Gambling History Archives

Casino History Circus Circus (Las Vegas, NV) Crimes / Violence / Punishments Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada United States

Pay Up Or Blow Up — Las Vegas

1972 In the mail on Monday, April 24, each of 21 Las Vegas hotel-casinos received an identical, typewritten letter that demanded they pay a total of $2 million (about $12 million today) or get blown…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Lido de Paris Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – The Nude is Falling

1969-1971 Patron Alvin Glasky sat in the Stardust hotel-casino’s showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada, watching Lido de Paris on a Saturday evening in 1969. As one of the topless showgirls was being lowered from the…

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) 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 Frederic “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 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…

Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: NV Gambling Law of 1931 Gambling License Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Washoe County Commission (NV) It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Nevada Supreme Court Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Washoe County Sheriff E. Russell Trathen--Nevada Nevada United States

Lawsuit: I’m Entitled to a Cut

1931 In April 1931, the month after the new, liberal gambling law went into effect (March 19), Washoe County Sheriff E. Russell Trathen, per his job description, collected $20,000 (about $330,000 today) in gambling license…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Harolds Club (Reno, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Raymond "Pappy" I. Smith Raymond A. Smith Sparks--Nevada United States

Quick Fact – Party Palace

1950-1979 The Harolds Club casino, in Reno, Nevada, held an annual winter holiday party for employees at its Harolds Trapshooting Club in the neighboring town of Sparks, on the Pyramid Highway. The fêtes, which featured dancing,…

Anti-Gambling / Anti-Casino Efforts Casino History Crystal Bay--Nevada Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada United States

Lawsuit: No Casino in My Neighborhood, Period

1945-1947 Ray Wherrit and Austin K. Wright of San Luis Obispo, California set out in 1945 to build a $120,000 hotel-casino in the Crystal Bay Park subdivision on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. The…

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.…

Casino History Casino: Openings Casino: Shutdowns Gambling Gambling History Gambling License Games / Races: Craps Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Harolds Trapshooting Club (Spanish Springs, NV) It Really Happened Jabberwock Gun Club (Spanish Springs, NV) Nevada Raymond "Pappy" I. Smith Raymond A. Smith Spanish Springs--Nevada United States

Double The Pleasure, Double The Fun

1949-1979 Harolds wasn’t the only Northern Nevada club with gambling that the Smiths owned for decades. In 1950, the renowned gambling family purchased Jabberwock Gun Club, located on the Pyramid Lake Highway in what today…

Casino History Casino: Takeovers Did You Know? Europe Events: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Concert Gambling History Gaming History Montreux Casino (Montreux, Switzerland) Montreux--Switzerland Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Inspired by Life

1971 The sight of Switzerland’s Montreux Casino burning down on December 4, 1971 was the inspiration for Deep Purple’s hit song, Smoke on the Water. A fan firing a flare gun during a Frank Zappa…

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 Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Win / Jackpot Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Pure Luck

1952 “One of the members of the Journal news staff stopped in at a [Reno, Nevada] casino one night last week, put a nickel in a slot machine and hit the jackpot. The attendant came…