So does the time-warp keno lounge, which looks like the perfect setting for a “Twilight Zone” episode. From Spanish archways to the classic neon sign atop the red-tile roof, the facade appears much the same as it did more than 70 years ago.

But with the gentrification of the Fremont East District, this downtown survivor now sees mobs of hipsters crowding the $3 craps, $5 blackjack and $1 roulette tables (yes, you read those dollar amounts correctly). Opened in 1941 and at one time briefly owned by mobsters Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, the Spanish Colonial-style El Cortez was for several decades a casino primarily frequented by low-rolling locals and near-penniless hobos.

(at 6th St., in the Fremont East District).