Gaming History Archives

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Politicians / Politics: U.S. President John F. Kennedy Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Pall of Mourning

1963 On the Monday after then President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Las Vegas casinos went dark for 17 hours, from 7 a.m. to midnight, in his honor. Along with the gaming rooms in all of…

Bank Club (Reno, NV) Casino History Gambling Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: Streeter Plan for Nevada (Proposed) Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Washoe County D.A.--Nevada Meyer Lansky Myrton "Mert" C. Wertheimer Nevada Politicians / Politics: Jack Streeter Riverside Hotel (Reno, NV) United States

Plan: Eject Mobsters from Nevada Gambling

1954 “If the Streeter suggestion should catch fire and the state took over gambling, it would be the damnedest experiment tried in the United States, and Nevada would have more hoodlums per square block than…

Casa Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Casino: Flying Did You Know? Gambling History Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Flying Casino

1946 Owners of the Casa Vegas gambling club in Southern Nevada, Duke Wiley and Eddie Alias, announced their plan to acquire and convert a surplus, four-engine transport plane into a casino in the air. Slated…

Casino History Gambling Games / Races: Sports Betting Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics: U.S. Senator (NV) Patrick "Pat" A. McCarran Reno--Nevada Sports Teams Sports Teams: University of Nevada Wolf Pack United States

Accusation: The Fix is In!

1948 The November 22, 1948 issue of Sports-Week roiled Nevada Wolf Pack fans and supporters. Array of Allegations An article in that edition of the nationally circulated digest charged that the University of Nevada* (UN)…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Did You Know? Flamingo (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Bugsy Siegel's Hidden Safe

1972 Twenty-six years after the gangland assassination of mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and his debut of the Flamingo in Las Vegas, a trap door was discovered in one of the hotel-casino’s offices when the carpet…

"Razzle Dazzle: The Elaine Townsend Story" Casino History Casino: Financings Connie Immerman Cuba Elaine Townsend Gambling History Gambling: Concessions Games / Races: Chemin de Fer Games / Races: Craps Gaming History Gran Casino Nacional (Havana, Cuba) Havana--Cuba It Really Happened Mobsters / Gangsters / Syndicate Members (Alleged) / Organizations

Woman Usurps Mobsters' Gaming Action

1947-1952 Despite New York mobsters trying to scare her off, an ambitious woman — Elaine Townsend (née Margaret Helgeson) — held her own as a gambling operator in the late 1940s. Bright, young and gorgeous, she…

Artists / Designers: Pierre de Régnier (aka Tigre) Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Art Games / Races: Baccarat Gaming History Nice--France Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Depiction of French Gamblers

1931 The Big Baccarat Table in Nice (France) was sketched by cartoonist, Pierre de Régnier, aka Tigre (1898-1943), and ran in newspapers with this description: “From left to right: Mme. Ephrussi, the French multimillionaire widow…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Tax Evasion Dallas--Texas Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Poker Gaming History Horseshoe Club / Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Lester "Benny" Binion Meyer Lansky Mobsters / Gangsters / Syndicate Members (Alleged) / Organizations Moe Dalitz Nevada United States

10 Intriguing Facts About Gambling Kingpin "Benny" Binion

Although Texas-born Lester B. “Benny” Binion (1904-1989) no longer is with us, he remains a legend among Las Vegas casino owners and operators — gamblers, in industry parlance. Iconic even in his appearance — large…

Casino History Did You Know? Don and Bea Hawkins Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States Winnemucca--Nevada

Quick Fact - Women Banned

1962 The City of Winnemucca in Nevada had an ordinance that prohibited women from working in a casino in which they had some ownership. Bea Hawkins, who with her husband Don, owned the Ferris Hotel…

Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Parimutuel Games / Races: Greyhound Races Games / Races: Midget Car Races Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Reno--Nevada United States

Experiments in Parimutuel Wagering

1937-1938 In each of two consecutive summers, Northern Nevadans experienced on-site, parimutuel* betting on new types of organized races locally: first, midget car in 1937 and greyhound (the dog, not the bus) in 1938. The…

Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Any Place Will Do

1931 Using a gambling table as her dais, Canada-born evangelist, Mildred “Minnie” Kennedy, delivered fire and brimstone, revival-type sermons upstairs at the Boulder Club in Las Vegas from Aug. 23 to 30. A large sign…

107th Street Mob Casino History Drugs / Narcotics Gambling History Gambling: Shills Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Helmuth Hartmann It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Reno Police Department--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Nevada Palace Club (Reno, NV) Reno--Nevada United States

The Wanted Man of Mystery

1941 The man who played roulette in the Palace Club nearly every day for six months was noticeable for his suave appearance. Henry Helmut, age 47, had a bit of gray hair and sported a…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Firearms Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Elite Club (Ely, Nevada) Ely--Nevada Gambling History Gaming History Goodsprings--Nevada It Really Happened Nevada Oberon Saloon (Sparks, NV) Pioneer Saloon (Goodsprings, NV) Sparks--Nevada United States

Men Quick to Fire in Gambling Clashes

1904, 1915, 1936 Against a backdrop of sagebrush and dust in Nevada’s early, remote mining towns, saloons drew men for drinking and gambling. That combination, along with contrarian/antagonistic personalities, sometimes led to disputes that turned…

Canada Casino History Did You Know? Fallsview Casino (Niagara Falls, Ontario) Gambling History Gaming History Niagara Falls--Ontario Quick Facts

Quick Fact - A Natural View

Today In Ontario, Canada, the appropriately named gambling resort — Fallsview Casino — overlooks Horseshoe Falls, one of the three gushing cascades that comprise Niagara Falls.

00 (Double-0) Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Las Vegas Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Nevada State Prison (Carson City, NV) Northern Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) Star (Las Vegas, NV) Turf (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Busted for Running Gambling in Nevada

1916 The year brought indictments in Las Vegas against individuals for violating Nevada’s anti-gambling statute, which was unusual because law enforcement generally ignored or poorly enforced it. Operating a gambling game then constituted a felony.…

Beldon Katleman Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Tax Evasion Did You Know? El Rancho Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Shoddy Accounting

1956 When auditors for Nevada reviewed its books, they discovered the El Rancho casino on the Las Vegas Strip had underpaid the requisite gambling taxes over nine quarters by $39,000 ($350,500 today). Despite the claims…