nevada history Archives

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

Quick Fact – Shot at a Car

1972 Recognize these cars? A Pinto, Chevelle, Javelin and Datsun 240Z? Harrah’s hotel-casino in Reno, Nevada gave them away as well as cash in four weekly drawings for $35,000 worth of prizes ($205,000 today) over the…

Bartley "Bart" J. Smithson Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Ely--Nevada Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Officer Herbert "Burt" D. Long Nevada Palace Club (Ely, NV) United States

Gambler Destroys the Peace … Officer

1932 At about 4:30 on a Sunday morning, a drunk Bartley “Bart” J. Smithson was target practicing in the Palace Club, shooting at a spittoon and a silver dollar with a 0.38 Smith & Wesson…

Beldon Katleman Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Tax Commission Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Shoddy Accounting

1956 When auditors for Nevada reviewed its books, they discovered the El Rancho casino on the Las Vegas Strip had underpaid the requisite gambling taxes over nine quarters by $39,000 ($350,500 today). Despite the claims…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Bugsy Siegel’s Hidden Safe

1972 Twenty-six years after the gangland assassination of mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and his debut of the Flamingo in Las Vegas, a trap door was discovered in one of the hotel-casino’s offices when the carpet…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: Nevada's Black Book / Excluded Person List Gaming History Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Excluded Persons

1975-1976 Nevada’s infamous Black Book, which contains information about the unsavory individuals who are banned from casinos, still exists today but under a different moniker. In 1975, citizen Beni Casselle expressed to the state gaming…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Firearms Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Elite Club (Ely, Nevada) Ely--Nevada Gambling History Gaming History Goodsprings--Nevada It Really Happened Nevada Oberon Saloon (Sparks, NV) Pioneer Saloon (Goodsprings, NV) United States

Men Quick to Fire in Gambling Clashes

1904, 1915, 1936 Against a backdrop of sagebrush and dust in Nevada’s early, remote mining towns, saloons drew men for drinking and gambling. That combination, along with contrarian/antagonistic personalities, sometimes led to disputes that turned…

Abner "Longie" Zwillman Casino History Clifford Jones Cuba Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Golden Nugget (Las Vegas, NV) Haiti International Casino (Haiti) It Really Happened Lucky Strike (Las Vegas, NV) Meyer Lansky Nevada Palace Club (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Vegas Gambler Defies Mandate

1959 In February, The New York Times outed Clifford A. Jones. It brought to light that he held gambling interests in and out of Nevada, which The Silver State’s gaming law then prohibited. It was…

California Casino History Folsom State Prison (CA) Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened John Quinn Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada San Francisco--California United States

Gambler’s Wealth Meets Undue Fate

1924-1932 The story of the estate of a long-ago Nevada gambler after his passing is strange and unfortunate. John Quinn was a man who’d lost and made large fortunes in gambling and mining stock deals…

00 (Double-0) Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Illegal Gaming History It Really Happened Las Vegas Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Northern Saloon (Las Vegas, NV) United States

Busted for Running Gambling in Nevada

1916 The year brought indictments in Las Vegas against individuals for violating Nevada’s anti-gambling statute, which was unusual because law enforcement generally ignored or poorly enforced it. Operating a gambling game then constituted a felony.…

Boxers / Fight Promoters: Edward "Gunboat" Smith Casino (Reno, NV) Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Questions of Identity

1923 A new man in town was thought to be the famous Irish American boxer Edward “Gunboat” Smith. But when the City of Reno police arrested him as a suspect in a $310 ($4,500 today)…

Beldon Katleman Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Boulder Club (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History El Cortez (Las Vegas, NV) Fremont Street--Las Vegas Gambling History Gambling: War Gaming History Golden Nugget (Las Vegas, NV) It Really Happened Las Vegas Club (Las Vegas, NV) Meyer Lansky Monte Carlo (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Sin City United States Western Club (Las Vegas, NV) William J. Moore

Alleged Vegas Gambling War Brews

1949 The article, “Las Vegas Gamblers Arming in Control Battle,” ran on the front page of a Los Angeles newspaper in the third week of December, to the chagrin of Nevada gambling regulators, casino owners,…

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

Quick Fact – “Floating Craps”

1953 The Sands hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada offered craps not poolside but in the pool! Photo from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Digital Collections