<P> Circus Circus is the largest permanent big top in the world . The Lucky The Clown marquee at the entrance was provided by Young Electric Sign Company and was constructed in 1976 . </P> <P> Previous owners of Circus Circus Las Vegas were Jay Sarno and Stanley Mallin (1968--1974) and Mandalay Resort Group, formerly known as Circus Circus Enterprises (1974--2005) </P> <P> Circus Circus was opened on October 18, 1968 by Jay Sarno and Stanley Mallin, becoming the flagship casino for Circus Circus Enterprises . Architects Rissman and Rissman Associates designed a giant circus tent shaped main structure, which was built by R.C. Johnson Construction of Las Vegas . </P> <P> At its opening, the $15 million facility only included a casino . The lack of a hotel resulted in financial problems, as the casino was not able to attract high rollers . Sarno obtained a $23 million loan from the Teamsters Pension Fund to construct a hotel . As part of the arrangement, the Chicago Outfit's enforcer, Anthony Spilotro (under the name of Tony Stuart) was granted a gift shop concession in the hotel . In addition to a government investigation into the organized - crime connections, Sarno and Mallin were also being investigated for tax code violations . The casino's financial problems also continued and Sarno, along with his partner Stanley Mallin, decided to sell out . </P>

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