casino history Archives

Did You Know? Harrah's (Reno, NV) Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Gutsy Granny

1972 A 71-year-old, wheelchair-bound, California grandmother, Susan Ellyn Reid, who had a long rap sheet and various aliases, entered Harrahs Club in Reno, Nevada in July carrying a box. She gave casino personnel a typed…

Gambling Gambling Laws / Regulations: NV Anti-Lottery Law It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Opportunity Club (Reno, NV)

The Chain Letter Of The Law

1935 Although it was a Ponzi scheme, its lure of big money was too strong for many Renoites to resist. One chain letter business, the Opportunity Club, popped up overnight as part of the nationwide…

California Did You Know? Gambling Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Wild Justice

1890 Judge Beckley Campbell conducted court in a Benicia, California saloon. After hearing the evidence and deciding on a verdict in cases, he meted out punishments based on the result of tossing two dice in…

Desert Inn (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling Laws / Regulations: Nevada's Black Book / Excluded Person List Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board It Really Happened Louis Tom Dragna Nevada

Nevada’s Black Book: Civil Rights Violation?

1960-1967 Los Angeles mobsters, Louis Tom Dragna and John “The Bat” Battaglia, conversed in a hotel-casino cocktail lounge on the Las Vegas Strip one day in February 1960. But their visit was cut short when…

Did You Know? Games / Races: Chuck-a-luck Games / Races: Faro

Quick Fact – Tinhorn Gambler

Today/1888 A “tinhorn gambler,” according to several dictionaries, refers to a game of chance operator who pretends to have money, ability or influence. The phrase is said to come from people who set up chuck-a-luck games…

Emigrant Pass Ernest Dennison Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: NV Police Superintendent Lester C. Moody Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Attorney General Alan Bible Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Vail Pittman Roadside Zoos (Nevada)

Too Cozy With Illegal Gamblers

1948 A real or perceived protective relationship with illegal gambling operators got Nevada Police Superintendent Lester C. Moody fired. Governor Vail Pittman, who’d appointed Moody to the position two years before, terminated him in May…

Connie Stevens Did You Know? Incline Village--Nevada Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Stevens’ Jewelry

1970 When Connie Stevens, entertainer, departed after a stay at the Kings Castle hotel-casino in Incline Village, Nevada, she accidentally left $20,000 ($122,000 today) worth of jewelry in her suite. Linda Cooley, a housekeeping team…