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The
giant Plaza hotel and casino faces the west end of Fremont Street
from the site
of Las Vegas's now-defunct railroad
station. Originally a railroad-company project, it began life in 1971 as
the
Union Plaza .
The
Union Pacific Railroad held a 75 percent stake, while a consortium of
downtown casino operators had the rest.
In
time, as Union Pacific gave way to Amtrak, the partners consolidated,
until Jackie Gaughan finally acquired the whole thing in 1993. Though
Amtrak abandoned rail serice to Las Vegas in 1997 - whereupon its
facilities were swallowed up into the Plaza 's capacious bowels -
Greyhound buses still use the adjoining depot.
Recent renoations, including the construction of a glass-domed Italian
restaurant aboe the front entrance that offers great views of the
Fremont Street light-show, have raised the Plaza a definite class or two
above Gaughan's El Cortez . Like everything downtown, however, it's
still aimed primarily at low-stakes gamblers, with its 25¢ slots, dollar
blackjack tables, and a large Race and Sports Book that's forever busy
with off-duty local employees and Greyhound passengers.
1 Main St
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