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 →
The Tahoe Village at South Shore Lake Tahoe circa the 1940s - Video here 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... Continue Reading →
Reno gaming pioneer Nick Abelman's life in casinos
Reno became the Divorce Capital of the World in the 1930s. Open-gaming was legalized in 1931 and the state lowered residency requirements to six-weeks for divorces. So, people arrived in droves, ready to "take the cure" as they called it, and hotels were available for those on the rich side. Those with more adventurous souls... Continue Reading →
Reno’s Northern Club was one of the first casinos in the state licensed for gaming in 1931. Located on the ground floor along Center Street in Reno, the casino was run by Felix Turillas Sr. and John Etchebarren in the Commercial Hotel. Women were rare players in the 4,000 square-foot club when it opened with... Continue Reading →
Harold's Club in Reno was the Nation's best-known casino in the 1940s and 1950s, but how did that happen? Well, the story is told in much greater detail in Nevada's Golden Age of Gambling, but here's the start! Raymond "Pappy" Smith Raymond I. Smith spent thirty years of his life running carnival games from a baseball... Continue Reading →
A slow day in Reno and at the casinos in July.
Club Harlem was one of the first integrated casinos in Nevada. Located at 221 East Douglas Alley, the bar first opened in 1946 under the watchful eye of its owner, William Bailey. Although cited for illegal gaming, the small property was later licensed in 1948 for slots and 21. Bailey moved to Reno in 1934... Continue Reading →
When Lucky Luciano organized the first Commission of the American Mafia, the cities with representation were all large, heavily invested in the riches from Prohibition, and had a ready delivery system for the booze that came in, usually along waterways and docks controlled by gangs. Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland (although each currently seeing a decline... Continue Reading →
Sometimes Charlie Mapes doesn't get the respect he deserved for his work in the Reno gaming community. I mean really, here he is getting punched-out by boxing champion Jack Sharkey! The event was the 85th Birthday party of Ancil Hoffman, who was well-known in Reno as the manager of Heavyweight Champ Max Baer. The Boxing... Continue Reading →
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Al W Moe's Nevada Gaming History 