Bob Stupak was born in 1942 plus is the
son of Chester Stupak, a man who operated the highest running
floating craps game in Pittsburgh. Once Bob attained legal
age, he moved to Vegas and started a coupon book scam. He
put up for sale books full of two-for-ones and the like plus
made a tidy profit. He as well went to Australia and did the
same thing, only to be asked to go away from the country for
questionable business practices. What Bob really wanted was
to own a casino, and so at the first chance, he opened one.
With his own cash plus dollars raised from his father's friends,
Stupak obtain a homely 1.5 acre (6,000 m²) parcel north
of Sahara Avenue at Las Vegas Boulevard South that on one
occasion was home to a car lot. What rose in its place plus
opened on March 31, 1974, was a small slot joint absurdly
named Bob Stupak's World renowned Historic Gambling Museum.
"The name was about 10 feet [3 m] longer than the casino,"
Stupak recalled years later. On May 21, an air conditioner
caught fire plus burned the joint down. Arson was suspected,
but the insurance company ultimately settled the claim.
Stupak went on to open Vegas World in 1979, a casino identified
for its crazy promotions and new-fangled twists on games.
At its peak in the mid 1980's, Vegas World grossed $100
million per annum.
In 1995, Stupak was in a horrendous motorcycle accident,
breaking all bone in his face and going into unconsciousness.
It seemed impossible that he'd stay alive, let alone function
normally. Improbably, he improved. At the time, he was at
work developing The Stratosphere, an enormous observation
tower that he envisioned as the major sign in Vegas, a town
known for flashy signs. It opened in late April of 1995,
at a cost of $550 million, and was a disaster. Many came
to see it, but few stopped up long enough to gamble, dine
or shop. It went bankrupt soon after that, and it was sold.
Since then, Stupak continues to plan Vegas projects, as
well as a purchase of the Moulin Rouge and a gigantic hotel
fashioned like the RMS Titanic but these have gone nowhere.
