In Las Vegas, Coloradan Becomes U.S.’ First Female Casino Owner

Accidents, Accidents: Automobile, Casino History, Clara A. Rowan, Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Hit and Runs, Gambling History, Gaming History, It Really Happened, Las Vegas--Nevada, Nevada, United StatesLeave a comment

1931 Catalyzed by unexpected circumstances, Colorado-born Clara Antoinette Rowan (née Beggs) became the first woman to own a legal casino in the United States. Her husband, Thomas “Tom” George Rowan and his partner Leo Kind obtained one of the first gambling licenses issued in Clark County after Nevada legalized gambling in 1931, for the Rainbow…

Shrouded in Mystery: Gambler Tony Cornero’s Fleeting Marriage

Accidents, Accidents: Automobile, Beverly Hills-California, California, Divorce / Annulment, Gambling History, Gaming History, It Really Happened, Las Vegas--Nevada, Lux (offshore, Southern CA), Meadows (Las Vegas, NV), Montmartre Club (Havana, Cuba), Nevada, Rex (offshore, Southern CA), S.S. Rex (Las Vegas, NV), Stardust (Las Vegas, NV), Tony Cornero / Antonio Cornero Stralla, United StatesLeave a comment

1941 The brief union between Tony and Dorothy Stralla ended in a suspicious tragedy. Antonio Cornero Stralla was a colorful, law defying, Southern California rumrunner turned gambler. He was involved, most often as the owner/operator, in a string of casino enterprises,  including the: • Meadows (Las Vegas, Nevada) • S.S. Rex (Las Vegas, Nevada) •…