How Casino Gaming Made Its Journey to Las Vegas?

Gambling-orientated games have been popular all throughout most of history. So much so that, in 1638, the first brick-and-mortar casino opened up on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. This encouraged people to travel from all over to visit the first building dedicated to casino games.

By 1744, there were more than 120 casinos in Venice alone. This casino craze took off throughout the world, and despite the games facing many trials and tribulations with various adjusting laws along the way, eventually, casino gaming made its way to Nevada.

The birth of the Las Vegas Strip, as we know it today, was a long journey filled with crime and mobsters, and wasn’t always so glamourous. In fact, the journey gambling has taken over to Las Vegas began with a group of construction workers, as they embarked on the building of the Hoover Dam – a far cry from the brightly-lit casino resorts we know today.

In the modern-day, we can get a taste of the glitz and glamour of what’s now developed into the fabulous Las Vegas Strip by playing casino games online. But in the meantime, join us as we take you on a whistle-stop tour of how the glamourous Strip came to be.

The birth of the city

First, we’re going to take a quick look back at the creation of the city itself. In 1821, Rafael Rivera came across and scouted the area now known as Las Vegas as part of an expedition to open up a trade route known as the Old Spanish Trail, between New Mexico and California. Rivera named the area “the meadows”, after its spring-watered grass.

In 1905, the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake railroad arrived in Las Vegas, connecting the city with the Pacific and other main rail networks. Gambling was outlawed in Nevada by 1910, but speakeasies and casinos continued running, just secretly. Then, gambling was legalized again in 1931, but by this time, crime was already rooted in the city.

The Hoover Dam

In 1931, construction workers began work on the Boulder Dam, which was later renamed the Hoover Dam, drawing in thousands of workers in need of somewhere to unwind after a long day’s work. Fremont Street, the town’s only paved road, took the opportunity to open up casinos and showgirl venues. When construction of the dam was finished in 1936, the cheap hydroelectricity was used to power the flashing signs of Fremont Street’s “Glitter Gulch”.

The Mob

With the popularity of simple casinos and entertainment soaring in Fremont Street, 1941 saw the opening of the El Rancho Vegas resort on a section of US 91, just outside the city’s jurisdiction. This inspired even more hotel-casinos-style resorts to open along this section of the highway, which later became known as The Strip. Many of these were built around the regional or Old West themes that had already proved popular on Fremont Street, but in 1946, famous mobster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo with the help of gangster Meyer Lansky’s Mexican drug money.

The Flamingo was inspired by Hollywood, featuring bright pink décor and providing a glimpse into the unique glamour The Strip would come to hold. Unfortunately, Siegel was murdered in 1947, however, the Flamingo still stands to this day.

The success of Siegel’s casino inspired mobsters to embark on new casino adventures, opening the likes of the Sands, the New Frontier and the Riviera. Backed by the funds of Wall Street banks, union pension funds, the Mormon Church and the Princeton University endowment, tourists flocked to the resorts. The resorts saw performers like Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, becoming the place to be if you wanted a glimpse of “the Hollywood lifestyle”.

Fabulous Las Vegas

In 1989, casino developer Steve Wynn opened the mirage, the first mega-resort, which inspired The Strip to evolve yet again. Eventually, casinos were bought out and ties were cut, meaning that Las Vegas no longer had roots with the mob. Massive complexes with spas, pools, shopping centers and dream-like casinos continued to dominate The Strip, and now, Las Vegas is renowned for its glamour, bright lights and entertainment, showcased by some of the world’s greatest casinos filled with every casino game you could ever want.