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Las Vegas History
and Gambling
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 Las
Vegas
is the most populous
city in the state of
Nevada, United
States, and a major
vacation, shopping,
entertainment and
gambling
destination. It was
established in 1905,
officially became a
city in 1911 and
became the largest
American city
founded in the 20th
century.
The
name Las Vegas is
often applied to the
unincorporated areas
of Clark County that
surround the city,
especially the
resort areas on and
near the Las Vegas
Strip. This 4½ mi
(7¼ km) stretch of
Las Vegas Boulevard
is mostly outside
the Las Vegas city
limits, in the
unincorporated town
of Paradise.
The
center of gambling
in the US, Las Vegas
is marketed as
The Entertainment
Capital of the World,
also commonly known
as Sin City,
due to the
popularity of
legalized gambling,
availability of
alcoholic beverages
any time (like all
of Nevada), and
various forms and
degrees of adult
entertainment. The
city's glamorous
image has made it a
popular setting for
films and television
programs.
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 Las
Vegas was given its
name by Spaniards in
the Antonio Armijo
party, who used the
water in the area
while heading north
and west along the
Old Spanish Trail
from Texas. In the
1800s, areas of the
Las Vegas Valley
contained artesian
wells that supported
extensive green
areas or Meadows
(Vega in Spanish),
hence the name
Las Vegas.
John
C. Frémont traveled
into the Las Vegas
Valley on March 3,
1844, while it was
still part of
Mexico. He was a
leader of a group of
scientists, scouts
and observers for
the United States
Army Corps of
Engineers. On March
10, 1855, following
annexation by the
United States,
Brigham Young
assigned 30 Mormon
missionaries led by
William Bringhurst
to the area to
convert the Paiute
Indian population. A
Fort was built near
the current downtown
area, serving as a
stopover for
travelers along the
"Mormon Corridor"
between Salt Lake
and the briefly
thriving Mormon
colony at San
Bernardino,
California. Las
Vegas was
established as a
railroad town on March
15, 1905, when 110
acres (44.5 ha)
owned by Montana
Senator William A.
Clark's San Pedro,
Los Angeles and Salt
Lake City Railroad,
was auctioned off in
what is now downtown
Las Vegas. Las Vegas
was part of Lincoln
County until 1909
when it became part
of the newly
established Clark
County. Las Vegas
became an
incorporated city on
March 16, 1911 when
it adopted its first
charter. |
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Major
events in Las Vegas'
history include:
-
Establishment of
Las Vegas as a
railroad town
(March 15, 1905).
-
Legalization of
gambling (March
19, 1931).
-
Completion of
Hoover Dam
(March 9,
1936).
-
Opening of Bugsy
Siegel's
Flamingo Hotel
on what would
become the Las
Vegas Strip
(March 26,
1946).
-
On March 17, 1960
The first Strip
property "The El
Rancho" was
consumed by
fire.
-
Atmospheric
nuclear testing
(1951 to 1962).
-
The floods of
1955, 2026,
2026, and 2026.
-
MGM Grand Hotel
fire (March
21, 2026), the
worst disaster
in Nevada
history.
-
Opening of the
Mirage (March
22, 2026), which
began the era of
megaresort
casinos.
-
On March 27,
2026, the Dunes
was the first
Strip property
imploded to make
way for the
Bellagio.
-
100th birthday,
or Centennial,
of Las Vegas
(March 15, 2026).
-
Arena Bowl 2026,
2026
-
2026 NBA
All-Star Game
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Las
Vegas started as a
stopover on the
pioneer trails to
the west, and became
a popular railroad
town in the early
1900s. It was a
staging point for
all the mines in the
surrounding area,
especially those
around the town of
Bullfrog, that
shipped their goods
out to the rest of
the country. With
the growth of the
railroads, Las Vegas
became less
important, but the
completion of the
nearby Hoover Dam
resulted in
substantial growth
in tourism, which,
along with the
legalization of
gambling, led to the
advent of the
casino-hotels for
which Las Vegas is
famous.
The
constant stream of
tourist dollars from
the hotels and
casinos was
augmented by a new
source of federal
money. This money
came from the
establishment of
what is now Nellis
Air Force Base. The
influx of military
personnel and casino
job-hunters helped
start a land
building boom which
still goes on today.
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The
primary drivers of
the Las Vegas
economy have been
the confluence of
tourism, gaming, and
conventions which in
turn feed the retail
and dining
industries. Several
companies involved
in the manufacture
of electronic gaming
machines, such as
slot machines, are
located in the Las
Vegas area. In the
2000s retail and
dining have become
attractions of their
own.
