casino Archives

Abner "Longie" Zwillman Casino History Clifford "Cliff" A. Jones Cuba Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling License Gaming History Golden Nugget (Las Vegas, NV) Haiti Hilton (Havana, Cuba) International Casino (Haiti) It Really Happened Las Vegas--Nevada Lucky Strike (Las Vegas, NV) Meyer Lansky Nevada Palace Club (Las Vegas, NV) Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Grant Sawyer Thunderbird (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Vegas Gambler Defies Mandate

1959 In February, The New York Times outed Clifford A. Jones. It brought to light that he held gambling interests in and out of Nevada, which The Silver State’s gaming law then prohibited. It was…

Bakersfield--California California Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Savings at all Costs

1933 When panhandling in Bakersfield, California, an Arthur J. Hayden received 25 cents ($4.70 today), which he took to a casino and parlayed into $690 ($13,000 today). The next day he grew his winnings to…

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…

Bad Homburg--Germany Casino de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) Casino History Did You Know? Europe Francois Blanc Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Equipment Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Monaco Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - European v. American Roulette

1840s-Today Gambler Francois Blanc, at his casino in Bad Homburg, Germany, introduced roulette in the early 1840s with only 0 and no 00 on the wheel and table layout, a choice he stuck with when…

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 Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Did You Know? Gambling Currency: Chips Gambling Currency: Counterfeit Gambling History Las Vegas--Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Bogus Chips in Nevada

1947 John Clark Bosworth, of Reno, 47, was sentenced to 10 days in the local jail for playing with fake $25 chips in a Las Vegas casino. What do you think? Was this a light…

California Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Los Angeles city jail Los Angeles-California Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Joint Features Gambling

1916 The Los Angeles city jail was likely the only legalized casino in California, with gambling taking place daily to a shocking extent, declared Faith Chevaillier, a woman whom President Chester Arthur appointed to evaluate…

Casino History Chicago--Illinois Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling: Equipment Gaming History Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Gambling Tools' Fate

1895 Chicago gamblers waged a long, hard legal battle against the law that allowed police and other authorities to destroy casino equipment seized during the execution of a search warrant. The fight ended, however, in 1895…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Loss Gaming History Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Matrimonial Diss

1947 Hollywood actress Mildred Jenkins testified in court about her wedding night in Nevada. After marrying A.Q. Bonner, Jr., a Northern California rancher, the two had breakfast and went to a casino. “A.Q. lost all…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Games / Races: Bingo Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts Sands (Las Vegas, NV) Silver Slipper (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Quick Fact - Detrimental Game of Chance

1956 The gambling licensees of the Dunes and Silver Slipper casinos applied to restart bingo on the premises, but the Nevada Gaming Commission denied their request, stating that the return of the game to the Las…

Casino History Cecil Lynch Did You Know? Fortune Club (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Golden Slot (Las Vegas, NV) Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Nevada Club (Las Vegas, NV) Quick Facts Robert Van Santen United States

Quick Fact - Casino Name Beef

1957 After Robert Van Santen and Cecil Lynch’s business partnership in the Las Vegas, Nevada Fortune Club went sour (Lynch broke off to open his own gambling club at the Golden Slot site), the two…

Casino History Did You Know? Fan Tan (Reno, NV) Gambling History Games / Races: Pai Gow Gaming History Nevada New China Club (Reno, NV) Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Pai Gow's Nevada Debut

1967 After a demonstration of the game, Nevada gambling regulators, for the first time, allowed pai gow — a Chinese version of dominos — to be offered in its casinos. The clubs with pai gow,…

Casino History Casinos / Gambling Saloons / Card Clubs / Slot Routes / Wire Services / Hotels / Racetracks / Racinos Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations Gambling License Games / Races: 21 / Blackjack Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada New Star (Winnemucca, CA) United States Winnemucca--Nevada

How Do I Cheat? Let Me Count the Ways (Part II)

1958-1959 (Part I ran last week. If you missed it, it’s available here.) The Nevada Tax Commission withdrew the gambling license of the New Star operators — Brent Mackie and Kenneth Henton — in July 1958…

Casino History Casinos / Gambling Saloons / Card Clubs / Slot Routes / Wire Services / Hotels / Racetracks / Racinos Commercial Hotel/Monte Carlo Casino (Elko, NV) Did You Know? Elko--Nevada Gambling History Games / Races Gaming History Nevada Newton Crumley Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - When All Else Fails … Wager

1925 Newton “Newt” Crumley, Sr., Goldfield, Nevada resident, met with William Doyle in September to discuss purchasing from him the Commercial Hotel in Elko, but they couldn’t agree on a price. Doyle wanted $5,000 more…