Las Vegas Casino Pioneer Fertitta Dies

The creator of casinos serving locals and regulars in Las Vegas, Frank Fertitta Jr. of Station Casinos, died Friday in Los Angeles.

Frank Fertitta Jr., who built a casino gambling empire from his small slot parlor and a philosophy geared toward locals and regulars, died Friday at age 70. Fertitta is famed for founding Station Casinos, which began as Palace Station and expanded to include casinos throughout Nevada.

Fertitta was at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles receiving treatment for heart problems when he passed away.

Fertitta, who had worked as a bellman and a dealer for Strip casinos, opened what would become Palace Station in 1976 with a few hundred slot machines and a motif designed to attract Vegas residents after their shifts at the destination resorts. The philosophy of offering comps, cheap meals and buffets, and plenty of extras for gamblers who patronized his casinos allowed Fertitta to find a niche previously unserviced by Vegas gambling venues.

Fertitta passed the company to his two sons, who continued its expansion to include off-Strip properties like Red Rock Casino and Green Valley Ranch, as well as purchasing the fast-growing Ultimate Fighting Championship brand in mixed martial arts.

The company was taken private by the sons just as the recession began, causing Station Casinos to become overextended just as earnings crashed. The inability to meet its debt payments forced Station to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from bondholders last month, leaving the future of Fertitta's empire uncertain.