Several nearby resorts were opposed to its construction, partially due to concerns about increased traffic congestion.

Boyd subsequently traded the Barbary Coast to Harrah's Entertainment, in exchange for other property on the Las Vegas Strip.

Harrah's finalized its acquisition in February 2007, and briefly closed the Barbary Coast before reopening it on March 1, 2007, as Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon.

Harrah's was later renamed as Caesars Entertainment, and the company announced plans in 2012 to extensively renovate Bill's.

The property was once the site of the Desert Villa motel, which opened in 1958, at the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

[1][2] In 1975, plans were approved for a shopping center to be built on the land, but the project failed to materialize, as the site had inadequate space for parking.

[3][4] By December 1975,[4] Michael Gaughan and others were planning to build the $10 million Barbary Coast hotel-casino on the 1.7-acre site occupied by the Times Square.

[3] The project was proposed by Gaughan and his father Jackie, along with partners Kenny Epstein and Frank Toti.

[5] However, several nearby casino resorts – Caesars Palace,[6] the Dunes,[7] the Flamingo Hilton, and the MGM Grand[3] – were opposed to the project, stating that it would cause further traffic congestion at the intersection.

Michael Gaughan said that the existing motel structure was already located beneath the power lines, and that he had approval for the construction of the parking garage.

[10] Within a week of the groundbreaking, the MGM and Flamingo filed a suit against the county commission, stating that it did not give the resorts adequate time to prepare arguments against the variance.

Wiesner owned a financial stake in the Marina hotel down the street, which was expected to benefit from the opening of the Barbary Coast.

[9][11][12] Later in 1976, Jackie Gaughan won an extension from the Clark County Commission, narrowly granting him another year to begin construction while the project faced legal challenges from opponents.

[17] Gaughan had the building designed to eventually accommodate four additional floors,[18][19] although such plans never materialized, as he found the property to be successful enough as-is.

Robert L. Johnson, a co-founder of BET and a Hilton board member, considered buying the Barbary Coast a few years later.

The casino had been leasing the property from Nevada Power Company, which put the site up for sale that year.

[35][23] The property had seen few renovations up to that time, such as a recent remodeling of its rooms which added new mirrors, paintings, and wallpaper.

Despite the small size of the 1.8-acre plot, the property was one of the most valuable sites on the Las Vegas Strip, due to its location at an intersection sometimes known as the Four Corners.

He was also open to the idea of selling or trading the Barbary Coast to Harrah's Entertainment, which owned a multitude of nearby resorts.

Harrah's had picked up options to purchase the former site of the Westward Ho hotel-casino, which was located on the Strip, adjacent to Boyd's future Echelon Place project.

In October 2012, Caesars announced plans to renovate Bill's and to add a rooftop pool and nightclub, overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.

[20] Drai had long believed that the rooftop had untapped potential, although power lines had prevented any additional floors from being added.

A support building had to be constructed just north of the original hotel structure, providing additional bracing to the new club.

[20] In October 2013, Caesars ended its partnership with Gansevoort, after an investor with the latter company was reputed to have ties with organized crime in Russia.

[61] The Cromwell had a low-key opening on April 21, 2014; the casino and a bar began operations, and some hotel rooms were available to invited guests.

In August 2020, CBS reality dating show Love Island began filming its second season at the Cromwell, relocated from Fiji due to the pandemic.

[71][72] The Cromwell was already an adult-oriented property, unlike other Las Vegas resorts that include family entertainment.

[78][79] The west side of the Barbary Coast building featured a neon sign designed by Brian "Buzz" Leming, an employee of YESCO.

[35] As part of the Harrah's ownership change, Michael's was relocated in 2007, to Gaughan's newly purchased South Point resort.

The idea for an afterhours nightclub came when Drai agreed to let DJs perform in the restaurant after closing time, which led to immediate success.