Jimmy Vaccaro
From blackjack dealer to bookmaker
Vaccaro’s path through the Royal Inn, Barbary Coast, Mirage and South Point follows the sportsbook’s rise inside the casino.
Starting on the casino floor
UNLV’s published oral history dates Vaccaro’s Las Vegas start to 1975 as a blackjack dealer at the Royal Inn. His sports knowledge created an opportunity with Michael Gaughan. The interview follows the move from dealing cards toward responsibility for a sportsbook. [1]
A career across the counter
The Barbary Coast was a formative chapter. Vaccaro later worked at the Golden Nugget and MGM, and opened the Mirage sportsbook in 1989. South Point’s retrospective places these jobs within his long relationship with the Gaughan properties. Each stop belongs to a particular period, not a list of current appointments. [1] [2]
The public face of the book
Television and radio appearances made Vaccaro familiar beyond Nevada’s betting counters. His 2019 oral history, with commentary by Vinny Magliulo, lets readers investigate the working culture behind that public role. South Point’s 2021 announcement records his Sports Betting Hall of Fame induction. [1] [2]
The later chapter
The Review-Journal reported in 2025 that Vaccaro left South Point in July and moved back to Pennsylvania. That later reporting updates the employer’s earlier profile. His historical significance lies in a career across generations of Nevada sportsbooks, rather than any assumed present-day job title. [3]
Key dates
- 1975
Begins as a Royal Inn blackjack dealer. [1]
- Late 1970s
The Barbary Coast becomes a formative sportsbook assignment. [1]
- 1989
Opens the Mirage sportsbook. [2]
- 2019
UNLV Gaming Law Journal publishes his oral history. [1]
- 2021
Sports Betting Hall of Fame induction. [2]
- 2025
His retirement and return to Pennsylvania are reported. [3]
People in the same story
Steve Wynn
The Mirage opening connects resort development to sportsbook operation. [2]
Read the profileJackie Gaughan
Explore the family business behind Michael Gaughan’s casino network. UNLV · Lee Business School [2]
Read the profileRoxy Roxborough
Compare the casino bookmaker’s career with the wholesale oddsmaker’s. Sports Gambling Hall of Fame [1]
Read the profileMichael Gaughan
Follow the related story in Michael Gaughan’s profile. [1] [2]
Read the profileIn the archive
506 entries about associated places, not necessarily this person in the saved collection.
Slot Machines Barred Where Minors Loiter
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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After Hughes, before the Mirage: the overlooked casino era
Historian David G. Schwartz examines the two decades between Howard Hughes’s casino purchases and the Mirage. The period mixed older resort traditions with corporate ownership, expansions and a changing visual language of signs and buildings.
Siegfried & Roy and the signs of their Las Vegas career
The Neon Museum follows the duo through the visual record of Las Vegas entertainment. Their performances and advertising connect the showroom era of the Tropicana and Stardust with the spectacular productions that later defined the Mirage.
Fred Harvey Planning Big Las Vegas Hotel
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
Subscription or access restrictions may apply. Access check: Oct 4, 2026. Search for this source (search results)
MGM Grand Hotel Slates Series of Opening Parties
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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Bomb mars MGM Grand Hotel
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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Go deeper into the record.
Sources for this profile and starting points for further research. Access notes mark links we could not open directly during the October 3–4, 2026 checks. Historical accounts describe their own period; they do not necessarily describe current operations.
- 1
The Oral History of Jimmy Vaccaro with Commentary by Vinny Magliulo
Volume 9, page 17. A retrospective first-person account, with commentary.
- 2
Jimmy Vaccaro inducted into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame
Describes his career as it stood in 2021, not his current employment.
- 3
Legendary Las Vegas bookmaker retires: “It’s been a great ride”
Reports his departure from South Point in July 2025 and return to Pennsylvania. Subscription may be required.
Subscription or access restrictions may apply. Access check: Oct 4, 2026. Search for this source (search results)