“Uncle” Phil Maloof of the prominent Vegas-based casino family has passed away from Covid-19 in Las Vegas. He was 93.
Maloof’s official biography described him as a man whose “eccentric life enlivens the ordinary and brings forth collections of treasures from the past to now become keepsakes for future generations to come. In his personal life he is a man of sentiment and of simple pleasures.”
The Maloof family owned the largest Coors distributorship in the Southwestern U.S. They originally owned the Fiesta hotel in Las Vegas from 1994 to 2001, then sold that property to Station Casinos and opened the Palms. The Maloofs also owned the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets from 1979-1982 and the Sacramento Kings from 1998-2013.
“Uncle Phil”’s nephews, George Maloof Jr., Phil and Gavin are minority investors in the Vegas Golden Knights. In recent years, the Maloofs owned the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and as well as casinos in Las Vegas, including developing the Palms casino hotel.
Nephew George said, “Phil was a great man who loved his dogs and his collection of classic cars, art and theater pipe organs. He owned over 200 classic cars and thousands of paintings. He also owned the original Roxy Theater pipe organ from New York, which was featured at the Fiesta in North Las Vegas.”
