Margaret Elardi
Pioneer casinos, the Frontier and a family business
A casino proprietor whose businesses reached from downtown Las Vegas and Laughlin to the Strip.
From the Pioneers to the Strip
Elardi’s career included the downtown Pioneer and the Pioneer in Laughlin. In 1988 she acquired the Frontier from the Hughes organization. Her sons Thomas and John also held interests in the property. [1] [2] [3]
Ownership through a labor conflict
The Frontier strike began September 21, 1991 and continued until Ruffin’s February 1998 takeover. In December 1997, the Sun reported regulatory approval for Margaret to acquire her sons’ combined 66 percent interest before the sale. Her family’s ownership, the workers’ dispute and Ruffin’s later deal are linked parts of the property’s history. [2] [3]
Key dates
People in the same story
Thomas Elardi
Her son’s Frontier and Casino Royale roles. [1] [3]
Read the profileJohn Elardi
Her son and fellow Frontier shareholder. [3]
Read the profilePhil Ruffin
The buyer who succeeded the family. [2]
Read the profileIn the archive
439 entries about associated places, not necessarily this person in the saved collection.
Throngs Attend Casino Opening
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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Pair-o-Dice Closes For Remodeling
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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Pair o Dice Is Being Enlarged
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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Vegas' Newest, Most Luxurious Night Club Opens Wednesday
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McAfee Takes Up Option on 91 Club
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
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91 Club Is Sold To Arizona Group
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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
What Can You Tell Us about Margaret Elardi?
Read October 14, 2026. A secondary account, explicitly assembled from other sources. Used for Pioneer and family context; UNLV supplies the Frontier strike chronology. No present-day ownership is inferred from this 2018 article.
- 2
Frontier Hotel and Casino Collection, MS-00297
Read October 14, 2026. The historical note supports the ownership sequence and closure dates; the underlying collection was not reviewed in full. Its May 2007 sale reference is the announcement stage, distinct from the August closing reported by the Review-Journal.
- 3
Federal government now controls the Maxim
The retrieved publisher passage reports approval for Margaret Elardi to acquire her sons’ combined 66% Frontier interest. Direct access returned 403; no wider claim is made from inaccessible text.