Thanks to everyone who voted in our poll on the scariest thing in Las Vegas 😱 We’re not publishing the results until Halloween, so there’s time to weigh in if you haven’t done so already 🗳️ You may have noticed we left out haunted casinos in the poll. That’s because that topic deserves a story all its own 👀
🦩 Flamingo
The Flamingo opened in 1946 and less than a year later, founder Bugsy Siegel was shot dead in Beverly Hills. The mobster is believed to haunt the grounds, although his residence and the rest of the original hotel were torn down years ago. Even so, the Flamingo remains the oldest operating property on the Strip and Siegel’s ghost is said to roam a quiet memorial garden dedicated to his notorious legacy.
⚱️ El Cortez
Bugsy Siegel also had a stake in the historic El Cortez, which opened on Fremont Street in 1941, but future owner Jackie Gaughan was the one responsible for a spooky collection of urns in the basement. The mogul covered funeral expenses for employees and “inherited” the remains when a next of kin couldn’t be found.
🇪🇬 Luxor
The Luxor used to lean more heavily into its Egyptian theme with museum-level exhibits, artifacts, and a Nile River boat ride. If that wasn’t enough to attract ancient spirits, the property saw its share of unusual deaths, including the loss of at least one construction worker, a car bombing, and people who jumped (or fell) from the upper levels of the indoor atrium. The mob may have buried a few bodies on site too, leaving even more restless souls behind. Today, those who visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition sometimes feel the presence of deceased passengers from the doomed oceanliner, especially near “the big piece” of hull on display.
🎸 Westgate
Back when it was the International and later, the Hilton, the Westgate hotel set the stage for the modern Vegas residency with a historic run of Elvis Presley concerts between 1969 and 1976. Over the years, employees and psychics have reported seeing apparitions of the King, either in theater hallways or his top-floor penthouse. Even Wayne Newton swears he saw the ghost of Elvis in the stands while performing on stage at the Westgate.
🔥 Horseshoe
The deadliest fire in Nevada history took place in 1980, engulfing the old MGM Grand, which is now the Horseshoe. Nearly 90 people were killed and since then, guests and employees alike have noticed strange shadows in hallways, the distant noise of screaming, and the faint smell of smoke — even without a cigarette in sight — especially on higher floors where guests were less likely to survive the flames.
🤡 Circus Circus
The clown theme is creepy enough, but Circus Circus once had a reputation for mob activity and suspicious deaths, leaving behind spirits that haunt hotel rooms and cast shadows on the AdventureDome big top.
💰 Binion’s
There isn’t a Vegas casino more proud of its haunted reputation than Binion’s, which posts witness accounts (in a lobby mural and online) of ghost sightings at its Apache Hotel (room numbers included) and advertises a haunted VIP experience in Benny Binion’s old 1930s-era penthouse.
🥃 Whiskey Pete’s
Mark this one with an asterisk. Whiskey Pete’s closed last year, but the gaming license is still valid, keeping hope alive for a comeback down the line. The casino showed signs of life this month for haunted tours to see if the ghost of Whiskey Pete — whose coffin was dug up by construction crews — continues to haunt the grounds.
- That’s what we call a good start. City Cast Las Vegas is getting ready for Halloween with a spirited discussion about the most haunted places in Las Vegas. It’s a fun episode, so check it out. Don’t listen alone, especially in the dark 🕯️ [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
