 When mentioning Poker, one vision comes to mind - Las Vegas! When looking at this gambling Sin City as it is today, it s hard to picture gambling as it used to be in the wild wild west scenario, but this is how it started out. The superb tourist destination of Vegas didn t always look like it does today – the gambling capital was just desert and a watering hole in the midst of Nevada.
It all started back in 1931, when Hoover Dam was being constructed. This involved many workmen and tradesmen who were just working 30 miles away from Vegas. This coincided with the era of depression and a time when the gambling laws through Nevada were not very strict so the organised criminals and mafia lot found this a perfect opportunity to build something fast and keep the labourers and tradesmen entertained. They exploited this perfect opportunity and offered alcohol, vices and gambling in a place where demand was fierce and no other businesses had started out as yet.
Gangs from all over such as Chicago, New York and Detroit joined forces and started out a casino and other joints which were built fast and were soon up and running. One major man behind this project was a bookmaker from Brooklyn named Benjamin Siegel also known as ‘Bugsy’. He had a vision of Nevada becoming a hub for tourists who were keen to gamble their money and try their luck.
He started out by constructing the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. Eventually business got harsh and he got on the wrong side of mafia gangster Charles Luciano ‘Lucky’ and ended up murdered in 1947. Luciano had been initially deported from America but later on found his perfect home in Vegas. The Mafia, under the name of the ‘Teamsters Union Pension Fund’ were building hotels and casinos and money started rolling in.
By the 1950’s and 60’s business had boomed and Vegas was getting recognised on the map as a place that offered the fun and games of illegal gambling. Vegas caught the eye of many celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and others who attracted even more tourists. Sinatra doubled up regularly with other celebrities such as Dean Martin and hosted shows through the City. He created the ‘Rat Pack’ – a group of entertainers who provided fun entertainment and while enjoying the gambling themselves. This created a stronger allure to Las Vegas and masses of tourists followed and slowly, slowly more poker players started moving there making it into their home and playing around the clock.
Eventually the WSOP, World Series of Poker, was established and the game of poker was gaining momentum and popularity. The WSOP gave poker the exposure it was yearning for and business kept growing with more casinos being developed. The city soon became a force in its own right and Vegas became a resort for many. Many came to Vegas for the poker and this made the Casino owners happy as once they entered their establishment they knew money could be made off them.
Eventually the law officers headed into Vegas and took control over the Mafia situation and by the 80’s things were more controlled with many more honest businesses taking over the original owners. After a proposition by Howard Hughes, an aviator and film producer, the Nevada State allowed for public corporations as well as private individuals to own their own casinos and Wall Street millionaires started buying in. One example is Mirage Resorts Inc who started the Treasure Island, Mirage and Golden Nugget. It was Hughes who helped move out the gang organisations and create a new image in Vegas.
Nowadays, Vegas lost its illegal and sleazy mafia feel with most people seeing it as a fun destination with lots of gambling and so much more to offer. The development and changes in the world of gambling has been dramatic and nowadays Vegas is the perfect setting for modern poker and gambling in general.
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