it really happened

From a Craps Game to the ICU

1934-1935 An argument between two underworld men devolved into violence during a dance endurance competition in Hollywood, California on April 14, 1934. Explosion Of Rage At 7 a.m., the 21th consecutive hour of the walk-a-thon,*…

Wyatt Earp's Main Career Was Gambling

Iconic American figure, Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (1848-1929), is heralded for his courageous exploits as a lawman, but he was a gambler first and foremost, often relying on the then-respectable profession to earn income throughout…

Lake Mead Didn't Become State Park Due to Gambling

1939 With the recent discoveries of dead bodies there, Lake Mead in Southern Nevada has been in the news. The 1.5 million acres encompassing this water body and its environs have been a designated national…

Kentuckian Builds U.S. Gambling Franchise in 1800s

1832-1860 Elijah Skaggs, nè Eli Harrison Skaggs (1818-1890) stands out in U.S. gambling history. He was one of the country’s cleverest card tricksters and a hugely successful gambler. More significantly, he created a franchise system…

The Case of The Errant Keno Ticket

In a likely unprecedented event, with all of the necessary equipment on hand, demonstrations of how a local casino operated its race horse keno game were provided to the judge and jury in a Reno,…

Gambling Club Suffers Great Losses in 1950s, Part II

1959-1960 William “Bill” E. Duffin, co-owner of the Senator Club in Carson City, Nevada, was murdered on Christmas morning of 1959 (see Part I). He left behind his wife Gladys, his sister, his nephew, a…

Gambling Club Suffers Great Losses in 1950s, Part I

1958-1959 Two major impactful events occurred, one in 1958, the second 1.5 years later, involving the Senator Club, which offered the game 21 and slot machines. Near the Nevada capitol in Carson City, this casino-restaurant-bar…

1891 Crime Inspires Wild West Painting

1891-1935 “No matter in which position you face it, whether from front, above, below or at either side, the subject has you constantly under his eyes and his ‘gun.’ In fact, as you move, the…

3 Guys Draw Attention to Reliable Way to Beat the Slots

1950-1952 The Rhythm Boys were all about patterns of sound and movement but in relation to slot machines, not music. Danny Foster, Johnny Pugh and Robert E. Black made $1,000 (about $11,800 today) from playing…

Famous Movie Actor and His Casino Dream

1953-1959 Australian-American actor Errol Flynn was going to open one of the world’s largest casinos, one that would rival Monaco’s Monte Carlo, in the Virgin Islands when gambling was legalized there, he said in 1953.…

AG Heads Protection Racket for Disallowed Gambling

1947-1950 Starting in 1947, Wiley “Buck” H. Cadell used his governmental position to build a statewide system of protection for illegal gambling operations in California, the first such concerted effort of this kind in the…

Series: Car Blast Victim Tied to Gambling, Part III

1950 In the morning, gambler Nelson Harris, 34, telephoned two Fort Worth, Texas criminal attorneys and said he was on his way over to discuss a life and death matter. He and his wife Juanita,…