Gil Cohen was born August 26, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1957, his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. His father, Yale, had been recruited to work at the Stardust Hotel and Casino, which opened its doors in 1958. His mother, Toby, stayed at home to raise him and his sister, Debbie. After graduating from Las Vegas High School, Cohen turned down several golf scholarships to attend the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).

Elliot B. Karp was born October 10, 1955 in Mineola, New York. Karp grew up in Long Island, New York. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Stonybrook University and a master's degree from the Benjamin S. Hornstein Program in Jewish Communal Service at Brandeis University. Karp was Director of Financial Resource Development for over 15 years at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, Ohio and Director of Leadership and Human Resource Development for six years at the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Stan Irwin was born March 28, 1920 in New York City, New York. His life story spans many decades and includes attending New York University, doing stand-up comedy, being a pilot during World War II, working at Club Bingo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and building up the entertainment at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. Irwin was an entertainment manager active in Las Vegas from 1946 until the late 1970s. For many years, he served as the vice president and executive producer of entertainment for the Sahara.

Michael Tell succeeded his parents Jack and Beatrice Tell in the managing the Las Vegas Israelite newspaper and became the second generation of ownership.