It Really Happened Archives

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Firearms Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Elite Club (Ely, Nevada) Ely--Nevada Gambling History Gaming History Goodsprings--Nevada It Really Happened Nevada Oberon Saloon (Sparks, NV) Pioneer Saloon (Goodsprings, NV) United States

Men Quick to Fire in Gambling Clashes

1904, 1915, 1936 Against a backdrop of sagebrush and dust in Nevada’s early, remote mining towns, saloons drew men for drinking and gambling. That combination, along with contrarian/antagonistic personalities, sometimes led to disputes that turned…

Abner "Longie" Zwillman Casino History Clifford Jones Cuba Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Golden Nugget (Las Vegas, NV) Haiti International Casino (Haiti) It Really Happened Lucky Strike (Las Vegas, NV) Meyer Lansky Nevada Palace Club (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Vegas Gambler Defies Mandate

1959 In February, The New York Times outed Clifford A. Jones. It brought to light that he held gambling interests in and out of Nevada, which The Silver State’s gaming law then prohibited. It was…

California Casino History Folsom State Prison (CA) Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened John Quinn Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada San Francisco--California United States

Gambler’s Wealth Meets Undue Fate

1924-1932 The story of the estate of a long-ago Nevada gambler after his passing is strange and unfortunate. John Quinn was a man who’d lost and made large fortunes in gambling and mining stock deals…

00 (Double-0) Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Illegal Gaming History It Really Happened Las Vegas Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Northern Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Busted for Running Gambling in Nevada

1916 The year brought indictments in Las Vegas against individuals for violating Nevada’s anti-gambling statute, which was unusual because law enforcement generally ignored or poorly enforced it. Operating a gambling game then constituted a felony.…

Beldon Katleman Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History El Cortez (Las Vegas, NV) Fremont Street--Las Vegas Gambling History Gambling: War Gaming History Golden Nugget (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened Las Vegas Club (Las Vegas, NV) Meyer Lansky Monte Carlo (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Sin City United States Western Club (Las Vegas, NV) William J. Moore

Alleged Vegas Gambling War Brews

1949 The article, “Las Vegas Gamblers Arming in Control Battle,” ran on the front page of a Los Angeles newspaper in the third week of December, to the chagrin of Nevada gambling regulators, casino owners,…

Bal Tabarin (Crystal Bay, NV) Bay Meadows Racetrack (San Mateo, CA) Bernard "Mooney" Einstoss California Casino History Defense Attorneys: Paul McCormick Del Mar Racetrack (Del Mar, CA) Gambler (Operators/Players): Minors Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Bookmaking Gambling: Parimutuel Games / Races: Horse Racing Gaming History Hollywood Park Racetrack (Inglewood, CA) Incline Village--Nevada It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Nevada Club (Reno, NV) Tanforan Racetrack (San Bruno, CA) United States

Nevada Casino Owner Fixes California Horse Races

1939-1941 Bernard “Bernie” Einstoss was a well-known gambler in Northern Nevada for nearly two decades, between 1947 and 1965.* Prior to that, he masterminded and executed a scheme to fix horse races** in California by…

Artists / Designers: Edvard Munch Artists / Designers: Georges "Sem" Goursat Artists / Designers: Jean-Georges Beraud Camille Blanc Casino de Monte-Carlo (Monaco) Casino History Francois Blanc Gambling History Gambling: Art Gaming History It Really Happened Monaco Rene Leon

3 Depictions: Gambling at Monte Carlo

1890-1910 The heyday of the Monte Carlo casino resort in Monaco was The Roaring Twenties, but that was due in large part to the solid foundation laid by François Blanc decades earlier, who stepped in…

107th Street Mob Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Shills Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Helmuth Hartmann It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada United States

The Wanted Man of Mystery

1941 The man who played roulette in the Palace Club nearly every day for six months was noticeable for his suave appearance. Henry Helmut, age 47, had a bit of gray hair and sported a…

Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Loss Games / Races: Craps Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada United States

Blaming It On The Dice

1946-1947 On the third Tuesday of April 1946, after work at the Southern Pacific Shop in Sparks, Nevada, Sam Lemel took the bus to Reno and went to Harolds Club where he played craps. He…

Casino History Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics United States

Anti-Gambling Fraud: Intentional or Accidental?

1934 After Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, a faction opposed to the industry fought to have it eradicated. “A group of Nevada citizens felt there was a growing protest against the injury being done our…

Casino History Gambling Games / Races: Sports Betting Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics: U.S. Senator (NV) Patrick "Pat" A. McCarran Sports Teams Sports Teams: University of Nevada Wolf Pack United States

Accusation: The Fix is In!

1948 The November 22, 1948 issue of Sports-Week roiled Nevada Wolf Pack fans and supporters. Array of Allegations An article in that edition of the nationally circulated digest charged that the University of Nevada* (UN)…

21 (El Cerrito, CA) California Casino History Contra Costa County--California David "Dave" Nathan Kessel El Cerrito--California Gambling History Gambling License Gambling: Bookmaking Gambling: Illegal Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission Hollywood (El Cerrito, CA) It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Federal Judge Louis E. Goodman Politicians / Politics: Kefauver Committee Politicians / Politics: Kefauver Committee: Contempt of Congress Rancho San Pablo (El Cerrito, CA) The Wagon Wheel (El Cerrito, CA) United States Walter "Big Bill" Melburn Pechart

California Gamblers Snub Federal Inquiry

1950-1953 During the 1950 federal hearings on organized crime, two Northern California gamblers — Walter “Big Bill” Melburn Pechart and David “Dave” Nathan Kessel — were uncooperative, according to the questioners. They were Senators Estes…