EL CORTEZ HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS OFFERS $5,000 TO GHOST HUNTERS
Historic Casino Invites the Brave to Spend a Weekend with Its Spirits
By Lux Ferre – Occult World Magazine, October 2025
Welcome, dear readers of Occult World, to another dispatch from the shadowed corners of modern reality — where history, hauntings, and human curiosity entwine beneath neon light.
This month, the glittering desert city of Las Vegas has offered an unexpected invitation to the brave: one of its oldest hotels is putting $5,000 on the table for a ghost hunter willing to spend a weekend within its reputedly haunted walls.
THE CONTEST
The El Cortez Hotel & Casino, founded in 1941 and located on Fremont Street, is launching an official ghost-hunting challenge. Between October 6 and October 31, applicants from across the United States can submit their credentials or personal stories to be selected for a paid weekend paranormal investigation in early December 2025.
According to the hotel’s press release, the chosen investigator will:
- Receive $5,000 in compensation, plus full accommodation.
- Be granted exclusive nighttime access to select historic areas of the property.
- Conduct a documented investigation using professional or personal methods — from EVP recordings and EMF readings to psychic impressions or spiritual rituals.
The El Cortez, which retains much of its 1940s architecture and mob-era character, has long been whispered about by staff and guests alike. Shadows, cold spots, and disembodied voices are said to linger near the vintage penthouse suites and the casino’s original vault room.
THE HAUNTED LEGACY OF THE EL CORTEZ
Built during the golden age of post-Prohibition glamour, the El Cortez once counted figures such as Bugsy Siegel, Moe Sedway, and Meyer Lansky among its investors.
Decades later, visitors still report the scent of old cigar smoke, phantom footsteps pacing the corridors, and elevator doors that open to empty hallways.
For years, housekeeping staff have refused to clean certain rooms alone, claiming to hear female voices crying in the walls and card shuffling sounds coming from sealed gaming rooms.
These accounts make the El Cortez one of the most historically charged haunted locations in Nevada — part of the same lineage of paranormal hotspots you can explore on our Haunted Hotels & Inns archive here at OccultWorld.com.
WHY IT MATTERS
This is the first time the El Cortez has publicly acknowledged its paranormal reputation — and the first time a major Las Vegas casino has monetised ghost investigation in an official competition.
It’s a fascinating bridge between entertainment, tourism, and authentic investigation, continuing the broader revival of ghost culture across America.
At Occult World, we have long documented the growing trend of haunted hospitality — from London’s ghostly inns to New Orleans’ spirit-ridden hotels — and the El Cortez contest now places Las Vegas on that spectral map.
THE SPIRIT OF INVESTIGATION
For readers of Occult World, this event is more than a publicity stunt. It’s a reminder that hauntings are cultural mirrors — each one reflecting the stories a city tells about its past.
Whether the El Cortez is home to restless spirits of its mob-era patrons or echoes of its glamorous clientele, its marble halls and neon-lit façade hold the very essence of modern myth: the idea that even in a city built on chance, some presences never leave the table.
If you’re planning to apply, prepare well. Bring your best equipment — and perhaps a charm or two from our Apotropaic Magic archives to ensure protection.
And once the chosen investigator is named, you can be certain that Occult World will be there to report from the front line of the supernatural — as we always do.
EXPLORE MORE ON OCCULT WORLD
- Haunted Places – America’s Most Infamous Hotels and Landmarks
- Ghost Hunting – Techniques and Tools for the Modern Investigator
- Apotropaic Magic – Turning Away Evil Through Symbolism
- Energy, Manifestation, and the Law of Attraction
- Demonology and the Law of Invitation
SOURCES
- El Cortez Hotel & Casino Press Release, October 2025.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal – “El Cortez Offers $5,000 to Ghost Hunter for Weekend Investigation.” October 2025.
- KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas – “El Cortez Invites Paranormal Experts for Official Investigation Contest.” October 2025.
- USA Today Travel – “Historic Las Vegas Hotel Turns Its Haunted Reputation into a $5,000 Challenge.” October 2025.
- Nevada Historical Society Archives – “El Cortez Hotel: A Mob Legacy and Cultural Landmark.”
