Updated and expanded edition of the award-winning book with a special focus on casinos.
Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 12, “America’s Playground…Again: Atlantic city becomes the casino capital of the East,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).
If you don’t see a video above, go here: http://youtu.be/UtsacolklS4
This chapter covers the development of casinos in Atlantic City. It starts with a brief recap of the city’s history through the 1960s, and discusses the trends that led to the successful 1976 referendum that approved casinos in the city.
From there, the chapter covers the development of New Jersey’s regulatory and licensing system, the first casino (Resorts International), and several other landmark casinos, including Caesars Boardwalk Regency, Bally’s, the Sands, the Golden Nugget, and Donald Trump’s three casinos. Finally, it talks about the last few years, taking the city from the excitement surrounding the opening of the Borgata in 2003 to the malaise and doubt surrounding Revel’s opening in 2012.
Moulin Rouge breaks the color line
From the 1930s, Las Vegas casinos on the Strip and Downtown were racially segregated. In 1955, the Moulin Rouge opened on Bonanza Road, as the first major Las Vegas casino to welcome patrons of all races.
You can learn more about the Moulin Rouge in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 11, “The Sky’s the Limit: Las Vegas reaches for the stars,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).
This chapter starts with the arrival of Jay Sarno, a true casino visionary who built Caesars Palace and Circus Circus. It then covers the impact on Las Vegas of an even more eccentric figure, Howard Hughes. From there, it discuses the corporate gaming acts, Kirk Kerkorian, the origins of the World Series of Poker, and several personalities who came to prominence in Downtown Las Vegas, including Steve Wynn, Jackie Gaughan, and Sam Boyd.
For more information about the book, visit http://www.rollthebonesbook.com
If you don’t see a video, please go here: http://youtu.be/Uxo63Wrx6Ns
The (illegal) Beach Club shines
For the first half of the 20th century, Edward Riley Bradley’s Beach Club, located in Palm Beach, was the finest illegal gambling establishment in Florida and, some would argue, the entire country.
You can read more about illegal casinos (and legal ones too) in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
Author David G. Schwartz summarizes chapter 10, “A Place in the Sun: The Las Vegas Strip is Born,” of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition).
This chapter covers the development of the Strip from the 1941 opening of the El Rancho Vegas into the 1960s. It discusses pioneers like Thomas Hull, Bill Moore, and Billy Wilkerson, and the infamous Bugsy Siegel who muscled Wilkerson out of the Flamingo casino.
It also explains the three factors that gave mob-connected casinos an advantage (for a time) in Las Vegas, discusses syndicate ownership as exemplified by the Desert Inn, and takes on topics as varied as the Rat Pack, the development of skill play and card-counting, and the desegregation of the Strip and Downtown.
If you don’t see a video, go here: http://youtu.be/5PwpS528RLc
The French Prohibition
The French Chamber of Deputies passed an edict on June 1, 1836 that would ban gambling in France, effective December 31, 1837.
You can read the story of how gambling returned to France 80 years later, and much more, in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
Cal-Neva Confidential
In the 1930s, North Shore Lake Tahoe’s Cal-Neva Lodge, owned by James McKay and William Graham, was notorious for reportedly hosting gangsters like Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd.
Learn more about the Cal-Neva, which was later owned by Frank Sinatra, in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
A slow start for Indian gaming
The earliest federal recognition of tribes’ right to offer gambling on their reservations dates from 1924, but gambling geared towards non-Indians didn’t really get started for another 50 years.
You can learn more about Indian gaming in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
What better way to celebrate Memorial Day than by watching the author summarize chapter 9, “Hard to Resist,” of Roll the Bones? Certainly, there are several, but watching the video won’t be the least fun way to spend your next five minutes. In it, I talk about all sorts of fun things contained in this chapter, which covers the development of legal commercial gambling in Nevada. You can even learn my favorite quirk of Nevada’s 1869 gambling law and the real reason that Harolds Club made it into the book.
If you don’t see a video, you can watch it here: http://youtu.be/doNK7FHREd0
As always, for more info about the book, including how to order and plenty of videos, facts, and samples from Roll the Bones, visit http://rollthebonesbook.com.
The Spa Casino Disaster
The 1980 MGM Grand fire is perhaps the most famous casino disaster in history, but the August 13, 1785 blaze that destroyed a wing of Spa’s Redoute casino was just as catastrophic in its day, particularly since burning playing cards blown by a strong wind landed on the roofs of nearby houses, spreading the fire. But the Redoute recovered.
You can learn more about Spa gambling in Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.
Go here to read an excerpt from the book, or learn where to buy your copy.
