Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe

{{Infobox casino

|name=Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe

|logo=Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Lake Tahoe logo.png

|image=Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe (2015).jpg

|location=Stateline, Nevada, U.S.

|address=50 U.S. Route 50

|date_opened={{Start date and age|1965|6|30}}

|theme=Gold Rush

|rooms=539

|space_gaming={{convert|22750|sqft|abbr=on}}

|attractions=

|notable_restaurants=Alpine Union
Fuel
Park Prime
The Oyster Bar

| casino_type = Land-based

|owner=Fertitta Entertainment / Landry's (Hotel/Casino)
NevaOne, LLC / Park Companies (Landowners)

|names_pre=Sahara Tahoe (1965–1983)
High Sierra (1983–1990)
Horizon Lake Tahoe (1990–2014)
Hard Rock Lake Tahoe (2014–2023)

|renovations=1978, 1983, 1990, 2013–2014, 2023–25

|coordinates={{Coord|38.962362|-119.940748|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

|website={{URL|www.goldennugget.com/lake-tahoe}}

}}

Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino (formerly Sahara Tahoe, High Sierra, Horizon Lake Tahoe, and Hard Rock Lake Tahoe) is a casino hotel in Stateline, Nevada. It is one of four major casino hotels in Stateline.{{Citation |title=Stateline, Nevada |date=2024-11-19 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateline,_Nevada#Attractions |access-date=2024-12-26 |language=en}} Horizon Lake Tahoe closed on April 1, 2014, to begin a $60 million renovation and rebranding as Hard Rock Lake Tahoe, which held its grand opening on January 28, 2015. It has 539 hotel rooms and {{convert|22750|sqft}} of gaming space, with 431 slot machines, 33 table games and a new Golden Nugget Sportsbook.{{cite report|title=Nonrestricted Count Report|publisher=Nevada Gaming Commission|date=March 31, 2023|url=https://gaming.nv.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=13383|accessdate=2023-04-16}}{{cite report|title=Nonrestricted Square Footage Report|publisher=Nevada Gaming Commission|date=January 5, 2023|url=https://gaming.nv.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3429|accessdate=2023-04-16}}{{cite news|title=Tilman Fertitta to buy Hard Rock Lake Tahoe, will convert the casino to a Golden Nugget|work=The Nevada Independent|author=Howard Stutz|date=March 25, 2023|url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/tilman-fertitta-to-buy-hard-rock-lake-tahoe-will-convert-the-casino-to-a-golden-nugget|access-date=2023-03-28}}

History

=Sahara Tahoe (1965–1983)=

Plans for the casino hotel were announced in January 1963 by the Del E. Webb Corporation, a real estate development firm that also owned casinos in Las Vegas, including the Sahara.{{cite news|title=Developer sees booming future for South Shore Lake Tahoe casino-hotel|work=The Sacramento Bee|date=January 13, 1963|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-bee-developer-sees-boomin/122929481/|via=Newspapers.com}} Webb leased {{convert|20|acres}} of land for the development from the Park Cattle Co., a ranching company with large land holdings in the area.{{cite news|title=Del Webb lease property for new casino at Tahoe|work=The San Francisco Examiner|author=Curley Grieve|date=June 5, 1963|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-del-webb-leas/122929749/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Douglas building boom seen|work=Nevada State Journal|date=July 18, 1963|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/nevada-state-journal-douglas-building-bo/122929715/|via=Newspapers.com}} Construction began in April 1964.{{cite news|title=Ground broken for resort|work=Nevada State Journal|date=April 30, 1964|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/nevada-state-journal-ground-broken-for-r/122930019/|via=Newspapers.com}} The property opened as the Sahara–Tahoe on June 30, 1965.{{cite news|title=$25 million Sahara-Tahoe plans opening Wednesday|work=Nevada State Journal|date=June 29, 1965|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121856891/25-million-sahara-tahoe-plans-opening/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Del E. Webb Corporation's Sahara-Tahoe Hotel opened its doors at midnight Wednesday...|work=Nevada State Journal|date=July 2, 1965|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121857660/del-e-webb-corporations-sahara-tahoe/|via=Newspapers.com}} Developed at a cost of $25 million, the Sahara had a 14-story hotel with 350 rooms, and a 1,000-seat theater restaurant.

The Sahara expanded with a second hotel tower completed in late 1968, with 224 rooms on 8 floors.{{cite news|title=Sahara-Tahoe plans opening of addition|work=The Los Angeles Times|date=October 13, 1968|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-sahara-tahoe-plans/122998223/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=State's hotels increase; sign worlds top showmen|work=Reno Gazette-Journal|date=January 25, 1969|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/reno-gazette-journal-states-hotels-incr/122998266/|via=Newspapers.com}}

Elvis Presley performed at the Sahara Tahoe from 1971 to 1976, and his suite is still available for guests to book.

=High Sierra (1983–1990)=

In 1983, the Sahara was given a Western theme and rebranded as the High Sierra Hotel/Casino.{{cite news|title=Going Western at Tahoe|work=The Sacramento Bee|date=September 23, 1983|agency=AP|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121858320/going-western-at-tahoe/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=It's time to cash in your chips (classified advertisement)|work=The Sacramento Bee|date=December 26, 1983|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121858405/its-time-to-cash-in-your-chips/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Nevada Scene|work=The San Francisco Examiner|date=December 25, 1983|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121858432/nevada-scene/|via=Newspapers.com}}

In 1985, it hosted the companies who defined the High Sierra Format, the basis for how computers access CD-ROMs today.

=Horizon Lake Tahoe (1990–2014)=

In 1990, the High Sierra was sold to Columbia Sussex, which re-branded it again as Horizon.