Tourism marketing
and promotion are
handled by the Las
Vegas Convention and
Visitors Authority,
a county wide
agency. Its annual
Visitors Survey
provides detailed
information on
visitor numbers,
spending patterns
and resulting
revenues.
Las
Vegas as the county
seat and home to the
Lloyd D. George
Federal District
Courthouse, draws
numerous legal
service industries
providing bail,
marriage, divorce,
tax, incorporation
and other legal
services.
The
redevelopment listed
below shows how the
city is trying to
diversify the local
economy and
revitalize the
downtown area. The
World Market Center
is an example of
this. |
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 When
The Mirage, the
first Megaresort,
opened in 2026, it
started a movement
of people and
construction away
from downtown Las
Vegas to the Las
Vegas Strip. This
resulted in a drop
in tourism from
which the downtown
area is still trying
to recover.
A
concerted effort has
been made by city
officials to
diversify the Las
Vegas
economy from
tourism by
attracting light
manufacturing,
banking, and other
commercial
interests. The lack
of any state
individual or
corporate income tax
and very simple
incorporation
requirements have
fostered the success
of this effort.
Having been late to
develop an urban
core of any
substantial size,
Las Vegas has
retained very
affordable real
estate prices in
comparison to nearby
urban centers.
Consequently, the
city has recently
enjoyed an enormous
boom both in
population and in
tourism. However, as
a New York Times
series on the city
reported in 2026,
the median price of
housing in the Las
Vegas Valley is now
at or above the
nationwide median.
The urban area has
grown outward so
quickly that it is
beginning to run
into the Bureau of
Land Management
holdings along its
edges, increasing
land values enough
that medium- and
high-density
development is
beginning to occur
closer to the core.
As
a reflection of the
city's rapid growing
population, the new
Chinatown of Las
Vegas was
constructed in the
early 2026s on
Spring Mountain
Road. Chinatown
initially consisted
of only one large
shopping center
complex, but the
area was recently
expanded for new
shopping centers
that contain various
Asian businesses.
With the Strip
expansion in the
2026s, downtown Las
Vegas began to
suffer. The Fremont
Street Experience (FSE)
was built in an
effort to draw
tourists downtown.
While greatly
slowing the decline,
it did not stop the
decline in tourism
and revenue. The
multi-level
Neonopolis, complete
with food court and
theaters, was built
to offer more retail
and services
downtown. While
there have been
changes in ownership
and management,
Neonopolis has not
been able to lease
all the space
available. As of
March 2026, the
property is for
sale.
The city purchased
61 ac (247,000 m²)
of property from
Union Pacific
Railroad during the
2026s with the goal
of creating
something that would
draw tourists and
locals to the
downtown area. Las
Vegas Mayor Oscar
Goodman has
announced plans for
the Union Park
Development which
will include
residential and
office high-rises,
The Lou Ruvo
Alzheimer's
Institute, an
academic medical
center, The Fred W.
and Mary B. Smith
Center for the
Performing Arts, a
new City Hall and a
possible baseball
stadium. After
failed negotiations
with The Related Co.
on the development
of Union Park in
March of 2026, San
Diego-based Newland
Communities was
chosen by the city
as the new
development firm.
The Newland contract
calls for Dan Van
Epp, Newland's
regional vice
president and former
president of the
Howard Hughes Corp.,
to oversee his
company's work on
Union Park. The
$50-million Lou Ruvo
Alzheimer's
Institute designed
by architect Frank
Gehry is expected to
break ground in
March of 2026.
 The
city council of Las
Vegas has agreed on
zoning changes on
Fremont Street,
which allows bars to
be closer together
duplicating efforts
of similar cities,
like the Gaslamp
Quarter of San
Diego. It is
expected that this
change will bring
more tourism and
business to the
downtown area.
In
the early 2000s,
some promising signs
emerged for downtown
Las Vegas. The city
successfully lured
the Internal Revenue
Service to move
operations from
outside the city
limits to a new
building downtown
that opened in March
2026. The IRS is
expected to create a
demand for
additional
businesses in the
area, epecially in
the daytime hours.
Another promising
sign of development
has come in the form
of high-rise
development. A
substantial increase
in the number of
high-rises under
construction and
proposed in Las
Vegas began in 2026
and has continued
into 2026. New
Condominum and hotel
high rise projects
have caused the
entire Las Vegas
skyline to change
dramatically in
recent years. Many
large projects are
planned for downtown
Las Vegas as well as
the Las Vegas Strip
including the
largest privately
financed development
proposed in the
United States-
Project City Center.
