The main portion of the casino consists of two 29-story towers nestled between Interstate 80 and the Union Pacific rail yard.

The Celebrity Showroom, first known as the Circus Room, was constructed in the 1960s and featured Liberace, Peggy Lee, Sergio Franchi, The Osmond Brothers, Robert Goulet, Red Skelton and others.

[citation needed] The Nugget's primary attraction from, 1962 through the late 1990s, was Bertha the Elephant, who often entertained in the Circus Room.

[9] The hotel hosts popular events such as it annual Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off, considered one of the largest in the country.

Also, on July 4, the Star-Spangled Sparks celebration, as well as the largest fireworks show in Northern Nevada after New Year's Eve in Downtown Reno.

[citation needed] On October 10, 2013, the Ascuaga family announced it had reached an agreement with Las Vegas-based Global Gaming And Hospitality to sell the 1600 room property.

Geer continually failed to meet revenue targets to unlock funds from his finance partners, and made questionable decisions regarding the property renovations.

After being cut off from his finance partners, Geer raised capital by selling the numerous parcels of land around the property, leading to a flurry of high-density housing developments to start construction in Downtown Sparks.