John D “Jackie” Gaughan the Las Vegas Legend Dies at 93

Jackie Gaughan aka “The King of Slots” died Wednesday March 12th 2014 at the age of 93. Gaughan is a renowned legend of Las Vegas and owned multiple casinos in Las Vegas and other U.S. states and even as far afield as Australia.

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Gaughan grew up there and was the son of a bookmaker and he started his gambling career at the age of 15. After spending three years in the army during World War II, he returned home and attended Creighton University where he graduated with a degree in Business.

In 1951, his family bought a stake in the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and he packed up his Omaha life and moved to Vegas permanently. Over the years, Jackie acquired a stake in multiple Las Vegas properties including the Golden Nugget, Plaza Hotel, Boulder Club, Showboat and many more.

In 1963 Jackie bought into the El Cortez and spent almost the entire remainder of his life living in a penthouse suite of the hotel. The El Cortez is the longest running casino in Las Vegas of 73 years and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Jackie Gaughan was an extremely well respected man for his honor and integrity and was well known for his generous commitment to education having donated to many educational institutions as well as providing scholarships.