DeVille Casino, Las Vegas, Bella Ladies V-Neck Tee

Description

DeVille Casino was one of Las Vegas’s most intriguing “what might have been” projects, a fully constructed casino building that never welcomed a single gambler. Planned for 365 Convention Center Drive, directly across from the Landmark and near the Las Vegas Hilton, the property emerged during the early 1970s, when developers were racing to expand the city’s growing resort and convention district. The project was led by developer Frank Carroll, who had previously been involved with the Landmark Hotel and Casino before selling that property to Howard Hughes. Carroll envisioned DeVille as a new hotel-casino that could benefit from its proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center and several major resorts. Construction produced a recognizable low-rise casino structure, but the proposed operation failed to secure the necessary gaming approval. As a result, DeVille never officially opened, despite having a completed building, promotional materials, souvenir items, slot machines, and casino chips prepared for play. For years, its abandoned shell became a familiar Convention Center Drive landmark, visually suggesting a working casino even though licensing problems had prevented its intended public debut from happening. Those unused chips — produced in denominations of $1, $5, $25, and $100 — later became prized casino collectibles. Their pristine condition serves as a reminder they were manufactured for gaming tables that never became active. The empty building nevertheless entered popular culture in October 1974, when it appeared in the television series Movin’ On, standing in for a functioning Las Vegas property. After remaining vacant for many years, the structure finally found new life in 1992 as Sport of Kings, a lavish horse-racing parlor. That ambitious venture lasted less than a year. In 1994, the building became The Beach, a popular tropical-themed nightclub and singles destination that operated until 2006. Following The Beach’s closure, the structure was demolished, ending the physical story of the casino that never opened. Today, DeVille Casino remains a fascinating Las Vegas footnote, an example of the risks, regulatory obstacles, and unrealized dreams behind the city’s glittering growth. Its legacy survives through photographs, television footage, memorabilia, and the rare unused chips created for a casino that existed in appearance, but never in operation.