In the Name of Charity

California, Gambling, Gambling Laws / Regulations, Games / Races: Lotteries/Sweepstakes, Games / Races: Sports Betting, It Really Happened, Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit, Reno--Nevada, San Quentin State Prison (CA)Leave a comment

1937 The Great American Football Pool (GAFP) of 1937 was to be of massive scale and the first of its kind in the U.S. The organizers aimed to sell 3 million tickets at $1 apiece and award sizable prizes: $100,000 to the first place winner, $50,000 to the second and $25,000 to the third in…

Who To Believe In The Wild West

Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling, Espanol Hotel (Reno, NV), Felix Turillas Sr., It Really Happened, Nevada, Prohibition, Reno--NevadaLeave a comment

1920 Some shady business went down between Felix Turillas, Sr., who owned Reno’s Espanol hotel and who went on to own several Northern Nevada casinos, and two men, Joe Musso and Joe Stropin. According to Turillas, the men, whose names he didn’t know, offered to sell him an Elgin Six, or “The Car of the…