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UNLV Libraries Collection of Harrah’s Entertainment Promotional Materials and Reports (MS-00931)

Abstract

The UNLV Libraries Collection of Harrah's Entertainment Promotional Materials and Reports includes financial reports, prospectuses, joint proxy statements, annual reports, equity research, clippings, press releases, press kits, and promotional materials for Harrah's Entertainment dating from 1962 to 2009.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

bulk 1962-2009

Extent

2.59 Cubic Feet (4 Boxes)
2.17 Linear Feet

Scope and Contents Note

The UNLV Libraries Collection of Harrah's Entertainment Promotional Materials and Reports includes prospectus, joint proxy statements, annual reports, financial reports, equity reports, clippings, press releases, press kits, and promotional materials for Harrah's Entertainment dating from 1962 to 2009. This collection contains items previously described as "Promotional and publicity material: Harrah's," "Harrah’s Annual Reports 1971-1979," and "Harrah’s Joint Proxy Statement."

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.

Arrangement

Materials remain as they were received.

Biographical / Historical Note

Caesars Entertainment Corporation, formerly called Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., is a gaming corporation based in Nevada. Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. and its predecessors can be traced back to 1946 when businessman William (Bill) Fisk Harrah purchased a casino in Reno, Nevada and named it Harrah’s Reno Club. In 1956 Bill Harrah, the sole owner, expanded the Harrah’s brand and opened Harrah’s Tahoe Club in Stateline, Nevada. In 1971 Harrah decided to take the company public and Harrah’s Inc. made its initial public offering.

After Bill Harrah’s death in 1978, Holiday Inns, Inc. purchased Harrah’s Inc. Under Holiday Inns management, the corporation retained the well-known Harrah name on Harrah’s Nevada casinos (Harrah’s Reno and Harrah’s Lake Tahoe) and expanded the business into Atlantic City, New Jersey (Harrah’s Marina) and Laughlin, Nevada (Harrah’s Del Rio). In 1985 Holiday Inns, Inc. was renamed Holiday Corporation. In 1990, Holiday Corporation created The Promus Companies, a corporate spin-off that included the Harrah’s brand. Under Promus, the corporation renamed the Holiday Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada Harrah’s Las Vegas. Additionally, in the early 1990s the company expanded into Native American gaming and riverboat casino markets, opening Harrah’s Joliet, Harrah’s Vicksburg, Harrah’s Tunica, Harrah’s Black Hawk, Harrah’s Central City, Harrah’s Shreveport, Harrah’s North Kansas City, and Harrah’s Ak-Chin.

In 1995, Promus rebranded as Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. and continued expanding across the United States. In 2005, Harrah’s Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment, Inc. for nearly $9 billion. In the 2000s Harrah’s Entertainment focused on expanding business internationally opening casinos in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Macau. The company was renamed Caesars Entertainment Corporation in 2010.

Sources:

King, R. T., Mary Larson, and Dwayne Kling, eds. Every Light Was On: Bill Harrah and His Clubs Remembered, from Oral History Interviews by Dwayne Kling. Reno: University of Nevada Oral History Program, 1999.

Schwartz, David G. Roll The Bones: The History of Gambling. 2nd edition. Las Vegas: Winchester Books, 2013.

Related Collections

The following resources may provide additional information related to the materials in this collection:

Harrah's Entertainment Corporate Archives, 1940-2000. MS-00460. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Las Vegas Casino and Hotel Advertisement Clippings Collection, 1986-1999. MS-00644. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Preferred Citation

UNLV Libraries Collection of Harrah’s Entertainment Promotional Materials and Reports, 1962-2009. MS-00931. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

Materials were acquired periodically by UNLV Special Collections and Archives from a variety of sources; accession number 2019-043.

Processing Note

In 2019, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Miguel Dominguez, Brooks Whittaker, and Nia Banks compiled the materials from multiple sources that included subject files and previously cataloged material, and wrote the finding aid.

Resource Type

Collection

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NVLN::MS00931

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English