Nevada Archives

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…

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…

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…

Casino History Frontier (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Howard Hughes It Really Happened Nevada United States

Howard Hughes’ Frontier Casino Becomes Guinea Pig

1968-1971 A couple and a third man approached a 21 table in the Frontier in Las Vegas, Nevada on a Monday afternoon. The husband, Douglas Anderson, distracted the dealer. In that moment, his wife, Beverly…

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…

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 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…

Bank Club (Reno, NV) Gambler (Operators/Players): Estate Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Jack Sullivan / John D. Scarlett Nevada United States Willows (Reno, NV)

An Inside Look at Late Gambler’s Estate

1951 Canada-born Jack Sullivan, né John D. Scarlett, had co-owned and run the Bank Club for two decades and prior to that, the Willows (it burned down in 1932) — both Reno, Nevada casino hotspots.…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling Currency: Coins--Brass Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Nevada State Prison (Carson City, NV) Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Brass in Pocket

1967 The month following closure of its on-site Bullpen casino, the Nevada State Prison sold the brass coins that inmates had used for decades (since 1932) for wagering and as currency. Sets, containing one coin…