las vegas Archives

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

Quick Fact – Cha-Ching!

1936 An $11,800 gambling win (about $205,000 today) was the largest ever in Las Vegas to that point. The payout went to a man named A. “Blacksmith” Sweitzer after playing 21 (blackjack) for two hours, starting…

Casino History Casino: Financings: Teamsters Pension Fund Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Jai Alai Governing / Regulatory Bodies: National Labor Relations Board Governing / Regulatory Bodies: U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service It Really Happened MGM Grand Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) MGM Grand Hotel (Reno, NV) Nevada Sin City United States

MGM Grand’s Gamble on Jai Alai

1974-1983 A revolt of the performers — athletes in this case — threatened to close a popular attraction at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas — jai alai. Unique to the Strip at the…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Guys and Dolls musical Liberace Mario Lanza Nevada Quick Facts Sin City United States Vivian Blaine

Quick Fact – Off, Off, Off Broadway

1955 At least 10 hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip offered entertainment, typically marquee names like Liberace and Mario Lanza, who’d played Sin City time and again. The Royal Nevada, though, changed it up with a…

Carson City--Nevada Casino History Creators / Manufacturers Elko--Nevada Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Nevada Electronics Inc. Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Hawthorne--Nevada It Really Happened Nevada Wells--Nevada

Money-Making Casino Ploy

1966 Suddenly, in the fall, the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) directed 41-plus casinos to cease operation of specific electronic blackjack machines because they were “experiencing difficulties when played so as to render the devices more…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Casino International (Havana, Cuba) Clifford Jones Cuba Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Hilton (Havana, Cuba) Hy Abrams It Really Happened Moe Dalitz Morris Kleinmann Nacional (Havana, Cuba) Politicians / Politics: Cuba President Fulgencia Batista Riviera (Havana, Cuba) Thomas McGinty United States Wilbur Clark

Cuban Casino Push

1952–1958 When Fulgencio Batista returned to power as president in Cuba in 1952, he aimed to foster a gambling empire from which he could generate revenue for his coffers. To facilitate casino development, he and…

Casino History Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission: Ray Warren Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission: Robbins Cahill It Really Happened Last Frontier (Las Vegas, NV) Phoenix--Arizona Politicians / Politics: Kefauver Committee Politicians / Politics: U.S. Senator (TN) Estes Kefauver

Public Relations Nightmare for Nevada Gambling

1951-1952 Gambling boomed in Las Vegas, Nevada immediately following Senator Estes Kefauver and his committee’s nationwide investigation into organized crime. The 27 hearings the group conducted in 14 United States cities in 1950 and 1951…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Incline Village--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts Restaurants / Chefs: Denny's Restaurants Inc. United States

Quick Fact – Diners and Casinos?

1968-1969 Can you imagine if Denny’s was in Nevada’s casino business? Well, it nearly happened. In 1968 Denny’s Restaurants, Inc. had reached an agreement to acquire Caesars Palace in Las Vegas but didn’t go through…

Gambling Games / Races: Keno Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board: Ed Olsen It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Robert Van Santen United States

Bilking of Vegas’ Nevada Club

1961-1966 Early in 1961, Michael Catrone, 60, an apartment complex owner, presented to the Nevada Club in Las Vegas a winning keno ticket for $25,000 ($198,000 today). Yet the casino’s general manager didn’t pay it…

Did You Know? Gambling: Debt Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Internal Revenue Service Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Accounting Shift

1964 The Dunes in Las Vegas, Nevada switched from writing off unpaid IOUs to claiming them as income, allegedly to keep Internal Revenue Service agents from harassing its customers — asking guests in the hotel…