The owner of Circus Circus in Las Vegas says he's mulling a sale of the casino-hotel.Phil Ruffin told the financial magazine Forbes he's ready to sell the histo

The president-elect’s best friend is preparing to cash out of the legendary Las Vegas resort. He tells Forbes about his latest big gamble in Sin City.

Circus Circus hotel-casino in Las Vegas is up for sale, according to a report on Forbes. Phil Ruffin bought the aging casino from MGM Resorts International in 2019 for $825 million. Now he says it’s worth $5 billion and there's interest from buyers, KLAS TV reports.

In its early years, Circus Circus was “one of the most notorious Mob haunts on the Strip,” according to a story on The Mob Museum website. The casino’s founder, Jay Sarno, built the resort in part with a Mob-connected $7.6 million Teamsters loan.

Phil Ruffin, the owner of Circus Circus and Treasure Island, is exploring the sale of Circus Circus, the 56-year-old casino-hotel on the north Las Vegas Strip, according to a recent report. Ruffin, who acquired the property from MGM Resorts in 2019 for $825 million, values the 102-acre site at approximately $5 billion.

In a Friday interview with Forbes, Ruffin revealed he’s planning on selling the garish casino that he bought in 2019. At the time, Ruffin boasted he was going to add a sand-bottom pool and 2,000-seat theater, along with investing $60 million into renovations. But despite some cosmetic improvements, Circus Circus remains largely unchanged.

Billionaire casino owner Phil Ruffin is looking to sell Circus Circus, according to a weekend report on Forbes.com.

Owner Phil Ruffin told Forbes that there’s interest from buyers to sell the Las Vegas Strip property. He said the hotel and casino is worth $5 billion. MGM sold Circus Circus to Ruffin in 2019. The sale was worth $825 million that year.

Circus Circus, the venerable 56-year-old north Strip resort that caters to families and low-budget visitors, may soon be sold by owner Phil Ruffin, according to a published report.