Located at 3300 West Tropicana, this area just West of the Las Vegas Strip has had gaming since 1974. It is one of the smallest casinos no doubt, but the area became a popular stop for truck drivers going through the night.
In 1974, King 8 was opened by owners Olind Jenni and Will Roberts. The random and very interesting part about the owners was they actually had a hotel also in Alaska under the King 8 name as well. Of course, there are no licensed casinos in the state of Alaska. The few tribes that have any kind of gaming in Alaska are restricted to bingo and pull tab games.
Getting back to the King 8 Hotel and Casino, one of their mottos was luxury at budget prices. To this day, it has always been known as one of the more economical hotels and casinos near the Vegas Strip. One of the tokens that were made for the casino even had a big truck on it to pay tribute to the drivers who spent the night there as they were making their way through. The sign for the hotel and casino had light up red letters and a rectangle shape.
14 years into owning King 8 Hotel and Casino in 1988, a hotel investor group named Trust out of Los Angeles, California purchased King 8. In 1996, it would then be taken over by J.A. Tiberti Construction Company. They would then end up making a partnership with Station Casinos in 1998. More than 20 years later, it has been a Station Casino operation since.
The King 8 officially closed in 1998 for a remodeling job.
After it was re-opened, the name was changed to Wild Wild West. You can see a photo below of what it looks like today:
In 2009, Station Casinos partnered with the Days Inn Hotel franchise so that the hotel and casino could be marketed under the well known national hotel brand. All the employees are still employed by Station Casinos, however.
Today, what’s fun about the Wild Wild West is if you visit, it’s got a very cozy feeling to it. They have a sportsbook with a few rows of chairs and a bunch of TVs, some slot machines and a few table games. There are over 250 hotel rooms to stay in and a 24 hour Denny’s restaurant. If you are looking for a budget-friendly place to stay minutes away from the South end of the Las Vegas Strip, Wild Wild West is the place to be.
Below you can find our casino chips and cards to purchase from both King 8 and Wild Wild West:
Click the picture to order each chip from King 8:
We also have a few decks of King 8 Casino decks that are $5 a piece. If you are interested, send me an email to [email protected] or call 702-362-8767 to place an order.
You can also purchase our Wild Wild West $1 chip or a deck of cards below clicking the picture:
Casino rack for sale:
For those in the chip rack collecting field, many know it is not easy to find 100 chips with a 25 cent denomination that are in good condition. Look no further than this rack of 25 cent hat and cane chips from Pacos, Casino in Reno, Nevada. I only have one rack. Send us an email to [email protected] or give us a call at 702-362-8767. You can see the picture below:
8 comments
Joe Chesley
Worked in Vegas in 89 while work was slow in Phoenix every Sunday while driving back to Vegas stoped with wife and kids for the prime rib still my oldest child says that was the best dinner ever had I hop it didn’t close down lot of good memories.
Ronney Marshall
I worked at the King 8 in the 1980s. Don’t remember the exact years. I dealt craps and BJ there for a year or two. My boss was Mike Soskin. I can’t remember if he was a shift boss or the casino manager. I think he was a part owner, though.
Robert Campbell
During my first ever visit to Vegas in 1975, this was the first casino I visited. I converted a 30 dollar investment into 800 dollars on the slots. The change girl kept telling me which ones to play. Of course, I promptly lost it all downtown.
Susie
I have one of the silver coins with the big truck on it from King 8. It’s still sealed in the plastic container. This was the first place I ever gambled. Loved it. Thank you for the history.
Marilyn
What was name of Truckstop next door to King 8 in the 80’s
David lambert
I did swing shift maintenance here back in ‘86-‘88. Was good times. Freddie was kitchen manager. Hot wings were $1 a dozen. Had a dozen every night after shift. Met my second wife here, she was a change girl.
charles robbins
My Brother and I worked there back in 1995. I worked security. I still have fond memories from that time. Barbara was the manager, I think. I want to get one of the king-8 decks next month. Kinda tight on the dollars this month, but, will hit you up for sure around the first.
The head of security when I worked there was featured on a crime series years after I left there. It seems that he and his wife buried her Mom in the yard and collected her checks for some time. He left town on the run, but, got caught in Seattle when he bought a seahawks ticket(s) using his credit card. That really shocked me. He seemed like a nice guy.
I loved lunch there in the employee dining room. In 56 months I put on 560 pounds, went from 165 to 215, It helped me to do the security job with the weight on me. Great times, great people worked there. I miss the place even after all these years.
Shelia E Encineas
So crazy I use to work in the restaurant at that time loved that place