Games / Races Archives

Did You Know? Games / Races: Chuck-a-luck Games / Races: Faro Games / Races: Roulette Nevada Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Equipment Carful

1920 Following abolishment of gambling in Nevada, a Los Angeles moving picture company purchased and shipped to California a carful of equipment outlawed in 1909, including roulette wheels, faro tables and chuck-a-luck games. Photo from…

Gambling Games / Races: Spindle It Really Happened United States

Spindle Tricksters Clean Up

1906 A sextet of flimflammers arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in December, set up at the corner of Main and Fremont Streets and began separating the locals from their money. ” … the spindle was…

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…

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…

Abe F. Brown Casino History Ed Kennedy Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Loss Games / Races: Faro Gaming History George Wingfield It Really Happened Nevada Tonopah Club (Tonopah, NV) Tonopah--Nevada United States

High Roller Bucks the Tiger in Tonopah

1907 A faro game with a $50 limit (at least $1,200 today) was underway in the Tonopah Club on a Thursday night in February. Colonel Abe F. Brown, one of the three proprietors of this…

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…

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

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

Casino History Gambling Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: U.S. Act to Prohibit Bucketing and Bucket Shopping Gambling: Bucket Shopping Games / Races: Commodities Gaming History It Really Happened Politicians / Politics: U.S. President William Taft United States

Bucket Shopping: A Species of Gambling

1870s-1920s “I want to go short 1,000 bushels of December wheat, 1 cent on the bushel.” This $10 bet was typical back in the heyday of bucket shops in the United States, between 1870 and…

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