Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club Casino, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Description

The storied venue at 109 Fremont Street underwent numerous transformations before becoming Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club. Originally home to the Santa Anita Turf Club, it reopened as the Nevada Club in July 1953. In October 1955, Robert Van Santen merged his Fortune Club with the Nevada Club in late 1955 retaining the Nevada Club name and remaining its owner. It promoted itself as “the world’s most exciting casino,” boasting a jackpot every 27 seconds and a friendly atmosphere that attracted tourists wanting a thrilling downtown experience. In 1962, the name was changed to Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club. In 1967, Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club expanded its operation by merging with the neighboring Lucky Casino/Lucky Strike Club, adopting the name Lucky Nevada Club until about 1969. Throughout this period, flashy neon signage marked the club’s façade–adding to the vibrant neon landscape that would come to define Fremont Street’s “Glitter Gulch” era. By 1969, the Golden Nugget began a westward expansion, acquiring the parcels and absorbing both Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club and the Lucky Nevada Club into its sprawling property. The smaller venue closed permanently as the Nugget extended across the block, completing the consolidation by late 1969 or early 1970. Though the venue’s existence was relatively brief, Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club captured a dynamic slice of Las Vegas history. It represented mid‑century consolidation and competition among smaller operators before larger resorts like the Golden Nugget took over. The casino’s vivid signage, electric pace, and gamblers chasing jackpots every half‑minute made it memorable to visitors and later collectors–its chips and matchbooks are still traded among memorabilia enthusiasts today. Today, Golden Nugget covers the site. But the legacy of Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club lives on; a colorful chapter in the story of Fremont Street’s neon era and the evolution of downtown Las Vegas entertainment.