Home » The History Of Las Vegas: How The City Became The Casino Capital Of The World

The History Of Las Vegas: How The City Became The Casino Capital Of The World

For both punters and non-gamblers alike, Las Vegas is not a city that needs any introduction. It is very renowned as the entertainment home of the world. In this city, people get to relax, gamble, and have fun. These kinds of activities are expected in the casino capital of the world.

However, the question now is, how did this small town situated in a once-sleepy desert evolve into the center of gambling globally? From the glitz and glamour of the physical casinos to the convenience and accessibility of online casino real money USA platforms, Las Vegas has embraced technology and innovation to cater to the ever-growing demands of gamblers worldwide. We shall answer this question as we proceed in this write-up.

The Birth Of Las Vegas

The origin of Las Vegas goes as far back as the early 20th century; 1905 to be precise. At this time, the city was nothing more than a little railroad town. And it was only after the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s that the town’s size and popularity began to increase. This was a direct result of the immigration of the dam workers which later led to a population explosion in the area.

First Las Vegas Casinos

Now, the very first casinos built in Las Vegas came up in the 1940s. However, these were not the same kind as the regal and huge structures in existence today. The very first casino opened within a year after the dam construction was completed but it was built as a hotel-casino.

And it was called The El Rancho Vegas. Here, you could get a room and board for as low as one dollar. Other early casinos that were erected were also smaller and more modest than modern-day ones. As such, the range of games were very limited to just slot machines and a couple of table games.

The El Rancho Vegas And The Las Vegas Strip

El Rancho Vegas

As stated earlier, the El Rancho Vegas was the first casino to be built in the city and it began operation in 1941. It stood on land that was once used as a dude ranch and featured a hotel, a Western-themed casino, and a restaurant.

This first casino proved to be a success and thus, motivated other wealthy entrepreneurs to begin their own gambling platforms in the city. And this led to the birth of the Las Vegas Strip.

The Las Vegas Strip

The development of the Las Vegas Strip was credited to Bugsy Siegel, a very popular gangster at the time. Although known for his Mob relations, this did not deter him as he went in search of a casino hotel beyond the city limits.

There, he met a man, Billy Wilkerson, who owned a resort named Flamingo. Bugsy posed as a legit businessman and offered to help Billy with his funding problem. And this caused him to sell two-thirds of the Flamingo to Bugsy who eventually battered him with threats till he left for Paris.

Bugsy then proceeded to complete the Flamingo Hotel and Casino project in 1946 and it became the first casino on the strip. The Flamingo was a regal resort that featured the following:

  • A hotel
  • A casino
  • A restaurant
  • A swimming pool

Future Casino Developments

Online casinos are a dream come true for players. They have eliminated the need to commute to casinos, offer players better deals, have a wider variety of games, and enabled players to meet people worldwide. What can you expect in the coming years?

1. Cryptocurrency Payments

What’s one thing people care about when choosing a casino site? Their money! Everything on the site may be good, but if the payment methods are not good enough, it loses clients. When people are choosing payment methods, they think of the following:

  • The speed of the transactions,
  • The cost of the transactions,
  • Limitations on the transaction amounts, and
  • The security of these processes.

While traditional payment methods have often proven effective, they are subject to delays, high costs, and even security breaches. Thus, the introduction of cryptocurrencies has been a welcome idea. The transactions are instantaneous, incur minimal to zero costs, and are immutable. What more could a player want?

2. Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality casino

Let’s go back to a few decades ago when bingo was only available in halls. At the time, people had an easy time making friends. Many people played bingo to get out of the house and enrich their social lives. And if they made some money during the process, even better! The same goes for casinos. People viewed them as venues to make friends and unwind after long days.

After online casinos became the in-thing, this changed. People would enjoy casinos from the comfort of their homes and seldom got to see each other. Casinos tried compensating for this using live chats, social media pages, and community forums. These bridged the gap between the players. But still, there’s no denying that physical separation exists.

Online casino operators want to solve this through virtual reality. The technology allows players to adopt avatars and interact with others in a virtual world. They can chat with each other like they would in real life. And they can play together as if they are in a casino. It boasts all the advantages of online casino games with the added perk of human touch, albeit digitally.

3. Blockchain Technology

How secure is your data in an online casino? People often question security measures on online sites. And given the cybercrimes over the recent years, they have a right to have concerns. So, what are online casino operators doing about it?

They have adopted blockchain technology which helps them in the following areas:

  1. It maintains the integrity of games by ensuring nobody can hack the systems and alter RTPs and sequences,
  2. It safeguards player information, keeping intruders away from the data, and
  3. It eases payment facilitation on the site.

Blockchain also has several other uses that casinos consider in the wake of adopting this technology.

4. Artificial Intelligence

ai gambling

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked debates worldwide. But as much as it may have some downsides, it promises a lot of good, especially to the casino world. How?

  • It learns player patterns and can suggest games to players, enabling them to enjoy the casinos more,
  • It can send targeted marketing efforts to the right players, reducing marketing costs while boosting the return on income, and
  • It can nip cheating in the bud by tracking suspicious players and banning those caught in the act.

Plus, it is an amazing forecasting tool that can predict a new game’s success or lack thereof.

5. Live Dealer Games

Do you miss live games where you could watch the expression of other players as you made your move? Online operators are bringing this back with their live dealer sessions. So, you get to enjoy the excitement of the games while at home.

Conclusion

The evolution of Las Vegas from a railroad town to the casino capital of the world is quite fascinating. And even now, many brick-and-mortar gambling platforms still dominate the city. If you wish to participate, simply make your way to Las Vegas, the casino capital of the world. It’s hard to imagine that casinos can get even better than they are. But as it turns out, operators are working hard to match the developing technologies to amplify the gambler’s experience. After all, if previous decades are anything to go by, failure to adapt results in business losses. So, what technologies are casinos adopting?