July 2019

Allen Smiley Argyle Hotel (San Antonio, TX) Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Beverly Country Club (New Orleans, LA) California Casino History Colony Club (Gardena, CA) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Falsely Claiming Citizenship Gambling History Gambling: Junkets Games / Races: Horse Racing Gaming History Garden of Allah (West Hollywood, CA) It Really Happened McNeil Island Corrections Center (WA) Meyer Lansky The Knickerbocker (New York, NY) Transamerica Wire Service

10 Intriguing Facts About Mobster/Gambler Allen Smiley

Allen Smiley “was one of the most powerful gangsters in [California],” wrote author Gerald Horne in Class Struggle in Hollywood, 1930-1950. He was Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel’s partner and best friend and subsequently, Johnny Rosselli’s* right-hand…

Charles "Charlie Moose" Joseph Panarella It Really Happened Nevada

Gambling History Tidbit

This week, Nevada gambling regulators removed New York mobster, Charles “Charlie Moose” Joseph Panarella, from their List of Excluded Persons. Formerly the Black Book, this compilation contains the names, photos and criminal records of personas…

Casino History Circus Circus (Las Vegas, NV) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling Disruptions Events: Strikes / Protests Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Nevada Politicians / Politics: NV Governor Mike O'Callaghan United States

Protests Deliberately Disrupt Gambling in Las Vegas

1971 Actress Jane Fonda and renowned activists led about 900 people down the Las Vegas Strip on March 6, 1971, a Saturday, in protest of welfare cutbacks. “Today we launched a spring offensive and…

Harolds Club (Reno, NV) It Really Happened

Gambling History Tidbit

Harolds Club, a casino founded in 1935 in Reno, Nevada, acted uniquely when it came to giving customers money back! Historian and author Alicia Barber explains in her report, Looking Back: The Special Refund Policy…

Casino History Elko--Nevada Gambling History Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Character Manufacturing Co. Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Frank Polk Games / Races: Creators / Manufacturers: Sundance Cravat Games / Races: Slot Machines / Fruities: Animated Gaming History It Really Happened Las Vegas Club (Las Vegas, NV) Nevada Nevada Club (Reno, NV) United States

Reno Company Handcrafts Animated Slot Machines

1950-1956 A novel, animated gambling device began to appear in Nevada casinos in 1950. It debuted in the lobby of Reno’s Mapes hotel-casino in the fall and “got a big play from visiting Shriners,” reported the…

Casino History Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened

It Really Happened! is Back

Hi, Wonderful Gambling History Blog Subscribers, I hope all is well with you! I’m so thrilled to announce that It Really Happened! is back up, and I’m generating new posts for it. I apologize…