In less than 35 years Laughlin, and other gambling entrepreneurs following his lead, built the town of Laughlin from a bankrupt saloon and motel beside the Colorado River, to one of Nevada’s most important tourist destinations, attracting 4.2 million visitors a year. “But I could see that I was making more money than the principal, so I left school.”Īnd that’s how Laughlin happens to have an eighth-grade education and enough money to build a small city, which is named for him. I couldn’t see what one had to do with the other,” said Laughlin.
“He said to get out of the gambling business or get out of high school. The principal was decidedly upset with young Don Laughlin.
