Casino History
A casino is a public house licensed for gambling, and its history is longer and better documented than the legends suggest. Venice's Ridotto, opened in 1638 as a state-sanctioned gaming house, is usually counted as the first. European spa towns and Monte Carlo followed in the nineteenth century, and Nevada's legalisation of casino gambling in 1931 set the stage for Las Vegas.
1 entry. Latest shelved 20 Oct 2026.
Photo: Bob Ronald on Pexels
- CH·F526
Flamingo Casino History: Records Behind the Bugsy Legend
Billy Wilkerson named it and Bugsy Siegel overspent on it: the Flamingo's documented record, from a $600,000 bank loan to a $6 million opening.
By Play Trump Casino Reading Room, shelved 20 Oct 2026
Where did casinos begin?
Gambling is ancient; the casino as a dedicated, regulated venue is not. The Ridotto was opened by the Venetian state to bring the city's gaming under control during Carnival, and it closed in 1774. In the following century, resorts such as Baden-Baden and Monte Carlo built grand casinos to draw wealthy visitors, and the word itself (Italian for a small house) came to mean a gaming hall.
How did Las Vegas become a casino city?
Nevada legalised most forms of gambling in 1931, during the Depression. Small clubs in downtown Las Vegas came first. After the Second World War, resort casinos rose along the highway south of town that became the Strip, among them the Flamingo, which opened in December 1946. Later decades brought corporate ownership, and the casino became a listed business with public filings.
Why do casino histories disagree?
Because the stories that travel are the colourful ones. Mob figures, lucky streaks and grand openings are retold until the retelling replaces the record. Contemporary newspapers, licensing files, court records and company accounts often tell a plainer and more interesting story, and they are where dates and figures can actually be checked.
How does the reading room approach history?
Entries are catalogued like a librarian would: each one takes a single casino or episode, sets out what the contemporary record shows, notes where sources disagree, and keeps the legend clearly labelled as legend. Every entry closes with its bibliography.
Where should I begin?
Start with Flamingo casino history, which separates Billy Wilkerson's plan and Bugsy Siegel's spending from the myth. For the games those rooms were built around, browse the shelves on Texas Hold'em and poker hands.