Quick Fact – Peephole Vetting
1931 Even after wide-open gambling became legal in Nevada, many of the exclusive clubs continued to vet the people who wanted entry. Someone inside the establishment would look through the peephole in the door and…
Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel (Tijuana, Mexico)
Casino de Mexicali (Mexicali, Mexico)
Casino: Takeovers
Feria Típica (Tijuana, Mexico)
Gambling
Games / Races: Baccarat
Games / Races: Bull Fighting
Games / Races: Cockfighting
Games / Races: Dog Racing
Games / Races: Faro
Games / Races: Horse Racing
Games / Races: Keno
Games / Races: Poker
Games / Races: Roulette
It Really Happened
Mexico
Monte Carlo (Tijuana, Mexico)
Owl Cafe and Theatre (Calexico, Mexico)
Politicians / Politics: Baja, CA Governor Esteban Cantu
Prohibition
Sunset Inn (Tijuana, Mexico)
Americans Head South Para Apostar
1913-1929 With various state bans on gambling and, later, a nationwide prohibition against liquor, many Americans, particularly wealthy Southern Californians, traveled to casinos in Mexican border cities to play and imbibe. “The great hegira* is in,…
Bobby Garcia
Carl "Cork" Civella
Gambling Laws / Regulations: Nevada's Black Book / Excluded Person List
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board
It Really Happened
Joe Sica
John "The Bat" Battaglia
Louis Tom Dragna
Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola
Motel Grzebienacy
Murray "The Hump"/"The Camel" Humphreys
Nevada
Nick Civella
Sam "Momo" Giancana
The Original Black Book
1960 A cheap, spiral notebook held great power in Nevada’s gambling world for decades. It contained known U.S. mobsters whose underworld statuses and histories were such that the state gambling authorities didn’t want them anywhere…
Quick Fact – Gambling Minors
1888 When select games of chance were legal in Nevada, so many youths under age 21 regularly were frequenting the gambling clubs (which was illegal) that the police threatened to make an example of some…
Quick Fact – Harolds Warning
Harolds Club, a casino that debuted in Reno, Nevada in 1935, displayed signs on its property that read: “No one can win all the time. Harolds Club advises you to risk only what you can…
Quick Fact – Sands Silver
1956 As revelers welcomed the new year at the Sands hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, management gave every guest (an estimated 18,000 of them) a brand new silver dollar. Additionally, they gifted each of the 700…
Cosmo Club (Reno, NV)
Ethnic Groups: African Americans
Ethnic Groups: Asians
Gambling
Gambling Laws / Regulations: NV Civil Rights Act
Harlem Club (Reno, NV)
It Really Happened
Moulin Rouge (Las Vegas, NV)
Nevada
New China Club (Reno, NV)
Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Grant Sawyer
Nevada Casinos’ Jim Crow
1931-1965 Nevada’s early gambling industry was “wrapped in a segregated White Curtain” (Reno Gazette-Journal, Feb. 27, 2008). Between 1931, when Nevada legalized gambling, and 1965, African Americans were banned from gambling or even being present…
Quick Fact – Teachers Excluded
1957 The Washoe County School District in Northern Nevada prohibited its teachers from moonlighting as casino workers, believing they shouldn’t be seen in such places while working as educators. Photo from freeimages.com: “Chalk and Eraser”…
California
Gambling
Games / Races: Lotteries/Sweepstakes
Games / Races: Sports Betting
It Really Happened
Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit
San Quentin State Prison (CA)
In the Name of Charity
1937 The Great American Football Pool (GAFP) of 1937 was to be of massive scale and the first of its kind in the U.S. The organizers aimed to sell 3 million tickets at $1 apiece…
Quick Fact – Polygraph Used
1970-1974 During the years Kings Castle at Lake Tahoe in Northern Nevada was open, management routinely used polygraphs on employees, particularly for questions about cheating, theft and employment. Photo from freeimages.com: “No Lies”
Gambling License
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board
It Really Happened
Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Nevada
Bull’s Eye on the Gambling Industry
1955 It’s hard to believe this ever happened in Nevada. As an emergency measure, the state government approved a temporary moratorium on issuing gambling licenses. It was to last five months, until 30 days after…
Gambling
Harvey A. Gross
It Really Happened
Stateline--Nevada
Wagon Wheel Saloon and Gambling Hall / Harvey's Wagon Wheel / Harvey's Resort Hotel (Stateline, NV)
Bomb Extortion Plan Blows Up
1980 Thirty-five years ago, on August 27, an intricate bomb blasted a chasm that spanned six of the 11 floors of Harvey’s Resort Hotel. The explosion hadn’t been intentional but, rather, the result of the…