Quick Fact – The Right Size
1962 After the Seattle World’s Fair, or the Century 21 Exposition, the bronze coins used as trade dollars during that event appeared in slot machines throughout Nevada.
Quick Fact – Women Banned
1962 The City of Winnemucca in Nevada had an ordinance that prohibited women from working in a casino in which they had some ownership. Bea Hawkins, who with her husband Don, owned the Ferris Hotel and Casino,* asked the city council members to amend the ordinance on the grounds it was unconstitutional. They refused. She…
Quick Fact – Creature Game Creation
1962 How ’bout a game of burro? Fred Carrier, a Stateline, Nevada accountant, developed a gambling game with this name, the concept for which came to him in a nightmare. Based on magnetism, it featured a plastic burro that rotated in the middle of an octagonal table. The player had a choice of betting on which…
Performing Pachyderm
1962-1999 You’ve likely heard of Dumbo, Horton and Babar, but what about Bertha? Real, unlike the others, Bertha is an elephant renowned for having performed in shows at the Nugget hotel-casino, in Sparks, Nevada, for 38 years! Former Nugget owner, John Ascuaga, bought Bertha in 1962 for $8,000 (that’s $63,000 in today’s dollars) from a…