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Desert Inn Shut Down With Little Fanfare

LAS VEGAS, Nevada—Aug. 28, 2000--The Desert Inn's casino quietly shut down this morning, the first step in the final closure of the historic 50-year-old property on the Las Vegas Strip.

Desert Inn spokeswoman Caroline Coyle said the casino started to close at 2 a.m. and the closure of the hotel was set for 2 p.m. today.

The casino closed early today because that's when the casino starts its daily financial reporting cycle, Coyle said. The hotel-casino closure had been planned for 2 p.m. today, according to previous announcements.

This morning, Desert Inn owners Steve and Elaine Wynn wished the hundreds of remaining employees well on their final day of work.

Wynn defended his decision to raze the property in favor of a massive new development, repeating his belief that the property offered opportunities unparalleled by any land parcel in Nevada.

The decision to close the casino at 2 a.m. wasn't likely to result in much lost revenue, as the casino floor was nearly empty in its final hours of operation Sunday afternoon.

In the only bar that remained open in the Desert Inn, along the south wall of the casino, another dozen people drank and watched a baseball game on a big screen television.

In all there were about 100 patrons inside the casino, and a smattering of employees. Some bought $5 or $1 casino chips with the Desert Inn logo emblazoned on them as souvenirs.

One woman attempted to walk out of the casino with a paper Desert Inn sign, but a hotel-casino employee snatched it away.

In contrast to the access granted over the Desert Inn's final days, photographers weren't permitted onto the property in its last hours.

Typically, a hotel-casino's closure is followed by a mass sale of items from the property, including furniture, card decks and various hotel and kitchen equipment. As of today, plans for the disposition of Desert Inn property have not been set, Coyle said.

With the casino now officially closed, the final step will be the cash-out of any outstanding gaming tokens from the Desert Inn. Some of these chips may be held by the property's patrons, but Gale said quite a few are probably held by neighboring casinos. Those that prefer cash to chips for a collection have at least 120 days to redeem the chip with the Desert Inn, per state gaming regulations.

Anyone holding chips or tokens from the Desert Inn will be able to redeem them at the property's accounting offices through the end of December, according to plans filed with the control board. Public notice ads regarding the final call for chips will run in local newspapers every few weeks through that time, Gale said.

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