las vegas Archives

"711 Ocean Drive" Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Boulder City--Nevada California Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Harassment / Intimidation Edmond O'Brien Frank N. Seltzer (Producer) Gambling History Games / Races: Horse Racing Gaming History It Really Happened Joanne Dru Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Gangster Squad Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lieutenant William "Bill" Burns Mickey Cohen Nevada Palm Springs--California United States

Mobsters Threaten Hollywood Filmmaker

1950 In late 1948, Hollywood movie producer, Frank N. Seltzer — known for the movies, Jungle Patrol and Let’s Live Again, which debuted that same year — began research for his next project, 711 Ocean…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling License Gambling: Prizes Games / Races: Tango Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Bonus of Hosiery

1946 Some Las Vegas, Nevada casinos handed out women’s nylons as slot machine and tango game* prizes. When the city’s board of commissioners found out, they banned it, threatening repeat offenders with losing their gambling…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Games / Races: Keno Gaming History KENO Radio Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – The Other Keno

1941 When Maxwell Kelch applied for call letters for his Las Vegas, Nevada radio station, he requested KLVN as a first choice and KENO as a second, certain the Federal Communications Commission wouldn’t approve a gambling-related…

"Casino" Casino History Frank Sinatra Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission It Really Happened Joe Pesci Nevada Restaurants / Chefs Restaurants / Chefs: Anjoe's -- Las Vegas, NV Restaurants / Chefs: Joseph "Joe the Cook" Pignatello Restaurants / Chefs: Villa d'Este -- Las Vegas, NV Sam Baker The Outfit (Chicago, IL) United States

No Gambling License For You!

1961-1990s “As a boy in Chicago, [he] learned to cook standing on a milk crate in his mom’s kitchen, where Mrs. Capone — Scarface Al’s mom — would join them,” reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal…

Casino History Cecil Lynch Did You Know? Fortune Club (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Golden Slot (Las Vegas, NV) Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Quick Facts Robert Van Santen United States

Quick Fact – Casino Name Beef

1957 After Robert Van Santen and Cecil Lynch’s business partnership in the Las Vegas, Nevada Fortune Club soured (Lynch broke off to open his own gambling club at the Golden Slot site), the two fought…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Wiretapping Defense Attorneys Defense Attorneys: Harry Claiborne Defense Attorneys: Oscar Goodman Detroit--Michigan Elliot Paul Price Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal Gambling History Gambling: Bookmaking Gambling: Illegal Gambling: Raids Gaming History Georgia Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Internal Revenue Service It Really Happened Jerome Zarowitz Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Miami Beach--Florida Nevada New York--New York Ohio Palm Springs--California Rose Bowl Sports Book (Las Vegas, NV) Sanford Waterman United States

Feds Pounce on Vegas Racketeers

1970-1975 In a massive, coordinated effort, federal agents raided illegal bookmaking operations throughout the U.S. with ties to organized crime. On December 12, 1970, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Oasis in the Desert

1950 Las Vegas spent $750,000 a year on advertising (about $7.5 million today). The Chamber of Commerce promoted the town as: “An oasis for the harassed refugees from artificial restraints and laws of other states.”…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Games / Races: Poker Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Creepy Quick Fact – Stiff at Poker Game

1939 A Fred Martens, or “Fritz the Rooster,” sat at a table in a Las Vegas gambling house playing poker with some men. After a streak of bad luck, he seemed headed for a possible straight.…

Albert Anastasia Casino History Charles "Lucky" Luciano Clifford Jones Cuba Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board It Really Happened Jake Lansky Meyer Lansky Nevada Politicians / Politics: Cuba President Fidel Castro United States Wilbur Clark

Nevada Makes Gamblers Choose

1957-1959 During Nevada’s 1957 legislature, State Senator Kenneth Johnson (R-Ormsby), voiced his concerns about some of the state’s gambling licensees* simultaneously co-owning Cuban casinos. He feared that: • Nevada licensees might form alliances with U.S.…

Big Hat (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishment: Duel Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Firearms Gambling Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Sam Baker United States

The Duel at Big Hat

1948 Arthur T. Morgan belligerently stormed into the Big Hat casino on Highway 91 (outside Las Vegas, Nevada) at about 1:30 a.m. on a Friday night in spring. He immediately began heckling, threatening to shoot…

Apache Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Continental Press Service (Chicago, IL) Dave Stearns Ed Margolis El Dorado Club (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gambling: Race Wire Games / Races: Horse Racing Gaming History Golden Nugget Race Wire (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Clark County Sheriff Glen Jones--Nevada Laws: Federal Communications Act Meyer Lansky Moe Sedway Morris Rosen Nevada Sam Stearns Santa Anita Turf Club (Las Vegas, NV) Sin City United States

Mysterious Horse Racing Broadcast

1948-1950 In between dispatch orders, a Las Vegas, Nevada taxi driver fleetingly picked up the announcement of horse racing information on his cab radio one day in mid-October, 1948. He informed Clark County Sheriff Glen…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: NV Regulation 25 Gambling License Gambling: Junkets Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Hawaii It Really Happened Nevada United States

Crooks Exploit Gambling Junkets

1969-present When executives of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada hosted 12 people from Kansas City in 1969 as part of a gambling junket, it unexpectedly backfired. When their guests, after four days at the…