Quick Fact – Slots Semantics
Today In the U.S. we call them slot machines and one-armed bandits. In Australia, they’re pokies. People in the United Kingdom call them fruit machines, or fruities. Other names? Photo from freeimages.com: by Tijmen van…
Casino: Financings: Reno Arch
Club Primadonna (Reno, NV)
Colony Club (Reno, NV)
Horseshoe Club (Reno, NV)
It Really Happened
Poor Pete's (Reno, NV)
Out With The Passé
1926-present By 1963, major casino owners in Reno, Nevada thought the downtown fixture was outdated and ugly compared to their modern buildings on Virginia Street. They even offered to pay for it and its maintenance for…
Gambling
It Really Happened
Nevada
Politicians / Politics: Elections
Politicians / Politics: Richard Nixon
Politicians / Politics: U.S. President John F. Kennedy
Quick Facts
Quick Fact – Political Bets
1960 Bookies throughout Nevada had been taking wagers right and left on who’d win the upcoming U.S. presidential election — Senator John F. Kennedy (Dem.) or Vice President Richard Nixon (Rep.). Suddenly, in November, they…
Bluebell Girls
Dunes (Las Vegas, NV)
El Rancho Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
Entertainment
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission
It Really Happened
Law Enforcement / Judicial System: NV Attorney General Roger Foley
Bare Bosom Brouhaha
1958-1961 The debut of topless showgirls in Las Vegas roused disapproval — not surprising given it occurred early in the “Leave it to Beaver” era. The Stardust was the first to abandon bras and tops,…
Did You Know?
Gambling
Games / Races: Poker
It Really Happened
Quick Facts
Steamboat Springs (Reno, Nevada)
Virginia City--Nevada
Quick Fact – Steamboat Springs
1860s & 1870s In Virginia City, Nevada’s heyday, gold miners and magnates alike sought out R&R — gambling, hot springs soaking and dining — at the nearby Steamboat Springs resort south of Reno, a stop…
Gambling
Iowa
It Really Happened
Minnesota
Politicians / Politics: IA Governor Clyde Herring
Politicians / Politics: MN Governor Floyd Olson
Ante Up Your Pig
1935 When two United States state governors made a friendly bet, neither knew it would become problematic. They wagered each other their state would win the upcoming football rivalry between the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a…
California
Did You Know?
Gambling
Gambling: Shills
Games / Races: Poker
Gardena--California
Quick Facts
Quick Fact – Shill Losses
1952 When Ernest J. Primm owned the Monterey Club, a poker house in Gardena, California (a Los Angeles suburb), he claimed on his state income taxes the losses of his shills, up to $500 ($4,500 today) a…
Artists / Designers: Philip Paval
Edward "Ed" Levinson
Fremont Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, NV)
It Really Happened
Marilyn Monroe
Nevada
Publicity Stunts / Promotions / Advertisements
Sandra Giles
The Lady Of Chance … Au Naturel
1956 The Fremont in Las Vegas commissioned a large oil painting that depicted a “lady of chance” to grace a wall in its casino. The hotel’s press agent, Shelly Davis, asked aspiring actress Sandra Giles…
Gambling
Games / Races: Poker
Horseshoe Club / Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel (Las Vegas, NV)
It Really Happened
The Ramada Hotel Casino (Reno, NV)
United States
Virginia City--Nevada
The Faro Fadeaway
1825-1958 The hottest game in the Old West between 1825 and 1915, faro is pretty much extinct in the United States today. If you’ve never heard of it — and you aren’t alone there —…
Quick Fact – Bluebell Girls
1958 Sixteen glamazon, primarily English dancers from Paris’ Lido Club troupe were imported to open Las Vegas’ Stardust hotel-casino. The Bluebell Girls’ show broke all attendance records; about 1,400 people left the gaming tables and…
Livingstone Taunts Mob With Cowshed
1931 Belle Livingstone wasn’t the typical Nevada gambling club owner. She’d acted on the stage and screen in the 1890s. She’d mingled with royalty and wealth in Europe and the United States. During Prohibition, she’d…
Did You Know?
Entertainment
Ethnic Groups: African Americans
International Hotel (Las Vegas, NV)
Las Vegas Hilton (Las Vegas, NV)
Natalie Cole
Quick Facts
Quick Fact – Natalie Cole
1976 Natalie Cole made her Nevada performance debut at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino (formerly the International Hotel) on a double bill with Bill Cosby in April.