Don Laughlin, Resort Owner and Architect behind Nevada Tourist Town, Dies at 92

Legend who transformed a patch of Nevada desert into a bustling casino resort town, attracting nearly 2 million annual visitors, passes away from natural causes.

• Don Laughlin, renowned resort owner and the driving force behind transforming a southern Nevada desert into a bustling tourist destination, passed away at 92 from natural causes at his home in the Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino in Laughlin.
• Born in Owatonna, Minnesota, Laughlin was an entrepreneur from a young age, using his earnings from mink trapping to fund slot machine operations in local pubs, eventually dropping school in ninth grade to focus on his flourishing gambling business.
• In 1964, after selling a gambling business in North Las Vegas for $165,000, Laughlin bought a boarded-up motel and a stretch of land along the riverfront in the Mohave Desert, which was later named 'Laughlin' after him and became home to his Riverside Resort that opened in 1966.
• His influence on the region expanded beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, funding the construction of the Laughlin Bridge in 1986 to connect Nevada and Arizona, and donating land and funds for the Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport in 1991.
• The thriving town of Laughlin, located 100 miles south of Las Vegas, is now home to eight casino resorts and attracts nearly 2 million visitors each year, serving as a lucrative alternative to Las Vegas.

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