Jenni, Olind

Hotel and casino owner Olind Jenni was born in Lewistown, Montana in 1927. He left the family business of farming and ranching in 1961 to work for Western Hotels. Jenni moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965 and began working as a commercial real estate broker and property manager, owning and building office and apartment complexes.

In 1974, Jenni and his business partner, Will Roberts, opened the King 8 Hotel and Casino at 3330 West Tropicana Avenue. The property consisted of guest rooms, a restaurant, and a bar. Gaming options were added until it became a full-service casino. The property was named for its rooms featuring king-size beds for $8.88 per night. Jenni and Roberts also opened a King 8 Hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska during the 1970s. The King 8 went through several ownership changes starting in the late 1970s and was reopened as the Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel in 1998 by Station Casinos.

In 1978, Jenni leased casino space in the existing Ambassador Inn at 377 East Flamingo Road. He operated the Ambassador Casino until its closure in 1982. Under different ownership, the building reopened as the La Mirage Casino, and later, Key Largo Hotel and Casino.

In 1979, Jenni bought the former 101 Club at 2542 Las Vegas Boulevard North. He reopened the business as the Opera House Casino and operated the full service casino without a hotel. Olind Jenni left Las Vegas after selling the Opera House Casino in 1986, and resides in Gilroy, California as of 2026.

Sources:

Jenni, Roger. Donor communication (saved in collection file). January 23, 2026.

Yandek, Christopher. "Ambassador, La Mirage, Anthony's, and Key Largo Hotel and Casino." Spinetti's Gaming Supplies, March 16, 2019. https://spinettisgaming.com/blogs/casino-gaming-history-news/key-largo

Yandek, Christopher. "King 8 Hotel and Casino and Wild Wild West." Spinetti's Gaming Supplies, March 9, 2019. https://spinettisgaming.com/blogs/casino-gaming-history-news/las-vegas-history-series-king-8-hotel-and-casino-and-wild-wild-west