If there ever was a casino in Las Vegas that could make you feel like a sultan for the day, it was the Dunes.
Built with organized crime money from the Teamsters and Pipefitters Unions, the Dunes was owned and operated by Morris Shenker, connected with the St. Louis Mob.
Customers were attracted by a 35-foot tall sultan as part of the sign along the famous Las Vegas Strip. Cocktail waitresses dressed like Harem girls with revealing costumers that made the drinks they served even more exotic.
I happened to be in Las Vegas on Oct. 27, 1993 when the casino and its towers were demolished. You could feel the heat from the spectacular blast from a quarter mile away. As the buildings collapsed into rubble, some of the old time gamblers wiped away tears, watching history plunge to the earth.
Johnny Moss, Bennie Binion's friend, had been poker room manager at the Dunes for some time and hosted poker tournaments there. I played in one of his tournaments and can still see Johnny in my mind's eye dashing around the tables to make certain everything was going well.
A dealer who worked at the Dunes vividly remembered those early days of working for Moss.
'He taught the dealers how to scoop the pots to make more money for the House,' he said, laughing. 'Johnny was very good at that and he was a good teacher.'
The Dunes opened for business on May 23, 1955. It was one of the first Las Vegas casinos to offer a topless show, 'Minsky's Follies.' The decision sent the Nevada State Legislators into a turmoil even when record crowds totaling as many as 16,000 people a week jammed the casino showroom.
Headliners included Dean Martin, Jayne Mansfield, Liberace, George Burns, Judy Garland, Phyllis Diller, and Frank Sinatra who went on stage dressed like a sultan.
The casino resort was designed by architect Maxwell Starkman. It originally contained 450 rooms until a tower was added to expand the rooms to 1,300.
A Japanese investor eventually bought the casino from Shenker for $175 million. After losing money operating it, he offered it to Steve Wynn who purchased the property for $75 million and built the Billagio after demolishing the resort.
Today the old Dunes Golf Course houses the Monte Carlo and New York-New York.
Former patrons of the Dunes have fond memories of Shenker. Robin Douglas was six years old when she and her mother were standing outside the gift shop.
Shenker came by and escorted her into the shop and told the sales girl to give her anything she wanted. She chose a Princess Doll which she still has today.
I will be in Las Vegas in a couple of months and, for old time's sake, plan to visit the Bellagio. Johnny Moss's spirit still probably hangs around the place and who knows? Maybe he'll bring some luck to me.
