The giant Plaza hotel and casino faces the west end of Fremont Street from the site of Las Vegas's now-defunct railroad station. Originally a railroad-company project, it began life in 1971 as the Union Plaza . The Union Pacific Railroad held a 75 percent stake, while a consortium of downtown casino operators had the rest. In time, as Union Pacific gave way to Amtrak, the partners consolidated, until Jackie Gaughan finally acquired the whole thing in 1993. Though Amtrak abandoned rail service to Las Vegas in 1997 - whereupon its facilities were swallowed up into the Plaza 's capacious bowels - Greyhound buses still use the adjoining depot.
Recent renovations, including the construction of a glass-domed Italian restaurant above the front entrance that offers great views of the Fremont Street light-show, have raised the Plaza a definite class or two above Gaughan's El Cortez . Like everything downtown, however, it's still aimed primarily at low-stakes gamblers, with its 2ยข slots, dollar blackjack tables, and a large Race and Sports Book that's forever busy with off-duty local employees and Greyhound passengers.
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