Nevada Archives

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: Nevada's Black Book / Excluded Person List Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Excluded Persons

1975-1976 Nevada’s infamous “Black Book,” which contains information about the unsavory individuals who are banned from casinos, still exists today but under a different moniker. In 1975, citizen Beni Casselle expressed to the state gaming…

Andrew Jackson "Jack" Blackman Bank Club (Reno, NV) Casino History Casino, Gambling Saloon, Card Club, Slot Route Owners / Operators / Licensees / Gamblers Casinos / Gambling Saloons / Card Clubs / Slot Routes / Wire Services / Hotels / Racetracks / Racinos Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Folsom State Prison (CA) Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Reno--Nevada San Quentin State Prison (CA) Town House (Reno, NV) United States

Shakedown in Reno Escalates (Part 2)

1944-1945 The trial of Andrew Jackson “Jack” Blackman, free on $10,000 bail, began in April 1945, six months after he’d fatally shot James Lannigan in the Bank Club in Reno, Nevada. District Attorney Melvin E. Jepson, in…

Andrew Jackson "Jack" Blackman Bank Club (Reno, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Reno--Nevada Ta-Neva-Ho (Crystal Bay , NV) Town House (Reno, NV) United States Walter Parman

Shakedown in Reno Escalates (Part 1)

1944-1945 A thug’s confrontation of a casino owner on October 30, 1944 radically altered both of their lives. Andrew Jackson “Jack” Blackman, co-proprietor of the Town House gambling saloon* in Reno, left his business for…

Bartley "Bart" J. Smithson Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Ely--Nevada Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Officer Herbert "Burt" D. Long Nevada Nevada State Prison (Carson City, NV) NV) Palace Club (Ely, NV) United States

Gambler Destroys the Peace … Officer

1932 At about 4:30 on a Sunday morning, a drunk Bartley “Bart” J. Smithson was target practicing in the Palace Club, shooting at a spittoon and a silver dollar with a 0.38 Smith & Wesson…

Casinos / Gambling Saloons / Card Clubs / Slot Routes / Wire Services / Hotels / Racetracks / Racinos Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - In Observance

1939 Las Vegas gambling houses and saloons were shut for three hours in observance of Good Friday, at the request of the local churches. It was the first time in the Nevada city’s history that such…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing Gambling History Gaming History Harrah's Lake Tahoe (Stateline, NV) It Really Happened Lake Tahoe--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: El Dorado County Sheriff Ernest Carlson--California Nevada Stateline--Nevada

Murder Mystery at South Shore

1958-1959 Clarence Thayer grew ill with flu-like symptoms on Thanksgiving Day in 1958 while visiting his sister in Oakland, California. He was a well drilling contractor who lived in South Lake Tahoe. He and his…

Casino History Casinos / Gambling Saloons / Card Clubs / Slot Routes / Wire Services / Hotels / Racetracks / Racinos Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Staying Put

1956 She wouldn’t budge. C. Johnson was playing a slot machine from a stool that was blocking the aisle in a downtown Reno, Nevada casino. When employees asked the Oakland, California resident to please shift…

Casino History Charles Mapes Events: Daylight Saving Time Gambling History Gambling: Revenue Gaming History Harolds Club (Reno, NV) It Really Happened Mapes (Reno, NV) Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Vail Pittman Raymond "Pappy" I. Smith United States

Gamblers Oppose Daylight Saving Time

1949 Casino owners balked when the question of going on daylight saving time (DST) arose in Nevada in 1949. Gamblers’ Outcries Charles Mapes, owner of the Mapes hotel-casino in Reno, made a few arguments: •…

Boulder City--Nevada Casino History Casino: Openings F.J. Warren Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: 21 / Blackjack Games / Races: Bingo Games / Races: Craps Games / Races: Poker Games / Races: Roulette Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities Gaming History Henderson--Nevada It Really Happened Nevada O.T. Buck Railroad Pass Club (Henderson, NV) United States

Casino Entertains Hoover Dam Workers

1931 Twenty-six miles southeast of Las Vegas, the United States government, in 1931, developed Boulder City as the place to house men working on the Hoover Dam (originally Boulder Dam). The Bureau of Reclamation required…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts Riviera (Las Vegas, NV) Tony Martin United States

Quick Fact - Application Red Flags

1960-1961 Singer Tony Martin applied for a gambling license to acquire a 2 percent interest for $50,000 ($410,000 today) in the Riviera hotel-casino in Las Vegas. Investigation into his background revealed he’d served two days…

Beldon Katleman Casino History Desert Inn (Las Vegas, NV) El Rancho Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) Flamingo (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Gus Greenbaum It Really Happened Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard Last Frontier (Las Vegas, NV) Marion Hicks Nevada Paradise--Nevada Thunderbird (Las Vegas, NV) United States Wilbur Clark William J. Moore Winchester--Nevada

Just Like Living in Paradise

1950-Today When people are on the Las Vegas Strip, they’re really in Paradise — the town, that is. In 1950, a rumor surfaced that the City of Las Vegas’ boundaries would be expanded to include…

Bank Club (Elko, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Did You Know? Elko--Nevada Gambling Currency: Coins Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Elko Casino Targeted

1934 After hiding somewhere in the building, a person robbed the Bank Club casino’s safe of $500 in silver change (about $9,000 today) between 4 and 6 p.m. on a Wednesday in early December. This…

Caesars Palace (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Currency: Credit Gambling History Gaming History Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Casino Credit Component

1970s Caesars Palace in Las Vegas extended $160 million in credit to players in 1977. This was more than the then-considered staggering $106 million cost of the original MGM Grand (early ’70s), also in Sin City, and…

Casino History Club Cal Neva (Reno, NV) Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History It Really Happened Morrie Brodsky Nevada Publicity Stunts / Promotions / Advertisements Reno--Nevada United States

Club Cal-Neva Permits Horseplay

1950 Susan Wallace, a 24-year-old, “plucky blonde” who resided in Hollywood, California, needed money to further her opera studies (Nevada State Journal, Jan. 8, 1950). In early January, she sent telegrams to the casinos in…

Caesars Palace (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Circus Circus (Las Vegas, NV) Defense Attorneys: Oscar Goodman Elliot Paul Price Elliot Paul Price Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling: Race Wire Gambling: Work Card Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board It Really Happened James "Whitey" Joseph Bulger Jr. Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Mike O'Callaghan United States Winter Hill Gang

The Vegas Casino Work Card Battle

1970-1973 When federal agents arrested Elliot Paul Price, 51, during a massive multi-city raid in 1970 and charged him with illegally transmitting race wire information across state lines via telephone, two dominos fell: • He…

Advertisements Casino History Casino: Openings Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Golden Gulch (Reno, NV) James H. Lloyd Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Reno Casino Re-Opening

1947 The Golden Gulch casino re-debuted on June 27 under new management, that of James H. Lloyd. He’d had the gaming rooms and bar remodeled “with decorations featuring the ornate Victorian motif and stressing the…