The big six wheel you refer to was one of the major attractions at the old Vegas World, Bob Stupak’s original casino, just north of Sahara on Las Vegas Boulevard South.
Vegas World's theme was "The Sky’s the Limit" and it was definitely a spacey place. A giant mural on the front of the building depicted astronauts and space stations, including a spaceman connected by umbilical to a roulette table. A space-walking astronaut and a replica Sky Lab hung from the ceiling. The buffet was called the Moon Rock, after an actual piece of lunar material that was on display. Thousands of stars twinkled from the walls.
The big six wheel, meanwhile, was Starship Enterprise-sized, 26 feet in diameter, weighing in at 3,000 pounds, more than all the other wheels in Vegas combined. It revolved around a 4.5-inch steel shaft and was spun by an electric motor. It had the highest minimum bet of any big six wheel in Las Vegas: $5 (which led some observers to call it "the biggest sucker bet in town, literally").
The wheel, along with the rest of the joint, went away in the mid-1990s when Stupak finally closed Vegas World to make room for the Stratosphere Hotel, Casino, and Tower. Some people miss the old dive. Most don’t.
For the full story on Stupak and Vegas World, read our book No Limit -- The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower by R-J columnist John L. Smith, currently on sale at just $9.99 for the hard cover.
