Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada.[1] It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapeze acts, as well as carnival games, at its Carnival Midway. The resort also includes the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park.
Circus Circus was originally owned by Jay Sarno and Stanley Mallin. It opened without a hotel on October 18, 1968. It included a casino on its first floor, while a second floor contained carnival games for children. Circus Circus was the first family-oriented casino in Las Vegas. It struggled financially during its early years, in part because of its lack of a hotel. A 15-story tower, with 409 rooms, was added in 1972. Sarno and Mallin were subsequently investigated for tax code violations and alleged connections with organized crime.

In 1974, the casino was leased to Bill Bennett and William Pennington, taking over operations from Sarno and Mallin. The property thrived under its new management. Another 15-story tower was added in 1975, followed by an RV park in 1979. A year later, Circus Circus added a series of motel structures, increasing the total room count to 1,610. Bennett and Pennington eventually purchased Circus Circus in 1983, and added a 29-story tower in 1986. The amusement park was added in 1993, and a 35-story tower was completed three years later. The casino contains 123,928 sq ft (11,513.3 m2), while the hotel has 3,767 rooms. The Circus Circus property also includes the small Slots-A-Fun Casino, which Sarno opened in 1971.

The resort was owned through Circus Circus Enterprises, which was renamed Mandalay Resort Group in 1999. The resort was sold to MGM Mirage (later MGM Resorts International) in 2005. MGM intended to renovate and expand Circus Circus, but canceled such plans amid the Great Recession. Fifty years after its opening, Circus Circus remained popular among families. In 2019, MGM sold Circus Circus to Las Vegas casino owner Phil Ruffin. At the time, the resort included the only RV park on the Las Vegas Strip.

The $15 million Circus Circus ultimately opened on the night of October 18, 1968.[17][18][19][20] An invitational costume party preceded the public opening.[16] The opening was attended by numerous government officials and film stars, as well as media from across the United States.[21] Nevada governor Paul Laxalt declared a "Circus Circus Premiere Week" to mark the opening.[22]

Circus Circus had 1,000 employees.[18] Sarno served as the casino's president, and held a 25-percent interest, while Jud McIntosh held 22 percent.[21] The two-story building included an indoor balcony that overlooked the casino floor.[19][23] Various high wire and trapeze acts took place over the casino,[23] but Sarno said that such acts would not distract the gamblers below.[18][19] The second floor included a midway with various carnival games for children.[23] Circus Circus was the first family-oriented casino in Las Vegas.[19] The casino featured pink elephants and costumed table dealers and cocktail waitresses. Monkeys were trained to pay out jackpot winnings,[18] and an elephant named Tanya roamed the casino. She was trained to pull slot machine handles and toss dice with her trunk.[24] According to some accounts, a short-lived publicity stunt involved baby elephants that were transported around the casino via an overhead tram, giving the illusion that they were flying.[2][25][26][24]

Circus Circus attracted 26,000 people within its first eight hours of opening.[16] However, it would struggle financially during its early years.[27][28][29] It was mocked and criticized by skeptics, who doubted the idea of a circus-themed casino.[30] Howard Hughes, who owned several Las Vegas casinos, believed that Circus Circus did not fit in with the upscale resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.[31] Mallin said Circus Circus was "ahead of its time" and acknowledged that it was not well received in its early years.[29]

By the end of 1968, Circus Circus owed more than $1 million in construction debt, which led to rumors about its finances. Casino management stated that it was performing satisfactorily, and that the debt was the result of certain construction work being disputed, due to concerns about whether such work was ever authorized.[15][32][33] Circus Circus alleged $271,000 in unauthorized construction work by R. C. Johnson. The Nevada Gaming Commission declined to issue a permanent gaming license to Circus Circus until its debt was paid off, giving the casino one month to do so.[34][35] In addition, Circus Circus charged a $1 admission fee, and the gaming commission determined on short notice that the casino had to pay $30,000 in taxes on the fees.[36][37] The casino filed a lawsuit against the state to oppose the tax.[38][39] The admission fee was one reason that Circus Circus struggled, and it was eventually dropped.
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