Quick Fact - First Floor
1869, 1877, 1905 The 1869 statute partially legalizing gambling in Nevada prohibited any such operations in first floor rooms. An 1877 revision allowed gambling in back rooms of a ground level in certain small counties.…
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing
Gambling
Gambling Currency: Coins
Gambling Currency: Coins: Brass
Games / Races: 21 / Blackjack
Games / Races: Panguingue
Games / Races: Poker
Games / Races: Roulette
Games / Races: Tonk
It Really Happened
Nevada
Nevada State Prison (Carson City, NV)
Gambling in the Pokey
1932-1967 Inmates strutted around the Nevada State Prison yard and jingled the brass coins or tokens, in their pockets, to boast their elevated status as winning gamblers of the pen. Beginning in 1932, convicts ran…
Casino, Gambling Saloon, Card Club Fronts / Workers / Bookmakers / Dealers
Cuba
Events: World War II
Games / Races: Dog Racing
Games / Races: Horse Racing
It Really Happened
Mexico
Nevada
United States
WWII: Impact on Nevada's Gambling
1944-1945 In the final year of World War II, three related mandates hampered Nevada’s gambling clubs, but, in general, casinos willingly withstood the hits out of a sense of patriotic duty. These directives, imposed by…
Quick Fact - Cattle Drive
1963 Because another route wasn’t available, in August, ranchers drove more than 200 cattle through the casino section of Stateline, Nevada en route to the bovines’ summer range in the California mountains. Photo from freeimages.com,…
Gambling Currency: Coins
Gambling Currency: Tokens / Bingles
Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board
It Really Happened
Nevada
Got Coins?
1965 The U.S. suffered a shortage of coins in 1965. And that led to decreased business for Nevada’s largest industry — gambling. Usage of half-dollars, common in casinos then for table games and one-armed bandits,…
Quick Fact - Wheel Woods
Early 1900s Manufacturer B.C. Wills & Company crafted roulette wheels out of one or more woods — boxwood, ebony, rosewood, walnut, Honduras mahogany or satin wood — that were seasoned and kiln dried in a…
Cal Vada (Lake Tahoe, NV)
Cal-Neva Lodge (Lake Tahoe, NV)
Games / Races: Bingo
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission
It Really Happened
Lake Tahoe--Nevada
Nevada
Ta-Neva-Ho (Crystal Bay , NV)
Casinos in Bingo Trouble
1954 A brouhaha over bingo made it a memorable year for gambling at Lake Tahoe. To lure as many tourists as possible into their casinos, numerous operators offered big-ticket prizes for winners at summer’s end…
Quick Fact - Operation Penalty
1937 At a time when wide-open gambling was legal in Nevada, the penalty for operating a game of chance without a license was 60 days in the county jail or a $120 fine. Photo from…
Casino History
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing: Holdouts
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing
Francis Leo Luckett
Games / Races: 21 / Blackjack
It Really Happened
Nevada
Reno--Nevada
Tip Club (Reno, NV)
Ace of Spades Defeats Card Sharp
1930 Cheating at gambling in the early 20th century in Nevada could land a person in serious trouble. That’s exactly what happened to Francis Leo Luckett, 28. A Pennsylvania native, he’d been in Reno by…
Quick Fact - Mint Cake
1964 For its eighth anniversary, The Mint in Las Vegas, Nevada baked a mega, 6,527-pound cake in the shape of the hotel-casino. About the size of 1,363 regular 10-inch cakes, it required: • 12,960 eggs • 2,400…