1931 Archives

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Firearms Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Did You Know? Gambling History Henry Club (Reno, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada The Capitol (Reno, NV) United States

Quick Fact - More Trouble Anticipated

1931 Robberies plagued Reno. The Capitol bar and the Henry Club, both offering games of chance, were hit inside of eight days. A rumor circulated that notorious gangsters were headed to the Northern Nevada city. It…

Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino, Proposed Exchange Club (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gambling License Games / Races Games / Races: Craps Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: City of Las Vegas (NV) It Really Happened Las Vegas Club (Las Vegas, NV) Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Meadows (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Northern Club (Las Vegas, NV) Northern Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) Red Rooster (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Lawsuit: It's Not Fair!

1931 Soon after Governor Fredrick “Fred” B. Balzar approved wide-open gambling for Nevada, three men applied for an initial gambling license from the City of Las Vegas to operate a craps game at Lorenzi’s Lake…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Equipment Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Oops! They Don't Match

1931 After a brand new roulette setup was put in use at a Las Vegas, Nevada casino, it was discovered the number 28 was black on the wheel, as it should be, but red on…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Curiosity Trumps Motherhood

1931 When a Southern Pacific train stopped in Reno on a Friday in May at about 9:15 p.m., four passengers disembarked to squeeze in, before continuing on, a glance at gambling, which Nevada recently had…

Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Clara Bow Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling: Debt Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Louis Cornero Meadows (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Rex Bell Tony Cornero / Antonio Cornero Stralla United States

Quick Fact - The Hard Way or the Easy Way

1931-1932 Actors Clara Bow and Rex Bell gambled at the Meadows in Las Vegas in summer 1931 and racked up a $1,100 loss (about $18,000 today), for which they left an IOU. By December, 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…

Anti-Gambling / Anti-Casino Efforts Casino History Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics United States

Anti-Gambling Fraud: Intentional or Accidental?

1934 After Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, a faction opposed to the industry fought to have it eradicated. “A group of Nevada citizens felt there was a growing protest against the injury being done our…

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…

Did You Know? Gambling Gambling Laws / Regulations Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Frederick "Fred" Balzar Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Seer Balzar

1930 In December, while vacationing in Southern California, Nevada Governor Frederick “Fred” Balzar — foretelling the future — told reporters that gambling already was wide open in his state and that a bill making it…

Belle Livingstone Belle Livingstone George Wingfield It Really Happened James "Jim/Cinch" C. McKay Nathan "Nick" Abelman Prohibition Reno--Nevada The Cowshed (Reno, NV) William "Bill/Curly" J. Graham

Livingstone Taunts Mob With Cowshed

1931 Belle Livingstone wasn’t the typical Nevada gambling club owner. She’d acted on the stage and screen in the 1890s. She’d mingled with royalty and wealth in Europe and the United States. During Prohibition, she’d…

Games / Races: Panguingue Harolds Club (Reno, NV) It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Club (Las Vegas, NV) Reno--Nevada

Upsy-Daisy: Negligence Or Greed?

1953-1954 When customer Mrs. Curt Whitney entered the Nevada Club at 3 a.m. on a Sunday in May 1953, her shoe allegedly got caught in a hole in the floor, and she fell. More than…

Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Gambling Currency: Coins Gambling Laws / Regulations It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Charles Russell Sparks--Nevada

Loophole in the Law

1955 When Nevada legislators legalized gambling in 1931, they didn’t consider one significant caveat. The omission came to light in January 1955 when an industrious Las Vegas casino patron was arrested for using Mexican 10…

Did You Know? Gambling Nevada Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Peephole Vetting

1931 Even after wide-open gambling became legal in Nevada, many of the exclusive clubs continued to vet the people who wanted entry. Someone inside the establishment would look through the peephole in the door and…

Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling License Games / Races: Roulette It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Washoe County Sheriff E. Russell Trathen--Nevada Nevada Northern Club (Las Vegas, NV) Owl Club (Reno, NV) Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Frederick "Fred" Balzar

Yes To Open Gambling: No Big Deal

1931 Despite an influx of newsmen into town to report what gambling now looked like in Nevada’s biggest city immediately following legalization, a move they described as “reviving the days of the pioneer west,” the…

Gambling Laws / Regulations It Really Happened Nevada

Was Betting on "Old Maid" Legal?

1861-present Since becoming a U.S. territory, Nevada has undergone periods of full, partial and no legalization of gambling. Here’s a timeline of what types of games of chance legislators allowed or disallowed and when: 1861:…