Filmed on Saturday, February 24 2024, I drive around Laughlin, NV to see what's going on.
Laughlin is named for gaming entrepreneur Don Laughlin.
The townsite of Laughlin was established in the 1940s under the name South Pointe because of the proximity to the southern tip of the state of Nevada. The early town consisted of a motel and bar that catered to gold and silver miners, construction workers building Davis Dam, and fishing enthusiasts. In the 1950s, construction workers left, and the town all but disappeared.
In 1964, Don Laughlin, owner of the 101 Club in Las Vegas, flew over the site and saw its tourism potential. He offered to buy the land, and within a few years, the Riverside Resort motel and casino, consisting of only 12 slots and two live tables, was bustling. A second casino, the Bobcat Club, opened in 1967, where the Golden Nugget Laughlin currently operates. In 1968, a third casino, the Monte Carlo, opened its doors.
The 1980s saw the construction of several more hotels and casinos. The Colorado Hotel (now the Pioneer), The Regency, Sam's Town Gold River (now the Laughlin River Lodge), and The Edgewater opened in the early 1980s. Other investors saw the growth as an opportunity to get in on the action. A second boom resulted in the construction of The Colorado Belle, Harrah's Del Rio, and The Ramada Express (now The Tropicana Express).
In 1987, Don Laughlin funded and built the Laughlin Bridge at a cost of $3.5 million, which connected Laughlin to Bullhead City. He donated the bridge to the states of Nevada and Arizona. The bridge carries 30,000 vehicles daily. Prior to the bridge, ferry boats carried tourists from the Arizona side of the river to the Nevada side.
The Flamingo Hilton, now known as The Aquarius, was built in 1990.
Laughlin is the third most visited casino and resort destination in the state after Las Vegas and Reno and is one of the top five destinations for American RV enthusiasts.
For New Year's celebrations, the neighboring town of Bullhead City, Arizona, is one hour ahead of Laughlin. Revelers can ring in the New Year in Bullhead City and then cross the bridge into Laughlin to ring it in again one hour later.
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