page_title: Aladdin (hotel and casino)
section_title: Aladdin (1966–1998)
hierarchical_section_title: Aladdin (hotel and casino) / History / Aladdin (1966–1998)
caption_attribution_description: English: Aladdin's Lamp, Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience
context_page_description: The Aladdin was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Toy manufacturer Edwin S. Lowe originally opened the 450-room Tallyho Hotel on the property in 1962. The Tallyho was the only major hotel in Nevada to not include a casino; it closed at the end of the year and was sold to Kings Crown Inns of America, a hotel chain which reopened the property a month later as the King's Crown Tallyho. The company added a casino and showroom but plans to open the casino were halted when the Nevada Gaming Control Board declined to issue a gambling license because of concerns about the resort being inadequately financed.
  Milton Prell purchased the hotel and began an extensive $3 million renovation of the property before reopening it as the Aladdin on April 1, 1966. A 19-story hotel tower was added in 1976. After various ownership changes, the Aladdin was closed in 1997 and demolished the following year to make room for a new Aladdin resort that opened in 2000.
context_section_description: On January 1, 1966, Milton Prell agreed to purchase the King's Crown Tallyho, which was owned by three trusts overseen by the Cook brothers of Indiana. Prell agreed to purchase the resort for $10 million, which would be delivered in monthly payments.
  Prell announced plans to remove the old English theme and reopen the resort as the Oriental-themed Aladdin on April 16 following an extensive $3 million renovation. Prell also planned to construct a $20 million, 40-story hotel addition with 600 rooms. Construction of the high-rise was expected to begin later in the year. Martin Stern Jr. was the architect for the Aladdin project, while R. C. Johnson and Associates was the contractor and was hired to construct new facilities and renovate existing structures. Renovation plans included the remodeling of the showroom and lounge, as well as the casino and the hotel's front side. Elevators and escalators were also installed at the hotel's two main front entrances. The original English-themed room wings were kept, but received an Arabian Nights theme along with the rest of the resort. The Aladdin was named after the character of the same name. A serrated canopy was added along with a $750,000, 15-foot "Aladdin's Lamp" sign.
  Two weeks after Prell took over the property, a new opening date of April 1 was announced due to the fast progress of renovations, while construction of the high-rise was expected to begin in the fall. Later in the month, Prell requested a gambling license to operate 27 table games and 350 slot machines, with casino operations to be financed at a cost of $400,000 through Prell and his partners, Gil Gilbert and Sidney Krystal. Prell owned a 20-percent interest in the hotel corporation, while Gilberts, the corporate vice president, held five percent and Krystal, secretary-treasurer, had seven percent. A large group of investors owned the remaining stock. Prell named Joe Rollo and Bernie Richards, both of Beverly Hills, to serve as entertainment director and head of orchestrations respectively. The Gaming Board recommended approval of Prell's request for a gambling license in February 1966. Prell was approved the next month for gaming and liquor licenses, with approval to operate 351 slot machines and 29 table games.
caption: The original Aladdin's Lamp in 2008, now part of the Neon Museum
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