From the Jackie Gaughan web site:

John D. "Jackie" Gaughan was born October 24, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska to Michael and Kitty Gaughan. As a boy, he had early exposure to gambling, since his "Uncle" Eddie Barrick held an interest in a gambling house in Omaha. He started out running scratch sheets to many of the bars and poolrooms that took legitimate horse and sports bets. He particularly took to bookmaking, which is still his favorite part of the business today.

From the LVRJ article:

In an agreement scheduled to be announced this morning, Barrick Gaming plans to buy the Gold Spike, Western Hotel, Las Vegas Club and the Plaza pending approval by Nevada gaming regulators.