History of Las Vegas: From Mob-Run Deserts to Glittering Entertainment Hub

10 Key Moments in Las Vegas History

1. 1905 – Railway Town in the Desert is Born: Over 110 acres were earmarked in 1905 as the site of a junction town linking California with Salt Lake City. 

2. 1930s – First Gambling Licenses are Issued: With a depressed economy, Las Vegas starts to liberalize its gambling and marriage laws to cater to itinerant workers. The Northern Club is the first Nevada club to acquire a gaming license. The new Hoover Dam attracts thousands of workers who need entertainment, food, and gambling. 

3. 1940s – First Hotel-Casinos Appear in Las Vegas: With a new airbase nearby bringing in thousands of airmen, Las Vegas builds its first hotel-casino resort: the El Rancho. It marks the birth of the Las Vegas Strip. Soon, the El Rancho is joined by the Flamingo, the first post-war casino to appear on the Strip. It’s the first Mafia-run casino to be built and run by Bugsy Siegel. 

4. 1950s – Casino Giants Take Over Vegas: Binion’s Horseshoe opened its doors in 1951, followed a year later by Sahara Hotel & Casino. Casinos are still dominated by the Mafia, but funding is added to from investment banks and unions. By the mid-1950s, casino-resorts are attracting Hollywood superstars like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. 

5. 1980s – Las Vegas Begins to Modernize: The 1970s had started to see a small rise in mega-casinos, but these didn’t explode until the 1980s. Billionaires like Steve Wynn introduced slicker resorts like the Wynn, while Sheldon Adelson purchased the Sands Hotel & Casino before constructing America’s first private convention center. 

6. 1990s – Super-Resorts Transform Las Vegas: The 1990s marks Las Vegas’s biggest period of growth. A wave of bigger resorts and super-casinos hits the Strip, including Luxor, Bellagio, and MGM Grand. 

7. 2000s – Las Vegas Goes 5-Star as World’s Entertainment Hub: Las Vegas’s place as the world’s #1 gambling destination is seriously challenged by emerging hubs like Macau. New casinos are built on the Strip, including Aria and the Cosmopolitan. The new resorts are slicker and cleaner than anything built before. However, there’s no doubt that Vegas’s new wave of resorts lacks the fun of casinos built in the 1990s.

8. 2010s – Las Vegas Becomes Entertainment & Sports Hub: Las Vegas continues its move away from being a solely gambling destination. Tourists now flock to the city for its musicals, concerts, and sports events. Taylor Swift held a mini-residency in Las Vegas as part of her Eras Tour. In addition, Las Vegas is now one of the main stops on the Formula 1 racing calendar.