The Sahara closes its roller coaster

The Sahara closed its roller coaster, Speed -- The Ride, last weekend ahead of the hotel-casino's planned closing on May 16.

Sahara operator SBE Entertainment said the certified ride engineers who operate the roller coaster had left for other jobs and the decision was made to close the attraction.

Several other amenities, including two of the property's hotel towers, have closed since SBE announced March 11 that it was shutting down the 1,700-room property.

The hotel-casino, which opened in 1952, is being closed by SBE because "the continued operation of the aging Sahara was no longer economically viable."