The Western Hotel and Casino is a casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. The hotel is closed and the 8925 sq ft (829.2 m²) casino is owned by the Tamares Group

Tamares Group

Tamares Group is a private investment group based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The company has interests in real estate, technology, manufacturing, leisure and media...

 and operated by Navegante.

The Western was the lowest rung of Jackie Gaughan's

Jackie Gaughan

John D. "Jackie" Gaughan, Sr. is a casino owner and operator from the early 1950s in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jackie is a native of Omaha, Nebraska who currently calls the El Cortez home. He is often seen daily on the El Cortez's modest size casino floor which begins at the hotel's front desk and main...

 low-roller casino empire that included the Las Vegas Club

Las Vegas Club

The Las Vegas Club is a casino-hotel located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada owned by the Tamares Group and operated by Navegante along with the Plaza Hotel & Casino across Main street.-History:...

, The Plaza

Plaza Hotel & Casino

The Plaza Hotel & Casino is a casino-hotel located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada owned by the Tamares Group and Play LV is the leaseholder and operator of the property. It currently has 1,037 rooms and suites, as well as an casino and there is more than of event space...

, the Gold Spike

Gold Spike Hotel and Casino

Gold Spike Hotel and Casino is a boutique 112-room, seven floor hotel-casino, connected with the Oasis at the Gold Spike, a 50-room three floor hotel located in downtown Las Vegas.-History:...

 and El Cortez

El Cortez

The El Cortez, a hotel and casino is a relatively small downtown Las Vegas gaming venue a block from the Fremont Street Experience and Las Vegas Boulevard. The official marketing slogan has been "Where locals come to play" since the El Cortez has traditionally attracted Las Vegas residents weary of...

.

History

The Western opened in 1970 as the Western Hotel & Bingo Parlor and was owned by Jackie Gaughan and Mel Exber. At its opening, The Western was the world's largest bingo parlor

Bingo (US)

Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...

 with 1,020 seats.

Jackie Gaughan sold the hotel to Barrick Gaming

Barrick Gaming Corporation

Barrick Gaming Corporation is a private company that was founded by D.W. Barrick and Stephen Crystal. The company formerly operated several hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada...

 in March 2004. The plans called for redeveloping the Western Hotel as a Latino destination resort. At the time, the AP said about the property, "On a stretch of despair that tourists in Las Vegas seldom see, the Western Hotel-Casino stands out as a beacon for the broke and nearly broken".

In 2005, Barrick Gaming sold its share of ownership in the casino to its silent partner, Tamares Group

Tamares Group

Tamares Group is a private investment group based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The company has interests in real estate, technology, manufacturing, leisure and media...

. As of 2010, the redevelopment of the property has not taken place.

On November 15, 2011, the Tamares Group

Tamares Group

Tamares Group is a private investment group based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The company has interests in real estate, technology, manufacturing, leisure and media...

announced that "due to decreased demand at this location", The Western will close on January 16, 2012. Its' future redevelopment is uncertain.