How did the Plaza’s Omaha bar get its name?
This is an easy one.
The Plaza was built by Jackie Gaughan, along with Sam Boyd and another partner, and opened in 1971. Gaughan not only grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, he began his career in the gambling industry there, working as a legal bookmaker at horse racing tracks around the city in the 1940s. He relocated to Las Vegas in 1950 after the federal 10% tax on the legal bookmaking parlors crippled the industry in Nebraska.
In addition, Gaughan opened the first sports book connected to a major casino in 1975, returning to his bookmaking roots.
So the Omaha Bar is a simple tribute by Gaughan to his hometown.