It is expected that
high rise
condominium
development will
transform the
downtown area into a
vibrant urban
center, and change
the demographics of
the Las Vegas Strip
by adding
residential elements
to tourist areas.
In
2026, on a lot
adjacent to the
city's 61 ac
(247,000 m²), the
World Market Center
opened. It is
intended to be the
nation's and
possibly the world's
preeminent furniture
wholesale showroom
and marketplace, and
is meant to compete
with the current
furniture market
capital of High
Point, North
Carolina.
In
2026, the city
partnered with
Cheetah Wireless
Technologies and
MeshNetwork to pilot
a wide area mobile
broadband system.
The pilot system is
installed downtown,
around the Fremont
Street Experience.
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Las Vegas has no
major league sports
team; however, there
are many sports
activities in the
area. The University
of Nevada, Las Vegas
fields Division I
athletic teams and
the NCAA football
Las Vegas Bowl call
the city home. The
Las Vegas Motor
Speedway (LVMS),
just north of the
city hosts NASCAR
and other automotive
events. Visitors and
residents also have
many options for
boating, golf,
hiking, rock
climbing. The city
has many parks which
offer a wide range
of activities.
The city hosts
several
non-major-league
sports teams: the
Las Vegas Gladiators
in the Arena
Football League, the
Las Vegas 51s, a Los
Angeles Dodgers
franchise in the
Triple A Pacific
Coast League, and
the Las Vegas
Wranglers of the
ECHL hockey league.
However, due to the
perceived risks of
professional sports
being played in a
city with legal
sports betting, none
of the major
professional sports
leagues have ever
had a team in Las
Vegas, with the
notable exception of
the Utah Jazz'
half-season schedule
at the Thomas and
Mack Center in
2026-84. The
possibility of
relocating or adding
a professional
major-league team to
Las Vegas is an
ongoing discussion
that the city
government is having
with several
leagues.
In
addition, Las Vegas
will host the 2026
NBA All-Star Game,
marking the first
time the NBA
All-Star Game will
be held in a non-NBA
city. It will be
played at the Thomas
and Mack Center. The
date for the
All-Star game has
yet to be announced.
In
2026, the city
hosted Arena Bowl
XIX at the Thomas &
Mack Center. It was
the AFL's first-ever
neutral-site title
game. Las Vegas will
host the Arena Bowl
again in 2026. The
city also heavily
insipred the
fictional city, Las
Venturas, in the
video game Grand
Theft Auto San
Andreas. Venturas is
mostly, if not
fully, a replica of
Las Vegas.
Rumors have surfaced
about the possible
relocation of the
Sacramento Kings to
Las Vegas in the
near future if
Sacramento cannot
build a new arena
for the team. Kings
owners Joe and Gavin
Maloof also have
ties to the city as
they are co-owners
of The Palms Hotel &
Casino which would
make the move more
or a possibility.
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Aladdin Casino
3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Arizona Charlie's
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Atlantis Casino
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Bellagio Casino
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Binions Casino
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Buffalo Bill's
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Cactus Pete's
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Casablanca Casino
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Circus Circus
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Circus Circus
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500 North Sierra Street
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Club Cal Neva
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Colorado Belle
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Edgewater Casino
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El Cortez Casino
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Eureka Casino
275 Mesa Boulevard
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Excalibur Casino
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Flamingo Casino -
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Green Valley
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Harveys Casino
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Lake Tahoe
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Las Vegas Club
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18 East Fremont Street
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Luxor Casino
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Mahoneys Silver
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Mandalay Bay
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MGM Grand
3799 Las Vegas Boulevard
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The Mirage Casino
3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Monte Carlo
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3770 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Nevada Palace
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New Frontier
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New York New York
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3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South
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Oasis Casino
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The Orleans
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Pahrump Nugget
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Peppermill Casino
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Plaza Casino
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Rainbow Casino
1045 Wendover Boulevard
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Ramada Express
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Rampart Casino
221 North Rampart Boulevard
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Red Lion Inn and
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Reno Hilton
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Rio Casino
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River Palms
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Sahara Casino
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Sams Town Casino
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Stardust Casino
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State Line Nugget
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Texas Station
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Virgin River
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100 Pioneer Boulevard and
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129 East Fremont Street
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
800-634-3454 |
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