sparks nevada

Tag

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Harolds Club (Reno, NV) Nevada Quick Facts Raymond "Pappy" I. Smith Raymond A. Smith Sparks--Nevada United States

Quick Fact – Party Palace

1950-1979 The Harolds Club casino, in Reno, Nevada, held an annual winter holiday party for employees at its Harolds Trapshooting Club in the neighboring town of Sparks, on the Pyramid Highway. The fêtes, which featured dancing,…

Casino History Gambling History Gambling: Art: Golden Rooster Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Dick Graves Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit United States

Golden Rooster: Advertising or Art?

1957-1962 Perhaps it was a bird-brained idea; perhaps not. In 1957, Dick Graves, the owner of the Nugget, in Sparks, Nevada, commissioned a handcrafted, solid gold rooster for display in one of his hotel-casino restaurants,…

California It Really Happened John Ascuaga Nugget Motor Lodge / Dick Graves' Nugget / John Ascuaga's Nugget (Sparks, NV) United States

Pay Up Or Blow Up — Reno/Sparks

1970-1971 In the summer of 1970, a package and suitcase found in a Sparks Nugget Motor Lodge room in Northern Nevada with a note affixed saying to please deliver the items to Nugget owner John…

Gambling Gambling Laws / Regulations: NV Anti-Lottery Law It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Opportunity Club (Reno, NV)

The Chain Letter Of The Law

1935 Although it was a Ponzi scheme, its lure of big money was too strong for many Renoites to resist. One chain letter business, the Opportunity Club, popped up overnight as part of the nationwide…

Gambling Currency: Coins It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Charles Russell

Loophole in the Law

1955 When Nevada legislators legalized gambling in 1931, they didn’t consider one significant caveat. The omission came to light in January 1955 when an industrious Las Vegas casino patron was arrested for using Mexican 10…

Entertainment It Really Happened John Ascuaga

Performing Pachyderm

1962-1999 You’ve likely heard of Dumbo, Horton and Babar, but what about Bertha? Real, unlike the others, Bertha is an elephant renowned for having performed in shows at the Nugget hotel-casino, in Sparks, Nevada, for…

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

Quick Fact – Curiosity Trumps Motherhood

1931 When a Southern Pacific train stopped in Reno on a Friday in May at about 9:15 p.m., four passengers disembarked to squeeze in, before continuing on, a glance at gambling, which Nevada recently had…

Casino History Eldorado Resort Casino (Reno, NV) Four Queens Casino (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Bally Distributing Company Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Currency Gaming Devices Inc. Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Dick Graves Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: SIRCOMA (Si Redd's Coin Machines) Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: William "Si" Redd Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities: Big Bertha Constellations Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities: Big Berthas Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities: Super Berthas Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Plantation Casino / Rail City Casino (Sparks, NV) United States

Slot Machines Go Big … and Ginormous

1960s-Today The Big Bertha introduced in the 1960s wasn’t a circus lady or a German howitzer; it was a made-in-Nevada slot machine that became iconic. Named for its size, the three-reel device stood 5 to…