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…
Gambling License Fees: No Joke
1935 In 1934, John Petricciani regained use of his Reno, Nevada, property he’d owned for 10 years and first licensed his saloon, the Palace Bar, for roulette and 21 games, one apiece. Prior, he’d leased…
Who To Believe In The Wild West
1920 Some shady business went down between Felix Turillas, Sr., who owned Reno’s Espanol hotel and who went on to own several Northern Nevada casinos, and two men, Joe Musso and Joe Stropin. According to…
Gambling
Gambling: Shills
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Commission
Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Nevada Gaming Control Board
It Really Happened
Nevada
Rolo Casino (Reno, NV)
Gambling Decoys: Shills, Proposition Players
1947-1979 “Neat appearing girls from 21 to 25 to shill and learn to deal games at Rolo Casino, 14 E. Commercial Row,” read a Help Wanted ad in the Nevada State Journal (June 6, 1947). A shill,…
Quick Fact – Wheel Woods
Early 1900s Manufacturer B.C. Wills & Co. crafted roulette wheels out of one or more woods — boxwood, ebony, rosewood, walnut, Honduras mahogany or satin wood — that were seasoned and kiln dried in a…
Casino History
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing: Holdouts
Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder
Francis Leo Luckett
Gambler (Operators/Players): Card Sharps
Gambling History
Games / Races: 21 / Blackjack
Gaming History
It Really Happened
Nevada
Reno--Nevada
Tip Club (Reno, NV)
United States
Ace of Spades Defeats Card Sharp
1930 Cheating at gambling in the early 20th century in Nevada could land a person in serious trouble. That’s exactly what happened to Francis Leo Luckett, 28. A Pennsylvania native, he’d been in Reno by…
Andrew Jackson "Jack" Blackman
Bank Club (Reno, NV)
Casino History
Gambling History
Gaming History
It Really Happened
Nevada
Town House (Reno, NV)
United States
Walter Parman
Shakedown in Reno Escalates (Part 1)
1944-1945 A thug’s confrontation of a casino owner on October 30, 1944 radically altered both of their lives. Andrew Jackson “Jack” Blackman, co-proprietor of the Town House gambling saloon* in Reno, left his business for…
Casino History
Did You Know?
Gambling
Gambling History
Gaming History
Nevada
Quick Facts
United States
Quick Fact – Staying Put
1956 She wouldn’t budge. C. Johnson was playing a slot machine from a stool that was blocking the aisle in a downtown Reno, Nevada casino. When employees asked the Oakland, California resident to please shift…
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…
Casino History
Gambling History
Gambling: Loss
Games / Races: Craps
Gaming History
It Really Happened
Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit
Nevada
United States
Blaming It On The Dice
1946-1947 On the third Tuesday of April 1946, after work at the Southern Pacific Shop in Sparks, Nevada, Sam Lemel took the bus to Reno and went to Harolds Club where he played craps. He…
Casino History
Gambling
Games / Races: Sports Betting
Gaming History
It Really Happened
Nevada
Politicians / Politics: U.S. Senator (NV) Patrick "Pat" A. McCarran
Sports Teams
Sports Teams: University of Nevada Wolf Pack
United States
Accusation: The Fix is In!
1948 The November 22, 1948 issue of Sports-Week roiled Nevada Wolf Pack fans and supporters. Array of Allegations An article in that edition of the nationally circulated digest charged that the University of Nevada* (UN)…