gaming Archives

Al Hoffman Alfred Leo Rooney Casino History Clifford Sykes Crimes / Violence / Punishments Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing: Rigged Roulette Wheel Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing: Stacked Card Decks Dutch Garden (Reno, NV) Fred Stengler Gambling History Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History George "Shorty" L. Coppersmith George "Shorty" M. King It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Nevada Phil Curti Reno--Nevada The Dog House (Reno, NV) United States

Few Convictions for Cheating at Gambling Interpreted

1931-1948 Gambling and cheating at gambling go together like, well, coins in a slot machine or cards in a shoe. Seemingly, they always will despite various efforts — violence, laws/rules, surveillance, firings, procedures, technology and…

Casino History Currier's Village (Lakeside, OR) Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Illegal Gaming History It Really Happened James "Jim/Cinch" C. McKay Lakeside--Oregon Roy G. Currier United States William "Bill/Curly" J. Graham

Nevada Mobsters Run Illegal Games at Oregon Retreat, Reportedly

1935-1939 The reach of Reno, Nevada’s Mobsters into gambling during their heyday allegedly extended to a small Oregon hideaway for California’s rich and famous: Currier’s Village. William “Bill/Curly” Graham and James “Jim/Cinch” McKay are said…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History George Raft Las Vegas--Nevada Quick Facts Southern California Offshore

Quick Fact – Bugsy Borrows Benjamins

1938, 1946 Notorious mobster, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, borrowed money several times from his friend, actor George Raft, according to the biography George Raft, for which author Lewis Yablonsky interviewed the subject on numerous occasions. Siegel…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino de Capri (Havana, Cuba) Casino History Colony Club (London, England) Dino Cellini Gambling History Gaming History George Raft Havana--Cuba It Really Happened Joe Adonis London--England Meyer Lansky Owney "The Killer" Madden

Hollywood Actor Turns Casino Host for U.S. Crime Syndicate

1958-1959, 1966-1967 Having grown up in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen with various mobsters-to-be — Meyer Lansky, Joe Adonis, Frank Costello and others — he remained cordial with them throughout adulthood. He had deeper relationships with…

Casino History Connecticut Gambling History Gambling: Research Gaming History It Really Happened New Jersey United States

Teach Monkeys to Gamble, How Do They Then Behave?

Late 1970s, 2000s Fay and Jessica were young, capuchin monkeys living on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus, where two professors in the department of psychology intended to teach them how to gamble,…

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…

Artists / Designers: Pierre de Régnier (aka Tigre) Casino History Did You Know? Gambling Gambling History Gambling: Art Games / Races: Baccarat Gaming History Nice--France Quick Facts

Quick Fact – Depiction of French Gamblers

1931 The Big Baccarat Table in Nice (France) was sketched by cartoonist, Pierre de Régnier, aka Tigre (1898-1943), and ran in newspapers with this description: “From left to right: Mme. Ephrussi, the French multimillionaire widow…

Casa Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Casino: Flying Did You Know? Gambling History Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact – Flying Casino

1946 Owners of the Casa Vegas gambling club in Southern Nevada, Duke Wiley and Eddie Alias, announced their plan to acquire and convert a surplus, four-engine transport plane into a casino in the air. Slated…

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)…

"Razzle Dazzle: The Elaine Townsend Story" Casino History Connie Immerman Cuba Elaine Townsend Gambling History Gambling: Concessions Games / Races: Chemin de Fer Games / Races: Craps Gaming History Gran Casino Nacional (Havana, Cuba) Havana--Cuba It Really Happened

Woman Usurps Mobsters’ Gaming Action

1947-1952 Despite New York mobsters trying to scare her off, an ambitious woman — Elaine Townsend (née Margaret Helgeson) — held her own as a gambling operator in the late 1940s. Bright, young and gorgeous, she…

Bank Club (Reno, NV) Casino History Gambling Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: Streeter Plan for Nevada (Proposed) Gaming History It Really Happened Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Chicago Crime Commission Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Washoe County D.A.--Nevada Meyer Lansky Nevada Politicians / Politics: Jack Streeter United States

Plan: Eject Mobsters from Nevada Gambling

1954 “If the Streeter suggestion should catch fire and the state took over gambling, it would be the damnedest experiment tried in the United States, and Nevada would have more hoodlums per square block than…