Gaming History Archives

Arkansas Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Hot Springs--Arkansas Politicians / Politics: Kefauver Committee Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Kefauver in Hot Springs

1924 Senator Carey “Estes” Kefauver (D-Tenn.), the driving force behind rooting out illegal gambling and organized crime in the United States in the 1950s with his famous eponymous committee, decades earlier had taught math and…

California Casino at Tallac (South Lake Tahoe, CA) Casino History Elias "Lucky" Jackson Baldwin Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Illegal Gaming History It Really Happened Nathaniel "Nat" Carl Goodwin South Lake Tahoe--California United States

Wealthy Californians Frequent Illegal Lake Tahoe Casino

1902-1927 Touted as “the finest clubhouse west of the Rocky Mountains,” the Casino at Tallac debuted at Lake Tahoe’s South Shore in California in July 1902 despite gambling having been illegal in the state since…

Accidents: Plane Crashes California Casino History Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts San Francisco--California

Quick Fact – Gambling Trip Turns Dicey

1957 In 1957, Club Primadonna chartered passengers to and from San Francisco to the Reno, Nevada casino on “champagne tours.” On the September 28 return flight, delayed from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. due to…

Casino History Chicago--Illinois Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Torture Estelle Carey Gambling Gambling History Gaming History It Really Happened Nicholas Deani "Nick Dean" Circella United States William "Willie" M. Bioff

“Dice Girl” Rolls Horrendous Fate

1943 In the mid-afternoon of Tuesday, February 2, 1943, smoke emanating from a third-story apartment in Lakeview, Illinois led to the discovery of a woman dead inside — her face, head and neck mutilated, her…

Casino de la Vallée (Saint-Vincent, Italy) Casino History Did You Know? Europe Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Italy Quick Facts Saint-Vincent--Italy Sean Connery

Quick Fact – Good Things Come in 3s

1963 On his third spin of the roulette wheel, having bet on the number 17, actor/producer Sir Sean Connery won, not just once, but thrice … in a row. With this wager, he raked in…

Barn Club (Reno, NV) Casino History Events: World War II Folsom State Prison (CA) Gambling Gambling History Gambling License Gaming History Irving Cowan It Really Happened Jack Fugitt Joseph Scrivani Larry Tripp Louis "Lou" J. Wertheimer Nevada Northern Club (Reno, NV) Otell "Mike" Micheletti United States Walter Oswald William Lawrence Hunger aka Larry Brady

Criminals, Money Problems Plague Reno Casino

1940-1943 The Barn Club casino’s existence during World War II was rocky and, therefore, cut short. It began in December 1940, when Jack Fugitt, an entertainment machine business owner, and Walter Oswald, assumed the lease…

Avi Resort & Casino (Laughlin, NV) Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Laughlin--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Aptly Named

1995-Today The casino name, Avi, translates into “money” or “loose change” in the language of the Mojave tribe, whose members own it. Uniquely located geographically, Avi Resort & Casino is on the Fort Mojave Reservation,…

Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Poisoning Gambling History Gaming History Illinois State Penitentiary (Joliet, IL) It Really Happened Nevada United States

Wily Desperado Falls Short on Crime Execution

Two acquaintances were having a drink at a Reno casino bar — Miles T. Ellis, 47, a tourist, and Anthony Swiderski, 52, a local chef in the Northern Nevada town. At an opportune moment, Swiderski…

California Casino History Crystal Bay--Nevada Did You Know? Gambling History Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States Will Rogers

Quick Fact – “Castle in the Sky”

1938 To draw guests, a 1938 newspaper ad for the new casino resort at Lake Tahoe in Crystal Bay touted the cinematic history of the land. It read, “All America enjoyed the beloved Will Rogers…

Bay Meadows Racetrack (San Mateo, CA) California Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments Gambling History Gambling: Spree Gaming History It Really Happened Military Nevada New Orleans--Louisiana San Francisco--California United States

Man and Money Gone

1951 Chief Warrant Officer Marcus Gordon Oliver, paymaster at the U.S. Naval Station Treasure Island, complained of feeling ill and left work early on Friday, April 13. The following Monday and Tuesday, he didn’t show…

Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Privilege Gaming History Jefferson City--Missouri Missouri Missouri State Penitentiary (Jefferson City) Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Privilege Lost

1955 In a longstanding tradition, Missouri State Penitentiary inmates were allowed, on New Year’s Day, to gamble with their prison savings while playing dice and card games with each other. The warden, however, rescinded the privilege after…

Hot Springs: Illegal Gambling Mecca, Criminal Hangout

1860s to 1960s “The loose buckle in the Bible Belt” and “Las Vegas before Las Vegas had water” — these were Hot Springs, as described in the press (Hot Springs, 2013). This Central Arkansas city…