Question of the Day - 27 February 2012

According to Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Jane Ann Morrison, writing in the Boulder City Review, "Nevada’s first gaming license wasn’t given to anyone, the second and third licenses have expired, and the fourth went to the Railroad Pass Club," which turned 80 last August. However, A.D. Hopkins, in The First 100, a history of Nevada pioneers, writes that the premier license went, in 1931, to the Northern Club, a former speakeasy on Fremont Street, operated by Mayme Stocker, which the image reproduced below seems to substantiate.

Clark County then issued a gambling license to the Red Rooster, a nightclub that sat on Highway 91, where The Mirage now stands. It opened on April 1, 1931 with three slot machines and a blackjack table. The first upscale casino, the Meadows Club, was built near the junction of Charleston Boulevard and Fremont Street, east of downtown. The Meadows Club opened on May 2. (It burned down a few years later.) Three days later, the Pair-O-Dice Club – which stood opposite the current location of the Peppermill restaurant on the Strip – began offering craps, blackjack and roulette. In fact "the Strip" was a nickname coined by subsequent Pair-O-Dice owner Guy McAfee.

On July 25, 1931, the Las Vegas Review-Journal proclaimed, "Railroad Pass Club to Open this Evening." Or not. On the 31st, the paper revised that statement to, "Railroad Pass Club to Make Formal Bow Tomorrow" [August 1]. Getting the Pass up and running evidently proved difficult for, on August 17, in an advertisement, "Announcing the Formal Opening of the Railroad Pass Club," the casino’s debut was now posited for August 31.

According to Dennis McBride, curator of history and collections for the Nevada State Museum, "Railroad Pass was issued its county gaming license on July 7, 1931. Both Clark County and the City of Las Vegas had been issuing gaming licenses/permits for years back into the 1920s. After gaming was legalized statewide in 1931, Las Vegas had to come up with a new ordinance to comply with the new law and it granted several licenses under the aegis of the new state law in April 1931.

"It’s difficult to tell how many city licenses were granted in the first few months of the new law; nor could I find an accurate number of county licenses granted under the new law. All I can tell you is that Railroad Rass got licensed two or three weeks before it opened, and that there were a few county licenses issued before that for venues outside the Las Vegas city limits (the Pasture; Blue Heaven).

"I personally remember the Pass as far back as the early 1960s. Whether it has been continuously open, I can’t say, but I believe there were very short periods in its history when it was closed briefly between owners."

The Cal-Neva Lodge, which straddles the California/Nevada border near Lake Tahoe was "the oldest currently-licensed [sic] casino in the United States," according to Philip Weiss, author of Cal-Neva Revealed. However, its first five years of operation (1926-31) were strictly illegal and it did not receive a Nevada gaming license until 1937. It closed its doors in April 2010, but has since reopened.

As you can see, tracing the lineage of Nevada’s first gaming licenses is a difficult business, what with Las Vegas, Clark County and eventually the state itself getting into the act. Whether or not the Railroad Pass was the first- or fourth-licensed casino in Nevada or not, it has long outlived all its early competitors, which is no small achievement in itself.

Images appear courtesy of UNLV Special Collections.

Many thanks to the reader who took the trouble to send us the following addition to today's answer: "Regarding today's question about the early gaming licenses, UNLV has either the minutes of the Board of Commissioners, or photocopies, on file. Awhile back, I found a scan on their website, with the minutes of a few of their early meetings. Because I was interested in the early licenses, I tried to transcribe the minutes from that scan. It does reveal the first 4 licenses granted by Las Vegas. The transcription follows...hope you find it interesting!" (Pam G., Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collector Club Member #R-3432) OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, CITY OF LAS VEGAS, CITY OF LAS VEGAS, CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA APRIL 7th, 1931. Minutes of a recessed regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Las Vegas, held of the 7th day of April 1931 at the hour of three o’clock P.M. Present Mayor Hesse, Commissioners Thomas, and German, Smith and Hansell together with the City Attorney and Clerk. On motion of Commissioners Hanwell seconded by Commissioner Thomas it was moved that the “Electrical Ordinance,” presented at a previous meeting be laid over in a recessed meeting to be held in the near future. Vote on said motion was as follows: Commissioners Thomas, German, Smith and Hansell, and His Honor the Mayor voting Aye. Noes none. At this time, the Board of Commissioners considered the gaming licenses that had been filed with the Clerk. The application of Ethel W. Ganther, and C.J. Mackey for the operation of slot machines were laid over because they were not presented on proper forms. J.M. Beyer, and Jack Butler’s applications for gaming licenses were also laid over because of not being presented on proper forms. Upon motion of Commissioner Smith seconded by Commissioner Thomas it was moved that a gaming license be granted to the Boulder Club at 118 Fremont St; Said application being in proper form, and the amounts needed for the operation of the tables accompanying the application. Vote on said motion was as follows: Commissioners Thomas, German, Smith, and Hansell and His Honor the Mayor Nease, voting Aye. Noes None. On motion of Commissioner Smith seconded by commissioner German it was moved that a license be granted to the Las Vegas Club 21 and 23 Fremont Street. Said application being in proper form, and the amounts needed for the operation of the tables accompanying said application. Vote on said motion was as follows: Commissioners Thomas, German, Smith, And Hansell and His Honor the Mayor J.F. Hesse, voting Aye. Noes None. On motion of Commissioner Hansell seconded by Commissioner Thomas it was moved that a gaming license be granted A.T. McCarter, at the Exchange Club, 123 South First Street. Said application being in proper form, and the required amount of money being on file with the City Clerk. Vote on said Motion was as follows: Commissioners Thomas, German, Smith and Hansell, and his Honor the Mayor voting Aye. Noes, None. On motion of Commissioner Hansell, seconded by Commissioner Smith it was moved that a gaming license be granted to Stocker and Morgan at the Northern Club 15 Fremont Street. Said application being in propere form, and the required amount of money being on file with the Clerk. Vote on said motion was as follows: Commissioners Thomas, German, Smith and Hansell, and His Honor the Mayor voting Aye. Noes none. The matter of granting further licenses was next brought before the Board and a member of citizens appeared before the board in favor of granting more licenses Among them were A.W. Ham, C.C. Beggs, E.F. Dupars and A.J.????. A number of citizens also appeared before the Board asking that the district be ?zoned? for the gambling house, and a limit set. These citizens included A.J. ?????, J.B.Witcher, Dr. W.?. Park, A.C. Dolnis, Dr. Martin, N.A.Stinteen, and F.A.Simmons. After a lengthy discussion the following resolution was introduced and duly passed;The motion of Commissioner Thomas, seconded by Commissioner Hansell the following ????? was duly adopted: Resolved, That this Board of City Commissioners of the City of Las Vegas not grant any gaming licenses except to those places of business that held gambling licenses in the previous quarter, and that new licenses not be considered until a ???? is established for the ?????? of gambling licenses, and a policy is adopted by the Board governing the issuance of new licenses. Vote on said Resolution was as follows: Commissioners Thomas, German, Hansell and Smith voting Aye. His Honor the Mayor J.F. Hesse, voting no. No further business appearing before the Board at this time, the meeting recessed until Thursday the 9th day of April 1931 at the hour of three o’clock P.M.