| La Bayou | |
|---|---|
 | |
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 Interactive map of La Bayou | |
| Location | Las Vegas,Nevada 89101 |
| Address | 15 EastFremont Street |
| Opening date | 1920 (1920) |
| Closing date | June 27, 2016 |
| Theme | French |
| Total gaming space | 3,200 sq ft (300 m2) |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Derek and Greg Stevens |
| Previous names | Northern Club Monte Carlo Coin Castle[1] |
| Renovated in | 2000 |
La Bayou was acasino located on theFremont Street Experience inDowntown Las Vegas,Nevada.
The casino had 3,200 square feet (300 m2) of gaming space with 125slot machines.[2][3] By the time of its closing, La Bayou was one of the few casinos in Las Vegas where slot machines paid out in coins, rather than vouchers.
The business opened in 1913 as theLas Vegas Coffee House.
In 1920Mayme Stocker renamed it theNorthern Club, offering liquor and gambling when both were illegal, during theProhibition era.[1] "Northern" was a well-knowncode word among railroad workers for an establishment serving alcohol.[4]
On March 20, 1931,[5] the Northern Club received the first Nevada gaming license.[6][7] This was also the first gaming license issued to a woman, Mayme Stocker.[5]
By 1941,Bugsy Siegel and Dave Stearns were operating the club.[8]
In 1943, Turf Club replaced Northern Club. It ran only until 1945 whenWilbur Clark leased the club, renaming it theMonte Carlo Club.[1] The Stockers continued to run theNorthern Hotel on the second floor[1] until 1949. Monte Carlo Club would close in 1956, but remain in business as a bar until the 1960s. The original building was razed after 1965. A new building was erected, where aDenny's diner opened c. 1967–1968, followed by Sam's Roast Beef c. 1968–1969.
By 1970, the site was operating as theCoin Castle.[9] Herb Pastor was approved to take over the Coin Castle and the nearby Golden Goose casino in 1977.[10] Pastor would later also own the nearbySassy Sally's casino and theGirls of Glitter Gulch strip club.[11]
Pastor decided in 1999 to move ahead with a renovation plan to transform the Coin Castle and Sassy Sally's into La Bayou and Mermaids, respectively, for a total of $6 million.[12][13]
In 2006, Pastor's son, Steve Burnstine, purchased the two casinos and the strip club.[14][15]
In April 2016, Derek and Greg Stevens, owners of the neighboringGolden Gate andLas Vegas Club casinos, purchased the three properties, and announced that the businesses would close on June 27.[15] It was razed soon after. The Golden Gate's expansion into the former space opened at noon on August 25, 2017.[16]
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36°10′16″N115°08′46″W / 36.1712°N 115.1460°W /36.1712; -115.1460