In 2005, Park Cattle Co. moved to evict Columbia Sussex from the premises, alleging that they had allowed the Horizon to fall into disrepair.{{cite news|title=Hotel land dispute goes to trial|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=February 14, 2008|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/hotel-land-dispute-goes-to-trial/|accessdate=2023-04-16}}{{cite report|title=Form 10-Q: Quarterly Report|publisher=Tropicana Entertainment, LLC|date=December 6, 2007|page=79|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1401300/000095013407024979/d52025qe10vq.htm|via=EDGAR}} The ensuing lawsuit lasted until 2008, when Tropicana Entertainment (successor of Columbia Sussex's casino business) agreed to pay $165 million to Park Cattle and end the lease for the Horizon as early as 2011.{{cite news|title=Details of settlement in Horizon lawsuit revealed|work=Tahoe Daily Tribune|author1=Kurt Hildebrand|author2=Paul Dunn|date=April 10, 2008|url=https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/details-of-settlement-in-horizon-lawsuit-revealed/|accessdate=2023-04-15}}{{cite news|title=MontBleu gets assurances; questions surround Horizon|work=Northern Nevada Business Weekly|date=May 10, 2009|url=https://www.nnbw.com/news/2009/may/10/montbleu-gets-assurances-questions-surround-horizo/|accessdate=2023-04-15}}

In 2009, Tropicana Entertainment transferred the lease and the operating business of the Horizon back to an affiliate of Columbia Sussex.{{cite news|title=Tropicana Entertainment assigns casino lease to former owner|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|author=Arnold M. Knightly|date=May 6, 2009|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/tropicana-entertainment-assigns-casino-lease-to-former-owner/|accessdate=2023-04-16}}{{cite press release|title=Tropicana Entertainment assigns Horizon lease to Columbia Sussex affiliate; amends MontBleu lease|publisher=Tropicana Entertainment|date=May 5, 2009|url=http://investors.tropicanacasinos.com/profiles/investor/NewsPDF.asp?b=1508&ID=29921&m=rl|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717104321/http://investors.tropicanacasinos.com/profiles/investor/NewsPDF.asp?b=1508&ID=29921&m=rl|archivedate=2011-07-17}} Tropicana was undergoing a bankruptcy reorganization and hoped to focus its efforts on its neighboring MontBleu Casino.

In 2014, NevaOne LLC, a Park Cattle affiliate, acquired the Horizon's operations.{{cite news|title=Tahoe's Horizon closing for millions in renovations|work=Reno Gazette-Journal|author=Marcella Corona|date=March 7, 2014|url=https://www.rgj.com/story/money/gaming/2014/03/07/new-owners-to-close-tahoes-horizon-casino-resort-in-april-for-millions-in-renovations/6189375/|accessdate=2023-04-16}} NevaOne closed the Horizon for renovations on April 1, 2014, with plans to rebrand it as the Park Tahoe Casino Resort.{{cite news|title=Horizon to be renamed Park Tahoe|work=Reno Gazette-Journal|date=March 15, 2014|url=https://www.rgj.com/story/money/gaming/2014/03/16/horizon-to-be-renamed-park-tahoe/6481405/|accessdate=2023-04-16}}{{cite news|title=Horizon closes its doors for 'substantial' improvements|work=Reno Gazette-Journal|date=April 6, 2014|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/reno-gazette-journal-horizon-closes-its/122976394/|via=Newspapers.com}} Warner Gaming, which operated several casinos, including the Hard Rock Las Vegas, was retained to manage the property.

=Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (2014–2023)=

In July 2014, the Park family announced that the Horizon would be rebranded as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, instead of the Park Tahoe.{{cite news|title=Hard Rock hotel and casino coming to Lake Tahoe|work=Tahoe Daily Tribune|author=Griffin Rogers|date=July 24, 2014|url=https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/hard-rock-hotel-and-casino-coming-to-lake-tahoe/|accessdate=2023-04-16}} The name was used under license from Brookfield Financial, which owned the rights to the Hard Rock brand in the Western United States.{{cite report|title=Form 10-K: Annual Report|publisher=BREF HR LLC|date=April 14, 2015|pages=8–9|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1531537/000153153715000007/bref-20141231x10k.htm|via=EDGAR}} The property reopened as the Hard Rock on January 28, 2015, after $60 million of renovations.{{cite news|title='Tahoe vibe' rings in Hard Rock resort|work=Reno Gazette-Journal|date=January 28, 2015|author=Bill O'Driscoll|url=https://www.rgj.com/story/money/gaming/2015/01/28/tahoe-vibe-rings-hard-rock-resort/22501859/|accessdate=2023-04-16}}

Paragon Gaming acquired a majority stake in the property in 2016.{{cite news|title=Paragon Gaming recommended to acquire Hard Rock Hotel at Lake Tahoe|newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal|author=Richard N. Velotta|date=November 2, 2016|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/paragon-gaming-recommended-to-acquire-hard-rock-hotel-at-lake-tahoe/|access-date=2018-10-03}}{{cite web|title=Nevada Gaming Commission Minutes|date=November 17, 2016|pages=6–8|url=https://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=11657|access-date=2018-10-03}}

In 2023, Fertitta Entertainment bought the property from Paragon, and announced that it would be rebranded as a Golden Nugget casino.{{cite news|title=Fertitta: Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe will rise from rebranded Hard Rock in 30 days|work=The Nevada Independent|date=August 24, 2023|author=Howard Stutz|url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/fertitta-golden-nugget-lake-tahoe-will-rise-from-rebranded-hard-rock-in-30-days|accessdate=2023-09-16}}