El Cortez celebrates 85 years in Las Vegas
5 November 2026(PRESS RELEASE) -- El Cortez Hotel & Casino will honor its 85th anniversary with a ceremony in which Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley and Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Diaz of Ward 3 will present Chairman and CEO Kenny Epstein with an official proclamation. Following the proclamation presentation, Epstein, Mayor Berkley, Chief Operating Officer Mike Nolan and Secretary, Treasurer and Partner Joe Woody will recognize nine of El Cortez’s team members, each the longest-serving in their respective departments, for their dedication and tenure with the iconic property.
El Cortez opened in 1941 as downtown’s first major casino resort. The storied property’s early ownership included notorious mobsters, including Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. The property thrived under the 45-year tenure of the legendary Jackie Gaughan, who sold El Cortez to Kenny Epstein in 2008. Epstein, who considers Gaughan a mentor, continues to evolve the historic property, investing more than $120 million in improvements while keeping its historic character. That legacy is reflected in the property’s two new restaurants, Alex Prime Steakhouse and Siegel’s 1941. El Cortez is the only operating casino on the National Register of Historic Places.