Jake Kozloff

Jake Kozloff (1901–1976) was a Russian-born American businessman. He was the owner of the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in the 1930s. He invested in hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s and 1950s, where he was also the president of Temple Beth Sholom. He went on to invest in hotels and casinos in the Caribbean in the 1960s.

Jake Kozloff
Born
Jacob Kozloff

1901
Russia
DiedApril 22, 1976
Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeKesher Zion Cemetery, Shillington, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman

Early life

Jacob Kozloff was born to a Jewish family[1] in Russia in 1901.[2][3] He emigrated to the United States in 1905, settling in Reading, Pennsylvania.[2]

Career

Kozloff served as the owner, president and treasurer of the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company on North Seventh Street in Lebanon, Pennsylvania from 1933 onwards.[2][4] He remained its owner until the late 1940s, when he sold it.[4]

The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kozloff moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in the late 1940s, where he invested in casinos.[2] He first invested in the Thunderbird Hotel (alongside Joe Wells, Jack Lane, Guy McAfee),[5] and served as a manager.[2]

With Guy McAfee and Beldon Katleman, Kozloff acquired the Frontier Hotel from Bill Moore for US$5.5 million in 1951.[6] Kozloff served as its manager from 1951 to 1955.[2] In 1955, when he paid US$100,000 for Mario Lanza to perform for two weeks at the casino, Kozloff bragged that it was the highest salary an entertainer had ever received in a Las Vegas casino.[7] When he stepped down, Kozloff was succeeded by Beldon Katleman.[8]

Kozloff subsequently invested in the Golden Nugget and again served as its manager.[2] In 1956, Kozloff signed a 20-year lease of the Royal Nevada hotel in Las Vegas with conductor Phil Spitalny from Frank Fishman.[9] In June 1957, he became the manager of the Thunderbird Hotel once again.[10]

Meanwhile, the gambling application for the Hacienda, a hotel in Paradise, Nevada, was delayed by Robbins E. Cahill, the founding chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, in 1956, partly because Kozloff, who had invested US$250,000 in cash for a return of 12.5%, was turned down for a gaming license.[11][12] The casino had 32 other investors.[12] However, by 1958, Kozloff was the main investor in the Hacienda, another casino in Paradise, Nevada.[13]

Kozloff and Clifford A. Jones were majority shareholders of the Grand Antilles Casino in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1958.[3][10] In 1964, they invested in casinos operated by the InterContinental Hotels Group in the Caribbean.[4] Three years later, in 1967, Kozloff was the manager of the Aruba Caribbean Casino in Aruba.[14]

Judaism

Kozloff served as the chair of the United Jewish Appeal in 1951.[2] He subsequently served as the president of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1951 to 1953.[2][15]

Death

Kozloff died on April 22, 1976 in Reading, Pennsylvania.[16] He was 76 years old.[16] He was buried at the Kesher Zion Cemetery in Shillington, Pennsylvania.

References
  1. Marschall, John P. (February 1, 2008). Jews in Nevada: A History. University of Nevada Press. p. 179. ISBN 9780874177374.
  2. "Jake Kozloff". Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. UNLV University Libraries. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  3. "Jake Kozloff, Ex-Local Brewer, Buys Haiti Hotel". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. December 29, 1958. p. 5. Retrieved March 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Jake Kozloff's Name Comes Up In Baker Probe". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. February 29, 1964. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved February 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Moehring, Eugene P. (2000). Resort City in the Sunbelt: Las Vegas, 1930-2000. Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 9780874173567. OCLC 43434597.
  6. Wright, Frank (2005). Nevada Yesterdays: Short Looks at Las Vegas History. Las Vegas, Nevada: Stephens Press. p. 104. ISBN 9781932173277. OCLC 60708529.
  7. "Mario Lanza to Get $100,000 in 2 Weeks". The Paris News. Paris, Texas. February 17, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Considine, Bob (January 30, 1955). "Gambling Enjoyed While Behind-Scenes Action Ignored. If Las Vegas Walks With Devil, Nobody Seems To Care". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lubbock, Texas. p. 3. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "New Management Runs Royal Nevada". Long Beach Independent. February 24, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved March 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Jake Kozloff Buys Into Haiti Casino". Reading Eagle. December 28, 1958. pp. 1, 12. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  11. "Gaming Board Wrestles With Vegas Problem". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. August 24, 1956. p. 30. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Board Denies License To Big Vegas Hotel". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. July 27, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved March 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Oncken, Ed (June 11, 1956). "New Hotel Not Waiting For Convention Hall To Be Built". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  14. "That's Earl For Today". The Evening Standard. Uniontown, Pennsylvania. July 24, 1967. p. 8. Retrieved February 29, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "History". Temple Beth Sholom. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  16. "Gambling Figure Dies". Nevada State Journal. Reno, Nevada. April 23, 1976. p. 18. Retrieved March 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Jacob "Jake" Kozloff a pioneer Las Vegas gambling figure, died Thursday at the age of 76 after suffering a stroke.
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