Bob Stupak- A Las Vegas Legend

It was announced today that Bob Stupak, The developer of The Stratosphere is not long for this Vegas World. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Stupak at The Foundation Room a few years ago and he was very polite. I remember driving by Bob Stupaks Vegas World Casino in the late 80's with my father, he said it was in a "bad section" so we never did go there. There was a giant astronaut painted on the side of the building-which was kinda crazy back then to see in Vegas. Bob Stupak made up some of the zaniest and most outlandish promotions throughout his career as a casino owner includingt putting up a $100,000 bill, which was not real, but which he advertised as an attraction on billboards: "See What A $100,000 Bill Looks Like." In another pitch for attention, Stupak promoted a slot machine with a $250,000 jackpot, much higher than anywhere in Las Vegas. He installed a nickel-bet machine with a $50,000 jackpot. He papered a wall of the casino with a so-called "wall of cash," an estimated $60,000 in dollar bills.He offered gamblers a chance to bet against a caged chicken. Slot machines awarded automobiles as prizes. He appeared on TV in the late 1980s on the show Crime Story. He once hired a man to jump off the top of his tower. He promised the guy $1 million for doing it. Then, he charged the guy a $990,000 landing fee. He appeared on 60 Minutes as the world's greatest gambler.Stupak is also the man who installed the very photographed "Vegas Vicki" on top of Glitter Gulch downtown. Bob Stupak is the one guy that could pull off a comeback...