Bill Harrah at Lake Tahoe

Bill Harrah was already a successful casino operator in Reno when he expanded to Lake Tahoe. His early ventures, including expanding the Harrah’s name along Highway 50 at Stateline, showcase his innovative approach and determination and can inspire interest in Nevada’s gambling history.

Hopping from spot to spot was a pattern Harrah had used in Reno, where he first set up shop at 124 N. Center Street, opening his first Nevada business on October 29, 1937, at the Owl Club. It wasn’t successful, but that didn’t stop him from opening another club the following summer. Over the next six years, Harrah operated half a dozen clubs, finally settling on Harrah’s Reno Club in 1945.

At Lake Tahoe, Harrah first purchased George Cannon’s Gateway Club, housed in an old Quonset Hut on the lakeside of the highway. After upgrading it to Harrah’s high standards, it reopened for the 1955 summer crowd. The club included the original South Shore Room, plus keno, roulette, craps, 21, a parimutuel wheel (Big 8), and, of course, plenty of slot machines.

Players had a choice of two bars, a snack bar, a 24-hour restaurant, and a premium booth, where slot players could redeem their premium points for gifts. The opening of Harrah’s Tahoe in 1957 marked a key milestone in Nevada’s gambling history, reflecting its growth and development. And Bill Harrah tried not to ignore his Reno Club.

A new and vastly expanded South Shore Room theater-restaurant opened in late 1959, marking a significant development in Harrah’s Tahoe’s growth. The new club had everything the club across the street had, plus a bingo room and a banquet hall called the Edgewood Room. An underground walkway was added in the 1960s so players and employees could cross the highway without fighting the crowds of summer or the snow and bitter cold of winter.

Harrah’s Club on the lakeside was eventually sold to Harvey Gross, builder of Harvey’s casino. Interestingly, forty years later, Harrah’s purchased Harvey’s club, creating a full-circle moment that highlights the evolving landscape of Nevada’s casino industry and could intrigue the audience.

A much more detailed history of Harrah’s clubs in Reno and Lake Tahoe is found in the book, Nevada’s Golden Age of Gambling. Just $3.99 for 180 pages of stories and photos from the good old days!