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

1958 Casino workers at the New Star allegedly were caught in flagrante delicto. In April, a gambling detective — Michael MacDougall from New York — conducted a statewide, in-person survey of various gambling entities upon…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Mexico Quick Facts Tivoli Bar and Cafe (Juarez, Mexico)

Quick Fact - Casino Fit For a General

1911-1914 When Pancho Villa was commanding his armies in Northern Mexico, he chose for his headquarters the richly appointed Tivoli, then the largest casino in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Photo from El Paso Public Library: By…

Big Hat (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Duel Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Firearms Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Gambling Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History It Really Happened Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Sam Baker United States

The Duel at Big Hat

1948 Arthur T. Morgan belligerently stormed into the Big Hat casino on Highway 91 (outside Las Vegas, Nevada) at about 1:30 a.m. on a Friday night in spring. He immediately began heckling, threatening to shoot…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling: Ban Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission Jackpot--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States Wells--Nevada

Quick Fact - Rural Gambling Ban

1954 Due to the 1953 scandal in Wells, Nevada, the Nevada Tax Commission members in June 1954 prohibited open gambling in the town of Jackpot in The Silver State, just south of its border with…

A.A. Baroni Anti-Gambling / Anti-Casino Efforts: Nevada Committee on Good Laws Block N (Reno, NV) Casino History Elite Cigar Store (Reno, NV) Gambling Gambling Currency Gambling Currency: Tokens / Bingles Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations Games / Races Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada NV) Overland Hotel (Reno, NV) Reno--Nevada Washoe Lunch Counter (Reno, NV)

The Truth Lies Within

1925 As of 1915, Nevada gambling law only allowed slot machines that discharged tokens, or bingles, exchangeable for on-site merchandise; those that paid out in money or bingles redeemable for currency were forbidden. “The fact…

California Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities Gaming History Los Angeles-California Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Out of Time

1936 A thief took the trouble of entering a Los Angeles, California café through a skylight to rob the slot and marble games. But instead of getting the heck out after that was successful, he stayed…

Apache Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Continental Press Service (Chicago, IL) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Extortion Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Dave Stearns Ed Margolis El Dorado Club (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gambling: Race Wire Games / Races Games / Races: Horse Racing Gaming History Golden Nugget Race Wire (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Clark County Sheriff Glen Jones--Nevada Laws: Federal Communications Act Meyer Lansky Moe Sedway Morris Rosen Nevada NV) Sam Stearns Santa Anita Turf Club (Las Vegas, NV) Sin City (Las Vegas) United States

Mysterious Horse Racing Broadcast

1948-1950 In between dispatch orders, a Las Vegas, Nevada taxi driver fleetingly picked up the announcement of horse racing information on his cab radio one day in mid-October, 1948. He informed Clark County Sheriff Glen…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Dice Gaming History Geographical Areas Nevada Ponderosa (Reno, NV) Publicity Stunts / Promotions / Advertisements Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - Gambling Debut Delay

1967 When the owners of the Ponderosa — Reno, Nevada’s newest major hotel (at 515 S. Virginia Street, now the Wild Orchid) — were about to debut gambling, with a celebratory first throwing of the dice, they ran into…

Cactus Pete's (Jackpot, NV) Casino History Diamond Jim's (Jackpot, NV) Elko--Nevada Gambling History Gambling: Revenue Games / Races Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Horshu Club (Jackpot, NV) It Really Happened Jackpot--Nevada Nevada NV) Tex's Gateway (Jackpot, NV) The 93 (Jackpot, NV) Twin Falls--Idaho United States

Gambling Affront: Elko Disses Jackpot

1960 When one rural Nevada town grew into a gambling hotspot in the mid-1900s, the gamblers in another loudly grumbled. Soon after Idaho outlawed slot machines, its last vestige of legal gambling, the sagebrush- and…

Casino History Casino, Gambling Saloon, Card Club Fronts / Workers / Bookmakers / Dealers Casino, Gambling Saloon, Card Club, Slot Route Owners / Operators / Licensees / Gamblers Club Primadonna (Reno, NV) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Ernest "Ernie" J. Primm Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Reno--Nevada United States

Casino Owner Blackballs Worker?

1956-1959 A thief absconded with $2,000 (about $17,500 today) from the Club Primadonna casino in Reno, Nevada on the first Friday of May 1956. The missing 10,000 dimes, 2,000 quarters and 1,000 half-dollars, the reserve…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Behind the Word "Casino"

Today A casino is a place that houses and facilitates various gambling forms, according to the English, but a casino or kasino is an officers’ mess hall to the Germans, Spanish and others. In Italian,…

Casino History Did You Know? El Rey Club (Searchlight, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Quick Facts Searchlight--Nevada Willie Martello

Quick Fact - The Customer is an Ass

1947-1962 A wild burro sauntered into the popular gambling spot, the El Rey Club in Searchlight, Nevada at about 11 o’clock every morning. It approached the proprietor, Willie Martello, who always fed it something he…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Harold S. Smith, Sr. Harolds Club (Reno, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Raymond A. Smith Reno--Nevada

Quick Fact - Mice and Men

1936 When brothers, Harold S. Smith, Sr. and Raymond A. Smith, opened a small casino called Harolds Club in Reno, Nevada, the main attraction was mouse roulette “where customers bet their small change on what…

Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting It Really Happened James Mann / Bernard Louvre Saloon (Goldfield, NV) Oberon (Reno, NV) Reno--Nevada United States Wieland Saloon (Reno, NV)

Gambler's Drunken Stupidity

1904-1905 Criminal drama occurred between two men late one November morning in the Wieland saloon in Reno, Nevada in 1904. James Mann, a Wyoming man who sometimes worked in Silver State gambling clubs — the Louvre…

Did You Know? Gambling: Dice Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Chinese Dice Peculiarities

Today Chinese dice differ from traditional dice in two ways: • The spots for numbers 1 and 4 are painted red. • The number 1 spot is larger and more deeply etched than all others. Anyone…

Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Gambling Games / Races: Keno Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board: Ed Olsen It Really Happened Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Club (Las Vegas, NV) Robert Van Santen United States

Bilking of Vegas' Nevada Club

1961-1966 Early in 1961, Michael Catrone, 60, an apartment complex owner, presented to the Nevada Club in Las Vegas, Nevada a winning keno ticket for $25,000 ($198,000 today). Yet the casino’s general manager didn’t pay…

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