casino history Archives

Cal-Neva Lodge (Lake Tahoe, NV) Clara Bow Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Elmer "Bones" F. Remmer Games / Races: Chuck-a-luck Games / Races: Craps Games / Races: Roulette It Really Happened James "Jim/Cinch" C. McKay Lake Tahoe--Nevada Nevada William "Bill/Curly" J. Graham

Hollywood Sex Symbol's Missteps

1930 Silent film star, Clara Bow, spent one September evening in 1930 playing illegal gambling games at a Lake Tahoe, Nevada casino. Both winning and losing at roulette, craps, 21 and the dice game, chuck-a-luck,…

Casino History Casino, Gambling Saloon, Card Club Fronts / Workers / Bookmakers / Dealers Did You Know? Gambling Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling: Tips Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Tips Taxable

1976 The Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, California ruled any tips, or tokes, that individuals give to casino dealers is a form of taxable income. Photos from freeimages.com: by Gustavo Ribeiro de…

Gambling Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling: Shills Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board It Really Happened Nevada Rolo Casino (Reno, NV)

Gambling Decoys: Shills, Proposition Players

1947-1979 “Neat appearing girls from 21 to 25 to shill and learn to deal games at Rolo Casino, 14 E. Commercial Row,” read a Help Wanted ad in the Nevada State Journal (June 6, 1947) for…

Did You Know? Gambling Laws / Regulations Nevada Quick Facts

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…

Cuba Did You Know? Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Cuban Right

1958 To crush subversive or revolutionary activity, Cuban President Fulgencio Batista suspended for 45 days all constitutional guarantees in the country, including the right to public assembly. Yet he allowed gambling operations to continue.

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…

Did You Know? Lake Tahoe--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts Stateline--Nevada

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,…

Did You Know? Games / Races: Roulette Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada

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…

Did You Know? Gambling Laws / Regulations Nevada Quick Facts

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…

It Really Happened

Official Launch Date

Each week, this blog will cover an intriguing gambling-related story of the past. The ongoing posts will feature crimes, celebrities, corruption, greed, mobsters, court cases, follies, laws and more. Please check back on Wednesday, May 13, 2015,…

Did You Know? Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada The Mint (Las Vegas, NV)

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…