It Really Happened Archives

Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano Carmine "Lilo/The Cigar" Galante Casino History Casino: Financings: Teamsters Pension Fund: James "Jimmy" R. Hoffa Crimes / Violence / Punishment: Drugs / Narcotics: Trafficking Gambling History Gaming History Hyatt Lake Tahoe / Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (Incline Village, NV) Incline Village--Nevada It Really Happened Lake Tahoe--Nevada Nevada U.S. Penitentiary, Lewisburg (Lewisburg, Pa.) United States Vincent "Vinnie The Fat Man" Teresa

Law Enforcement on High Alert During Mob Boss’ Lake Tahoe Vacation

This is the second of a series of posts related to and leading up to the release on Dec. 6 of A Bold Gamble at Lake Tahoe: Crime and Corruption in a Casino’s Evolution by…

Casino History Casino: Corporations: Hyatt Hotels Corp. Gambling History Gaming History Hyatt Lake Tahoe / Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (Incline Village, NV) Incline Village--Nevada It Really Happened Jud D. McIntosh Kings Castle (Incline Village, NV) Lake Tahoe--Nevada Nathan Jacobson Nevada The Sierra Tahoe (Incline Village, NV) United States

Lady Godiva’s Run at Lake Tahoe Hotel-Casino

This is the first of a series of posts related to and leading up to the release on Dec. 6 of A Bold Gamble at Lake Tahoe: Crime and Corruption in a Casino’s Evolution by…

Accidents: Automobile Casino History Clara A. Rowan Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Hit and Runs Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada United States

In Las Vegas, Coloradan Becomes U.S.’ First Female Casino Owner

1931 Catalyzed by unexpected circumstances, Colorado-born Clara Antoinette Rowan (née Beggs) became the first woman to own a legal casino in the United States. Her husband, Thomas “Tom” George Rowan and his partner Leo Kind…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino de Capri (Havana, Cuba) Casino History Colony Club (London, England) Dino Cellini Gambling History Gaming History George Raft Havana--Cuba It Really Happened Joe Adonis London--England Meyer Lansky Owney "The Killer" Madden

Hollywood Actor Turns Casino Host for U.S. Crime Syndicate

1958-1959, 1966-1967 Having grown up in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen with various mobsters-to-be — Meyer Lansky, Joe Adonis, Frank Costello and others — he remained cordial with them throughout adulthood. He had deeper relationships with…

Casino History Connecticut Gambling History Gambling: Research Gaming History It Really Happened New Jersey United States

Teach Monkeys to Gamble, How Do They Then Behave?

Late 1970s, 2000s Fay and Jessica were young, capuchin monkeys living on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus, where two professors in the department of psychology intended to teach them how to gamble,…

California Casino History Gambling History Games / Races: Thimblerig Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada United States Utah William "Lucky Bill" B. Thorington

Gold Rush Era Gambler Makes Fortune in West With Thimblerig

Late 1840s-1858 A list of Western United States’ gamblers would be incomplete without William “Lucky Bill” B. Thorington.* A thimblerig master, he plied his craft in the Western mining camps and towns from Sacramento to…

Anthony Zerilli Australia Casino History Chicago--Illinois Dino Cellini Gambling History Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Bally Manufacturing Co. Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Lion Manufacturing Co. Gaming History Gerardo "Jerry" Catena It Really Happened Joseph D. Testa, Jr. London--England Meyer Lansky Michael Polizzi Nevada New Jersey United States

Mobster Ties: Blessing and Curse for Gambling Conglomerate (Part I)

1963-1970s With assorted help from Mobsters starting in 1963, a small Chicago, Illinois-based pinball game maker, which had begun as Lion Manufacturing Co. in the 1920s, grew into the world’s largest slot machine developer, Bally…

Casino History Chicago--Illinois Gambling History Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Bally Manufacturing Corp. Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Lion Manufacturing Co. Games / Races: Poker Gaming History It Really Happened Quick Facts The Who United States

Quick Fact – Naming Bally

1968, 1969 Bally Manufacturing Corp. got its name from Ballyhoo, the first coin-operated pinball machine (a penny got you seven plays) created in 1931 by Raymond Moloney, owner of Chicago, Illinois-based Lion Manufacturing Co. Lion became…

Allen Smiley Argyle Hotel (San Antonio, TX) Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Beverly Country Club (New Orleans, LA) California Casino History Colony Club (Gardena, CA) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Falsely Claiming Citizenship Gambling History Gambling: Junkets Games / Races: Horse Racing Gaming History Garden of Allah (West Hollywood, CA) It Really Happened McNeil Island Corrections Center (WA) Meyer Lansky The Knickerbocker (New York, NY) Transamerica Wire Service

10 Intriguing Facts About Mobster/Gambler Allen Smiley

Allen Smiley “was one of the most powerful gangsters in [California],” wrote author Gerald Horne in Class Struggle in Hollywood, 1930-1950. He was Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel’s partner and best friend and subsequently, Johnny Rosselli’s* right-hand…

Charles "Charlie Moose" Joseph Panarella It Really Happened Nevada

Gambling History Tidbit

This week, Nevada gambling regulators removed New York mobster, Charles “Charlie Moose” Joseph Panarella, from their List of Excluded Persons. Formerly the Black Book, this compilation contains the names, photos and criminal records of personas…

Casino History Circus Circus (Las Vegas, NV) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling Disruptions Events: Strikes / Protests Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Mike O'Callaghan United States

Protests Deliberately Disrupt Gambling in Las Vegas

1971 Actress Jane Fonda and renowned activists led about 900 people down the Las Vegas Strip on March 6, 1971, a Saturday, in protest of welfare cutbacks. “Today we launched a spring offensive and…

Harolds Club (Reno, NV) It Really Happened

Gambling History Tidbit

Harolds Club, a casino founded in 1935 in Reno, Nevada, acted uniquely when it came to giving customers money back! Historian and author Alicia Barber explains in her report, Looking Back: The Special Refund Policy…