In 1960, the classic caper film Ocean's 11 was shot at the hotel, and it subsequently attained iconic status, with regular performances by Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Red Skelton and others, who performed regularly in the hotel's world-renowned Copa Room. Sinatra later bought a share in the hotel himself.
Crime bosses such as Doc Stacher and Meyer Lansky acquired shares in the hotel and attracted Frank Sinatra, who made his performing debut at Sands in October 1953. The hotel rooms were divided into four two-story motel wings, each with fifty rooms, and named after famous race tracks. The hotel was opened on December 15, 1952, as a casino and hotel with 200 rooms. The hotel was established in 1952 by Mack Kufferman, who bought the LaRue Restaurant which had opened a year earlier. During its heyday, it hosted many famous entertainers of the day, most notably the Rat Pack and Jerry Lewis.
Designed by architect Wayne McAllister, with a prominent 56-foot (17 m) high sign, the Sands was the seventh resort to open on the Strip. The Sands Hotel and Casino was a historic American hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, United States, that operated from 1952 to 1996.
