For every small or big gambler Las Vegas is the ultimate dream destination. There are multiple reasons which makes people to visit this great city, but for the gaming enthusiasts it is a life time opportunity to try their luck.
This gambling mecca is known to be a “make-you town or a break-you town and bring-you down” city and attracts gamesters like moths to a candle flame. Apart from gambling activities, this Sin City is also quite popular for the hospitality services provided by its hotels, resorts and casinos.
These activities involve live performances by artist and groups along with other great nightlife opportunities.
But when it comes to gambling, this city is the top most tourist destination of the world. This can be attributed to the fact that every human being is susceptible to urge of adrenaline rush. What more can be more adventurous than trying your luck through cards, roll of dice or through any of the other casino games? Even if you are not an inveterate gambler, you will not find it unusual to spend some of your pennies at one of your favourite slot games. Las Vegas has certainly crossed millions of miles from being a derelict city in a desert to its inception as the paradise of casinos.
Brief History of Las Vegas
The City of Las Vegas was discovered by Spanish Explorer Rafael Rivera in 1829, while he was on his way to California. At that time this place was nothing but a small oasis. He named this place as Las Vegas which literally means ”the meadows”.
Over the next hundred years, this place was a resting place for Mexicans as well as Mormons on their way to the “land of great opportunities”. All started to change when the railroad reached this small squalid town in 1905.
This connected Las Vegas to another major cities on the coast line and led to its rise to become one of the greatest and iconic cities of the world.
Rise of Casinos in Las Vegas
After its incorporation in 1911, railroad workers and ranchers played a major role in making Las Vegas what it is today. Even during the Nevada ban on gambling, this city was home to secret speakeasies and bootlegging.
This ban also helped many mafias to establish their gambling operations in Las Vegas. With construction of Hoover Dam, thousands of workers started pouring into this city which led to a boom in the gambling and prostitution. This sudden rush helped in establishment of new casinos and dance bars at the Freemont Street.
Advent of Organized Gambling in Las Vegas
El Rancho Vegas resort was the first hotel that opened in Las Vegas, it was followed by a spurt of new casinos establishments in the same area. Even today this slip of land is still there and proudly known as “The Strip”.
In 1946, the world-famous Flamingo, known for its high-class services and entertainment provided by Hollywood celebrities, was opened. After this resort many popular casinos such as the Riviera, the New Frontier, The Sands and the Sahara started their businesses between 1950-60s.
Howard Hughes purchased the Desert Inn in 1966 and then went on two buy dozen more hotels which lead to a huge property boom in this sector. In 1989, Steve Wynn started a chain of various resorts thus transforming The Strip into one of the iconic centres of the world. Today Las Vegas receives more than forty million visitors and generates a revenue of more than sixteen billion US dollars per year.
