Crimes / Violence / Punishments Archives

California Casino History Chico Marx Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Did You Know? Gambling History George "Les" Bruneman Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Cavalier Comic

1937 A $2,000 check signed “Chico Marx” (about $34,600 today) was found in the pocket of Los Angeles gambler/bookmaker George “Les” Bruneman upon his murder carried out by a couple of Southern California Mafia hitmen.…

California Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments Gambling Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: San Francisco Police Department--California Law Enforcement / Judicial System: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Nevada San Francisco--California United States

Draftsman Gets a Wild Hair … Or Two … Or Three

1952 “Someone very dear to you is being held and will be killed if you don’t give me the money.” This was the content of the note, a bluff, Frederick Charles Will, handed to the…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Owning Gold Did You Know? Gambling Gambling Currency: Coins--Gold Gambling History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Last to Hear

1940 “Apparently unaware that gold has been forbidden as a medium of exchange, a tall, dark complexioned cowpuncher walked into a [Reno, Nevada] gambling club last night and startled the dealer by casually dropping a…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments DeSoto County--Mississippi Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Illegal Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: DeSoto County Sheriff Elton S. Baxter--Mississippi Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Shelby County Sheriff Guy Joyner--Tennessee Mississippi Politicians / Politics: MS Governor Paul E. Johnson Shelby County--Tennessee Tennessee United States

Law Officers Battle Over Gambling in the South

1940 They couldn’t just agree to disagree. They were the sheriffs of two bordering counties in different states. Sheriff Guy Joyner of Shelby County, Tennessee insisted illegal gambling was taking place just past the state…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts The Westerner (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Quick Fact – Crossed Wires

1951 Upon entering The Westerner casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, an electrician told the guard he’d been dispatched to repair a boiler connection. After being admitted to the utility room, he produced a pistol and…

California Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments Did You Know? Gambling Gambling Currency: Coins Gambling History Gambling: Illegal Gambling: Raids Games / Races: Poker Gaming History Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Threefold Pettiness

1940 After some angry husbands in Los Angeles, California complained their wives were gambling away the grocery money, two vice squad officers raided the Monday night birthday party of Ann Dicker, a 73-year-old great-grandmother, at…

Casino de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Education Games / Races: Craps Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: B.C. Wills & Co. Gaming History Golden Hotel (Reno, NV) It Really Happened Monaco Nevada

Nevada Schools Monte Carlo on Craps

1949 “Eight the hard way!” “It’s the Big Dick!” “Next shooter, please!” “Seven, you lose!” When translated into the French language, these common phrases shouted by stickmen during craps lose their pizazz and bite, their…

Casino d'Istanbul (Istanbul, Turkey) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Bombings Gambling History Games / Races: Baccarat Games / Races: Chemin de Fer Games / Races: Craps Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Hot Springs--Arkansas Istanbul--Turkey It Really Happened

Former Illegal U.S. Gamblers Open Turkey’s First Casino

1969-1975 A bomb exploded on the Casino d’Istanbul’s roof, injuring several people, on the night of Saturday, May 1, 1971. It happened during a banquet hosted by the Dayton, Ohio-based National Cash Register Company and…

California Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Equipment: Seizures Gaming History It Really Happened Plumas County--California United States

The Illegal, Future-Telling Slot Machine Dilemma

1957 These fortunes and statements were what appeared in the display of a particular slot machine when one read the whole reel from left to right. Short three- to five-word phrases replaced the typical fruit…

Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Clara Bow Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling: Debt Gaming History Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Louis Cornero Meadows (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Rex Bell 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…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Dallas--Texas Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Poker Gaming History It Really Happened Lester "Benny" Binion Meyer Lansky Nevada United States

10 Intriguing Facts About Gambling Kingpin “Benny” Binion

Today Although Texas-born Lester B. “Benny” Binion (1904-1989) no longer is with us, he remains a legend among Las Vegas casino owners and operators — gamblers, in industry parlance. Iconic even in his appearance —…

Artists / Designers Artists / Designers: Lewis "Lew" Hymers Artists / Designers: Pat Denner Artists / Designers: Roscoe "Duke" Reading Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Mascots Gambling: Mascots: Bucky Buckaroo Gambling: Mascots: Last Chance Joe Gambling: Mascots: Vegas Vic Gambling: Mascots: Wendover Will Gaming History It Really Happened Pioneer Club (Las Vegas, NV) State Line Hotel and Casino (Wendover, NV) United States Wendover / West Wendover--Nevada

4 Iconic Gambling Characters

1940s-Today They’re one of a kind. Dazzling. Captivating. Iconic. Pure Nevada. They’re the mascots of the state’s gambling industry. They graced the facades of casinos in the gambling meccas, and some still do. Rather than…