowed in winning hands. Participants must fill out each drawing ticket and place it in the drawing drum located on the casino floor. Winners must be present to claim prizes. Names will be called for each prize until a winner is found.

See casino floor attendant for complete details and restrictions on the drawings.

For further information on Crossing Casino, call, 928-330-2555.