In one of the most interesting finds, while doing our latest research for this Las Vegas History Series edition, I found out that there were two different casinos and resorts with the name Rendezvous.
First, we will start with The Rendezvous. From 1954 to 1964, it was located at 3235 Las Vegas Blvd South. The place was a gambling hall, race book, and sportsbook. It also advertised a bar and packaged goods on its sign out front.
A newspaper caption of a photo of the Rendezvous I found on the Internet said, “Strip betting spot – Tourists find betting on horse racing in or near their home towns made easy on the strip by the Rendezvous Race Book operated by Keith Richard who has been here for five years. He is located at 3235 Las Vegas Blvd., South. Richards has the latest results of every race in the country.”
Based on that caption, it seems like The Rendezvous was one of the main places in Las Vegas during that era to bet on horses and find information about all the horse races across the country.
Second, Rendezvous Hotel and Casino was located at 400 E Ogden Ave. This was located in Downtown Las Vegas. According to the Chip Rack, the gaming portion was only opened from 1977 to 1978. Gaming offered included craps, blackjack, keno, and slots. They also gave out free drink chips to customers.
In 1983, the property area was purchased by Jackie Gaughan. Other gaming has been in that place including Gold Spike until their casino was removed when the property was purchased by Tony Hsieh of Zappos. Because of the Golden Nugget, Binion’s, and El Cortez casino properties among others, one could argue that location was no doubt a challenge for all gaming that has been there.
Below you can find our chip collection from both The Rendezvous and Rendezvous Hotel and Casino. You can purchase each chip clicking the picture:
Rendezvous ashtray:
We have an ashtray from the Rendezvous, the Downtown Las Vegas property for only $12. You can purchase it by emailing me at [email protected].
