Gambling has a great history that began a very long time ago. People have been playing for thousands of years all over the globe. However, there are places where gambling is the main subject of tourism, such as Las Vegas. Have you ever been wondering what is the history of the greatest gambling city? GBC Time has collected the most interesting facts in Las Vegas history in the blog post below.
The very first time when gambling was introduced to Las Vegas was between the late 1800s and the start of the 1900s. Nowadays, Las Vegas is a long-established gambling capital worldwide. You cannot even imagine this city without bright streets full of casinos, however, at the very beginning, the US government was trying to ban the forms of gambling around the country.
Las Vegas foundation
Las Vegas was officially founded in 1905. In the first place, the city was established as a small stopover for trains between Las Angeles and Salt Lake City. Las Vegas was not even looking like something that tourists would be interested in. Talking about gambling, this type of activity was totally banned by the government. However, even in that time when people came to Las Vegas, it was possible to find illegally operated casinos.
When gambling in Las Vegas was legalized?
Eventually, in 1931, the local authority chose the path of city development. The whole approach was changed, which implied the start of the big building process. Hundreds of blue-collar workers came to Las Vegas to be a part of the Hoover Dam construction.
The local government faced a lack of finances problem. As the solution, they found an answer in gambling. Casino entertainment was allowed by law, which meant a whole new era for Las Vegas. Since that time, the city funds were always filled with more and more money.
Las Vegas during the World War II
During WWII, Las Vegas faced an even higher population of workers. The main cause of that was the opening of the magnesium plant in Henderson, Nevada. The future capital of gambling had the purpose to become a town that got very exciting and entertaining for a couple of days in a month.
But still, gambling requires professional specialists who know how to run such a business. Since 1938, businessmen specializing in gambling started coming to Las Vegas to establish their own casinos.
The very first casino in Las Vegas
The first person who got legal permission for a casino establishing in the city was Tommy Hull. A businessman decided to build not just a casino, but a hotel, where people could stay for a long time and keep gambling. El Rancho was established in the area famous as Vegas Strip.
A few years ago, Tommy Hull’s success attracted more businessmen to Las Vegas. And that is how the casino boom started.
Mafia in Las Vegas casino business
Another popular casino after El Rancho in Las Vegas was founded in 1947 by the well-known mafia Bugsy Seigel. You may know this casino named Flamingo. However, his success was last not so long. Another mafia group killed Seigel in the same year of the Flamingo opening.
Since that time, there was a massive mafia inflow to the gambling industry in Las Vegas. Besides a significant increase in the crime level in the city, the mafia attracted celebrities from Hollywood to Las Vegas. In the 1950s, celebrities became the main proof of the fun and uniqueness of the city. Las Vegas became a top trend around the globe.
Massive tourist arrival in Las Vegas
As time went on, Las Vegas became even more popular in America and abroad as well. Tourists from all over the world were ready to pay enormous sums of money to stay at one of the casino-hotel in Las Vegas.
In the 1970s, the competition between casinos was also increasing. The variety of choices made this city a legend where you could find everything.
Nowadays, Las Vegas is one of the most luxurious cities, where you can find casinos for all tastes. You can get rich or go broke instead. But the fact is there is no city in the world like Las Vegas. If you want to find even more interesting historical facts about Las Vegas, click the link to watch the YouTube video released on the GBC Time channel.
