Photo from LA Times/UCLA (Frank with mom Nancy and sister Tina) Did you know that while Frank Sinatra was enjoying immense success as a singer, actor, and casino owner (he owned the Cal-Neva Lodge with Chicago Outfit Boss Sam Giancana), someone had the audacity to kidnap his son, Frank Jr., who was making his way... Continue Reading →
Reno's Bank Club casino opened in the Golden Hotel basement in 1929. The property was owned by George Wingfield, Nevada's richest man with a net worth of $50 million dollars in the early part of the 20th century due to his mining success in the towns of Goldfield and Tonopah. His exploits and Reno's growth... Continue Reading →
South Shore Lake Tahoe had dozens of early casinos, from the Silver Club to Nevada Club, and even Dopey Norman's. The procession of casinos housed on the same spot is also an interesting subject, often debated by early investigators and finally proven by later writers after gaming documents and licenses proved or disproved ownership and... Continue Reading →
Nothing was more shocking in my gaming career than the bombing of Harvey's Wagon Wheel Casino at South Shore Lake Tahoe in 1980. To be accurate, I wasn't working there. I was spending the end of summer playing blackjack for a living. As a part-time member of Ken Uston’s blackjack team, I made good money.... Continue Reading →
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I’ve finished another book that deals with Las Vegas casinos and the impact organized crime had on the city and its eventual financial health as the 1980s rolled around. However, Vegas and the Chicago Outfit is primarily about how the Outfit came to power, how its early... Continue Reading →
The first casino chip I ever saved was from the Pacheco Inn after I lost $18 playing poker and saved two $1 chips. I was underage, but that never stopped me from cruising the poker rooms in Northern California or casinos at Lake Tahoe, and I always found chips to collect. Now, as good as... Continue Reading →
In 1946, John and Alice Ross built the Christmas Tree casino way up near the top of Mount Rose with spectacular views leading down to Washoe Valley. In 1947 the couple added a restaurant with the help of a hand-shake $10,000 loan from Nick Abelman who drove past their joint every morning and every evening... Continue Reading →
The Tahoe Village at South Shore Lake Tahoe circa the 1940s Authoral - Al W Moe Bert Riddick Bert Riddick was a Native Nevadan, born in the tiny mining town of Carlin. His wife, Vivian's family, was from Ely, Nevada, and Bert and Vivian spent their lives in Northern Nevada, traveling between Tonopah, Ely, and... Continue Reading →
Betting on your favorite team wasn’t legal in Nevada until the 1940s, but you could always find a local bookie who would lay a line for you. At the Country Club in Lake Tahoe, you could talk to Doc at the bar, any night after 9 pm and get a bet down. Nickle lines were... Continue Reading →
Bill Harrah came to Nevada to open casinos in the 1930s.
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Nevada Gaming History 