You see it written that so and so was the biggest draw in Vegas. Liberace, Wayne Newton, Sinatra, Tom Jones.

Who was paid the most, who drew the most? Did anyone in their peaks outdraw Sinatra?

Well as a fellow who has lived and worked in Vegas for over 40 years, let me give you my thoughts on this.

The biggest draw for us in the casino was easily Sinatra. No one, and I mean no one, came as close to bringing in the gamblers and players than he did. Sinatra in town was an event for all of us. And by the way, he got paid the most. Don’t believe what some newspapers write. No one got paid more than Sinatra.

The person that drew the most people into town at one time was Elvis. In his early days, he packed the town. Lots of people, but very little casino play. Like Sinatra, he was a event.

There were times when both Sinatra and Elvis were in town. In the mid 70s both were playing to very large crowds, In fact it was times like this that encouraged us to realize we needed even more hotel rooms built. You could get people into the Elvis show but almost impossible to get someone into Sinatra.

The entertainer who has played to the most people all though the years is easily Wayne Newton. In the 70s, with his Hughes contract, he played all the Hughes hotels in rotation. He was doing maybe 40 weeks a year and to full, packed houses. Wayne has gotten more standing ovations than all other entertainers combined. I personally have never seen a show of his and I seen a lot where he did not a standing ovation. He and Sammy had the best “closing moves” of anyone.

How about Tom Jones? Another great entertainer. This guy has been entertaining here for many, many years and is always a big draw. There were times when he out drew everyone. He played here a couple of weeks ago and again put on a great show. He is more than a singer. He does know how to please a nightclub crowd. Like Anka, he is a pro at this.

Liberace. Let me talk about this fellow. he came here in the early days of Vegas. There was a big thing made about him getting $50 large when he played the Rivera. For us in Vegas, what was important is that it signaled to us that the “TV crowd” could be new customers for us. Liberace was more TV than nightclub, but he drew a lot of people in town.

Like Elvis and Sinatra, he had his following. Whoever liked him, really, really liked him and always came to see him.

You know, some times a particular show will be the talk of the town. It will become the hottest thing to get into and a must see for everyone. I remember the buzz when Lisa Minnilli and Anthony Newley opened at the Rivera. It was a smash. By the end of the week, people were flying in from all over to see them. Impossible to get into. Those that have seen it, talked about it for years and years.

And what about Dean Martin? He was the biggest draw in town. In the late 60s, Dean out drew everyone. Yes, even Elvis and Frank. He has the TV crowd and the gamblers and the family crowds all coming to see him. He was so, so popular and so well liked and I loved it.