Jake Kozloff (1901–1976) was a Russian-born American businessman. He was the owner of the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company in

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon () is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, east of Harrisburg and west of Reading. ...

in the 1930s. He invested in hotels and casinos in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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.

Early life

Jacob Kozloff was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

in 1901. He emigrated to the United States in 1905, settling in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Phila ...

Career

Kozloff served as the owner, president and treasurer of the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company on North Seventh Street in

from 1933 onwards. He remained its owner until the late 1940s, when he sold it. Golden Nugget Las Vegas

Kozloff moved to

in the late 1940s, where he invested in casinos. He first invested in the Thunderbird Hotel (alongside Joe Wells, Jack Lane,

Guy McAfee Guy McAfee (1888–1960) was an American law enforcement officer and businessman. Born in Kansas and orphaned in early childhood, he became a firefighter in Los Angeles, California and later served as the head of the vice squad of the Los Angeles P ...

), and served as a manager. With

and Beldon Katleman, Kozloff acquired the

Frontier Hotel The New Frontier (formerly Hotel Last Frontier and The Frontier) was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The property began as a casino and dance club known as Pair O' Dice, opened in 1931. It was sold in 1941, and inco ...

from Bill Moore for US$5.5 million in 1951. Kozloff served as its manager from 1951 to 1955. In 1955, when he paid US$100,000 for

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

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. When he stepped down, Kozloff was succeeded by Beldon Katleman. Kozloff subsequently invested in the Golden Nugget and again served as its manager. In 1956, Kozloff signed a 20-year lease of the

Royal Nevada Royal Nevada was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It was owned by Frank Fishman, who leased it to various individuals during its brief history. The resort was designed by Paul Revere Williams, and constructi ...

hotel in Las Vegas with conductor

Phil Spitalny Phil Spitalny (November 7, 1890 – October 11, 1970) was a Russian Empire-born American musician, music critic, composer, and bandleader heard often on radio during the 1930s and 1940s. He rose to fame after he led an all-female orchestra, a nov ...

from Frank Fishman. In June 1957, he became the manager of the Thunderbird Hotel once again. Meanwhile, the gambling application for the

Hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchard ...

, a hotel in

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the f ...

, was delayed by

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, the founding chairman of the

Nevada Gaming Control Board The Nevada Gaming Control Board, also known as the State Gaming Control Board, is a Nevada state governmental agency involved in the regulation of gaming and law enforcement of Nevada gaming laws throughout the state, along with the Nevada Gaming ...

, 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. The casino had 32 other investors. However, by 1958, Kozloff was the main investor in the Hacienda, another casino in

. Kozloff and Clifford A. Jones were majority shareholders of the Grand Antilles Casino in

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Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

in 1958. In 1964, they invested in casinos operated by the

InterContinental Hotels Group InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), marketed as IHG Hotels & Resorts, is a British multinational hospitality company headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the F ...

in the Caribbean. Three years later, in 1967, Kozloff was the manager of the Aruba Caribbean Casino in Aruba.

Judaism

Kozloff served as the chair of the

United Jewish Appeal The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), ...

in 1951. He subsequently served as the president of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1951 to 1953.

Death

Kozloff died on April 22, 1976 in

. He was 76 years old. He was buried at the

Kesher Zion Kesher Zion is a Conservative Jewish congregation in Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of ...

Cemetery in

Shillington, Pennsylvania Shillington is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 5,273 at the time of the 2010 census the borough is nestled amongst other suburbs outside Reading. It is perhaps best known for being the location of t ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozloff, Jake 1901 births 1976 deaths Businesspeople from Las Vegas American casino industry businesspeople Russian Jews American people of Russian-Jewish descent 20th-century American businesspeople Russian businesspeople in the United States Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States