Spindle Tricksters Clean Up
1906 A sextet of flimflammers arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in December, set up at the corner of Main and Fremont Streets and began separating the locals from their money. ” … the spindle was…
Quick Fact – Lingerie Caper
1966 A 34-year-old 21 dealer at a Crystal Bay Club Casino at Lake Tahoe slipped $100 worth of gambling chips into her bra each day for a week before getting caught. Once busted, she accepted…
Casino History
Circus Circus (Las Vegas, NV)
Defense Attorneys: Oscar Goodman
Elliot Paul Price
Gambling History
Gambling: Race Wire
Gambling: Work Card
Gaming History
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board
It Really Happened
James "Whitey" Bulger
Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit
Nevada
Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Mike O'Callaghan
United States
Winter Hill Gang
The Vegas Casino Work Card Battle
1970-1973 When federal agents arrested Elliot Paul Price, 51, during a massive multi-city raid in 1970 and charged him with illegally transmitting race wire information across state lines via telephone, two dominos fell: • He…
California
Casino History
Did You Know?
Gambler (Operators/Players): Donation
Gambling History
Gaming History
Los Angeles-California
Quick Facts
Rex (offshore, Southern CA)
Tony Cornero / Antonio Cornero Stralla
United States
Quick Fact – Tainted v. Pure Money
1938 Gambler Tony Cornero Stralla offered to donate a day’s worth of revenue from his Southern California casino boat, the Rex, to Zoo Park at 3800 Mission Road in Los Angeles. The attraction, then owned/operated…
Casino History
Did You Know?
Events: Seattle World's Fair / Century 21 Exposition
Gambling
Gambling Currency
Gambling Currency: Pseudo Coins / Slugs
Gambling History
Gaming History
Nevada
Quick Facts
United States
Quick Fact – The Right Size
1962 After the Seattle World’s Fair, or the Century 21 Exposition, the bronze coins used as trade dollars during that event appeared in slot machines throughout Nevada.
Casino History
Circus Circus (Las Vegas, NV)
Crimes / Violence / Punishments
Gambling History
Gaming History
It Really Happened
Nevada
United States
Pay Up Or Blow Up — Las Vegas
1972 In the mail on Monday, April 24, each of 21 Las Vegas hotel-casinos received an identical, typewritten letter that demanded they pay a total of $2 million (about $12 million today) or get blown…
Casino History
Did You Know?
Gambling History
Gaming History
Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit
Lido de Paris
Nevada
Quick Facts
United States
Quick Fact – The Nude is Falling
1969-1971 Patron Alvin Glasky sat in the Stardust hotel-casino’s showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada, watching Lido de Paris on a Saturday evening in 1969. As one of the topless showgirls was being lowered from the…
Casino History
Did You Know?
Gambling
Gambling History
Gambling: Equipment
Games / Races: Roulette
Gaming History
Nevada
Quick Facts
United States
Quick Fact – Oops! They Don’t Match
1931 After a brand new roulette setup was put in use at a Las Vegas, Nevada casino, it was discovered the number 28 was black on the wheel, as it should be, but red on…
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,…
California
Casino History
Chico Marx
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder
Did You Know?
Gambling History
George "Les" Bruneman
Quick Facts
United States
Quick Fact – Cavalier Comic
1937 A $2,000 check signed “Chico Marx” (about $34,600 today) was found in the pocket of Los Angeles gambler/bookmaker George “Les” Bruneman upon his murder carried out by a couple of Southern California Mafia hitmen.…
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…
Casino History
Casino: Takeovers
Did You Know?
Europe
Events: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Concert
Gambling History
Gaming History
Montreux Casino (Montreux, Switzerland)
Montreux--Switzerland
Quick Facts
Quick Fact – Inspired by Life
1971 The sight of Switzerland’s Montreux Casino burning down on December 4, 1971 was the inspiration for Deep Purple’s hit song, Smoke on the Water. A fan firing a flare gun during a Frank Zappa…