Abstract
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Circus Circus Hotel and Casino Promotional Materials and Reports includes annual reports, financial reports, newspaper and magazine clippings, press kits, press releases, and promotional materials for the Circus Circus hotel and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Reno, Nevada, dating from 1972 to 2006.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The UNLV Libraries Collection of Circus Circus Hotel and Casino Promotional Materials and Reports includes annual reports, financial reports, newspaper and magazine clippings, press kits, press releases, and promotional materials for the Circus Circus in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Reno, Nevada, dating from 1972 to 2006. This collection contains items previously described as "Promotional and publicity material: Circus Circus Hotel-Casino."
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 are arranged by material type.
Biographical / Historical Note
Circus Circus are hotel and casinos located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Reno, Nevada. Circus Circus Las Vegas is known for its family-friendly attractions that include various types of games in its Carnival Midway and the Adventuredome, a theme park previously known as Grand Slam Canyon. Circus Circus Las Vegas is also the largest permanent big top in the world, featuring daily free circus acts. Jay Sarno opened the first Circus Circus in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 18, 1968. The casino was the flagship property for Circus Circus Enterprises. The lack of a hotel component caused financial problems for Sarno and his business partners, even after a fifteen story hotel tower was added to the casino in 1972. The hotel and casino were incorporated as Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc. in 1974. Three months later, William Bennett and William Pennington bought Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc. for $25 million. In 1978, Circus Circus Reno, Nevada opened in a space previously occupied by a department store. The Las Vegas property expanded with hotel tower additions in 1975, 1980, 1986, and 1996. Gland Slam Canyon began construction in 1992, and opened on August 23, 1993. The theme park underwent multiple changes over the next five years, and was renamed Adventuredome on May 1, 1998. Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc. changed to Mandalay Resort Group, named after the newest and largest property for the company, in June 1999. In 2005, Mandalay Bay Resort Group was purchased by MGM Mirage, with all Mandalay Bay properties integrated into the MGM brand.
Sources:
"Circus Circus Las Vegas." Circus Circus Las Vegas. Accessed August 23, 2019. https://circuscircus.mgmresorts.com/en.html.
Circusreno.com. Accessed July 31, 2019. https://www.circusreno.com/about.
MGM Mirage Records on Mandalay Resort Group, 1968-2005. MS-00511. Special Collections and
Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Neon Survey: Circus Circus. Accessed July 31, 2019. https://gaming.unlv.edu/v_museum/neon_survey/surveys/circus_circus.html.
Preferred Citation
UNLV Libraries Collection of Circus Circus Hotel and Casino Promotional Materials and Reports, 1972-2006. MS-00950. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were acquired periodically by UNLV Special Collections and Archives from a variety of sources; accession number 2019-069.
Processing Note
In 2019, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Miguel Dominguez and Autumn Bassett compiled the materials from multiple sources that included subject files and previously cataloged material. Autumn Bassett wrote the finding aid.