The former Vegas World casino transformed into the Stratosphere 20 years ago, as then-owner Bob Stupak sought to draw more people to the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Stupak opened the Stratosphere and its instantly iconic 1,149-foot-tall tower in 1996, and it topped the 40 million-visitors mark two years ago. The Stratosphere represents one of the most enduring efforts to draw attention away from the large resorts further south on the Las Vegas Strip.
“It’s indistinguishable from the personality of Bob Stupak if you look at the workings of it,” UNLV Center for Gaming Research Director David Schwartz said in a statement.
“He had the Vegas World casino there, and in order to make it competitive with the megaresorts that were being built, he wanted to have a huge observation tower,” Schwartz said. “It’s part of that wave of casinos in the ’90s and showed you could build a resort like that even off the main part of the Strip.”
The tower includes the popular rotating Top of the World restaurant, and indoor and outdoor observation decks to take in the view from the tallest point in the Las Vegas Valley.
Stupak wanted the tower to be a much taller 1,800 feet in height, but concerns about safety with McCarran International Airport located only a few miles away resulted in a shorter tower.
American Casino & Entertainment now owns the Stratosphere, and offered a special two for $20 rate at its buffet on May 1, to celebrate the casino’s 20th anniversary. The casino also is offering special $20 rates on its thrill rides, located atop the iconic tower.
Other special 20th anniversary promotions are in the works, including free tower passes for locals.
American Casino & Entertainment has not announced any plans to renovate or otherwise improve the Stratosphere. The property has 2,427 rooms, an 80,000-square-foot casino, and 75,000 square feet of retail space.
Among its gaming options are 750 slot machines and 45 table games, which mostly are used by out-of-town visitors.
