Quick Fact – Gambling Minors
1888 When select games of chance were legal in Nevada, so many youths under age 21 regularly were frequenting the gambling clubs (which was illegal) that the police threatened to make an example of some…
Performing Pachyderm
1962-1999 You’ve likely heard of Dumbo, Horton and Babar, but what about Bertha? Real, unlike the others, Bertha is an elephant renowned for having performed in shows at the Nugget hotel-casino, in Sparks, Nevada, for…
Quick Fact – Harolds Warning
Harolds Club, a casino that debuted in Reno, Nevada in 1935, displayed signs on its property that read: “No one can win all the time. Harolds Club advises you to risk only what you can…
Casino, Gambling Saloon, Card Club, Slot Route Owners / Operators / Licensees / Gamblers
Colombo Hotel (Reno, NV)
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting
It Really Happened
Bad Blood Between Casino Dealers
1935 Police discovered John S. Parks, a 67 year old, carrying a loaded Colt 45 automatic on a downtown Reno, Nevada street around midnight on a July Monday. With blood streaming from his nose and…
Quick Fact – Sands Silver
1956 As revelers welcomed the new year at the Sands hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, management gave every guest (an estimated 18,000 of them) a brand new silver dollar. Additionally, they gifted each of the 700…
Cosmo Club (Reno, NV)
Ethnic Groups: African Americans
Ethnic Groups: Asians
Gambling
Gambling Laws / Regulations: NV Civil Rights Act
Harlem Club (Reno, NV)
It Really Happened
Moulin Rouge (Las Vegas, NV)
Nevada
New China Club (Reno, NV)
Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Grant Sawyer
Nevada Casinos’ Jim Crow
1931-1965 Nevada’s early gambling industry was “wrapped in a segregated White Curtain” (Reno Gazette-Journal, Feb. 27, 2008). Between 1931, when Nevada legalized gambling, and 1965, African Americans were banned from gambling or even being present…
Quick Fact – Teachers Excluded
1957 The Washoe County School District in Northern Nevada prohibited its teachers from moonlighting as casino workers, believing they shouldn’t be seen in such places while working as educators. Photo from freeimages.com: “Chalk and Eraser”…
California
Gambling
Games / Races: Lotteries/Sweepstakes
Games / Races: Sports Betting
It Really Happened
Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit
San Quentin State Prison (CA)
In the Name of Charity
1937 The Great American Football Pool (GAFP) of 1937 was to be of massive scale and the first of its kind in the U.S. The organizers aimed to sell 3 million tickets at $1 apiece…
Quick Fact – Polygraph Used
1970-1974 During the years Kings Castle at Lake Tahoe in Northern Nevada was open, management routinely used polygraphs on employees, particularly for questions about cheating, theft and employment. Photo from freeimages.com: “No Lies”
Gambling License
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board
It Really Happened
Las Vegas Strip / S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Nevada
Bull’s Eye on the Gambling Industry
1955 It’s hard to believe this ever happened in Nevada. As an emergency measure, the state government approved a temporary moratorium on issuing gambling licenses. It was to last five months, until 30 days after…
Gambling
Harvey A. Gross
It Really Happened
Stateline--Nevada
Wagon Wheel Saloon and Gambling Hall / Harvey's Wagon Wheel / Harvey's Resort Hotel (Stateline, NV)
Bomb Extortion Plan Blows Up
1980 Thirty-five years ago, on August 27, an intricate bomb blasted a chasm that spanned six of the 11 floors of Harvey’s Resort Hotel. The explosion hadn’t been intentional but, rather, the result of the…
Quick Fact – Lady Cocoa
1975 The blaxploitation thriller, Lady Cocoa (also titled Pop Goes the Weasel), was filmed in Northern Nevada. It starred singer-dancer Lola Folana, former San Francisco 49er Gene Washington and former Pittsburgh Steeler Joe Green, The…