By H. Scot Krause 

A local’s favorite, but also accommodating value minded tourists, The Gold Coast Hotel and Casino opened on December 21, 1986 under the ownership of Michael Gaughan as his second Coast Casino property in Las Vegas (the first being the former Barbary Coast located on the Strip at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Flamingo, now known as Bill’s Gambling Hall and owned by Harrah’s). A major expansion on the Gold Coast was completed in 2001.

The Gold Coast is located on Flamingo Road just west of I-15

After completing two additional hotel casinos in Las Vegas, first the Orleans, followed by the Suncoast, Gaughan sold his interest in all four casinos to Boyd Gaming and Gaughan now owns and operates the South Point casino hotel at the far south end of the Las Vegas Strip.

The Gold Coast Hotel and Casino is a 711-room resort destination located one mile west of the Strip and one-half mile from Chinatown. Surrounded by acres of free parking and two easy access parking garages, the Gold Coast also has a free shuttle bus that carries guests to its sister properties, the Orleans, Suncoast and Sam’s Town, plus a stop along the Strip.

The hotel, which is currently undergoing a complete renovation on all of its guest rooms,   offers standard rooms, premium rooms (available beginning July 1, 2008) and deluxe suites. It also features a resort style swimming pool, a bowling center, a barber shop, beauty salon, free lounge entertainment and a fitness center.  In addition, 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space is available for small gatherings of 20 people up to as many as 700 guests for a large event.

Guests can enjoy a variety of dining choices including casual dining in the coffee-shop- style Monterey Room, upscale dining for steaks, prime rib and seafood in the Cortez Room, seven live cooking stations at the Ports O’ Call Buffet, plus Seattle’s Best Coffee, Kate’s Corner for ice cream and a bowling center snack bar.  The Noodle Exchange (Asian specialties) is coming soon.

A long time favorite is the Monterey Room’s famous $10.95 Texas T-Bone Steak Special. It has been one of the best steak specials in all of Las Vegas for many years. The deal is a huge Texas T-Bone that includes potato, onion rings, Texas toast, baked beans and a 16 oz. draft beer, all for $10.95.  It's available 24/7 too!

And for a quick “cheap” bite, hot dogs are served from a vendors cart daily near the Race & Sports Book. Have it your way with sauerkraut, onions or relish, or just ask for the “works” for only $1. They are usually open from around 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Ports O' Call Buffet offers seven live cooking stations

The casino floor offers all of what you’d expect in Las Vegas including all table games, a poker room, bingo room, slots and some of the better video poker machines (with higher paytables) than many of its Strip competitors. There is also a High Limit Room featuring  Baccarat, Blackjack and high limit slot and video poker machines.

The Gold Coast also offer a generous slot club. Club Coast links Gold Coast, The Orleans, Sam's Town and Suncoast making them one club. $1 coin-in = 1 point. 1,000 points = $1 cashback or comps. Some machines require $2 coin-in to earn a point.  The club often offers up to 6x points on most major holidays.  Other promotions and drawings are also held throughout the month.  Always visit Club Coast prior to playing to see what may be happening during your visit.

Craps games offer 3x, 4x and 5x Odds and free Craps lessons for beginners are offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

The Poker Room features eight tables spreading $1-5 Seven Card Stud, Omaha Hi $4-8 and Texas Hold’em ($2-4, $4-8, $6-12, $10-20 and No Limit.)  The room also features plasma screen televisions to view all of your favorite sporting events while playing. See the Poker Room for tournament schedules and dates.

The Bingo Room offers the "Even Bettor" coverall jackpot. Any player covering his card in less than 48 numbers receives $20,000. If the prize is not won, the required coverall number increases by one each week until it hits 56. Once the coverall is hit, the number reverts back to 48.

Typical standard room at the Gold Coast

With so many amenities, dining choices, good values and good gaming it’s easy to see why the Gold Coast is a local’s favorite and so popular for tourists too!  The Gold Coast is located at 4000 W. Flamingo Road just west of I-15. For more information on the Gold Coast call them toll-free at (800) 402-6278, or visit their website at http://www.goldcoastcasino.com/

H. Scot Krause is a freelance writer, gaming industry analyst and researcher, originally from Cleveland, Ohio.  Scot reports, researches, and specializes in writing about casino games, events, attractions and promotions. He is a former entertainment director and a fourteen-year resident of Las Vegas.  His work is regularly featured in Gaming Today, the American Casino Guide Book and Vegas Values, a weekly feature found at: http://www.americancasinoguide.com Questions or comments for Scot may be addressed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it