Riviera Hotel and Casino permanently closed on Monday, ending a 60-year run on the Las Vegas Strip.
‘The Riv,’ along with the Flamingo, which debuted in 1947, and the Tropicana, which opened in 1957, was one of the few casinos that had remained open since the days of Frank Sinatra and Liberace.
The property has struggled in recent years as development around it went dormant, deterring walk-in traffic.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has purchased The Riviera and plans to tear it down to make way for its $2.3 billion expansion of Las Vegas Convention Center to the Strip.
The agency board members unanimously agreed in February to spend up to $191 million – $182.5 million for the 23-story hotel and its surrounding amenities and $8.5 million to cover related acquisition costs.
Furniture and fixtures inside the casino-hotel are expected to be auctioned by National Content Liquidators (NCL), starting May 14 until everything is sold.
Two days before the Riviera closed its doors, six people were selected in a draw to share a $145,000 prize—compiled of unclaimed jackpots.
The Riviera didn’t go quietly, thanks to a casino soundtrack of music, slot machine sounds and clapping as the clock signaled that it was noon. A group of former employees spent the property’s last seconds sending a few penny slots spinning and screaming every time the machine lit up the word “winner” although there were no jackpots.
“It was fun. Goodbye Riviera,” said Kelly Hernandez, an 11-year employee at the casino, as she and her co-workers walked toward the exit.
