1. What Was The First Casino Ever Built
2. First Casino Ever Built In Las Vegas

Mission
The very first screen appearance of James Bond 007, made in 1954 for US TV channel CBS. Bond's task is to destroy the evil Le Chiffre, and his plan is to force him to lose a large sum of money at the gambling tables of Casino Royale.

What Was The First Casino Ever Built

The casino was built back in 1931, the same year gambling was made legal in the state of Nevada. Debra S./Yelp Construction on the Hoover Dam, just minutes down the road, began the same year that Railroad Pass opened.

Lets start with a little word play. CASINO is Italian. It does not always mean a place for gambling. I don’t know who first used the word, so as far as inventing a casino, that didn’t really ever happen. The oldest casino in the world, the Casino di Venezia, sits on the Grand Canal in Venice. Opened in 1638, it was originally a theatre called the Theatre Saint Moses, which had a wing for gambling. The first licensees to take advantage of the legalization of wide-open gaming were existing bingo parlors, card rooms and small casinos already operating games of chance. The first four licensees (Boulder Club, Las Vegas Club, Exchange Club and Northern Club) were located in Downtown Las Vegas, with many to follow in Reno and outlying areas.

Release Data
US Premiere: October 21, 1954 (CBS)
Part of the 'Climax!' TV Series (1954-1958)
Running Time: 60 minutes

Best Line
US Leiter: 'Are you the fellow that was shot?'
Bond: 'No, I'm the fellow that was missed'

History
Contrary to popular belief, the honour of being the first actor to play James Bond fell not on Sean Connery, but on American Barry Nelson, who starred in this live 1 hour production of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. The performance on 21st October 1954 (8.30pm EST) was the first in CBS's 'Climax' series of dramas.

CBS brought the rights for Fleming's first book for $1000. Since then the rights have gone via Charles Feldman's spoof of 1967 to Eon Productions, who picked them up in early 2000. The film, which is black and white, was actually lost until 1981, and even then all of the various VHS incarnations (except the Special Edition from Spy Guise Video) lack the climax of the film, stopping with Le Chiffre apparently dying, but having just got the razorblade from his hat.

Plot
The film is quite loyal to Fleming's version, with a few changes of nationality and sides. It starts with Bond being shot at but ducking behind a pillar outside the casino. Leiter (who is English and whose first name is Clarence) approaches 'Card Sense Jimmy Bond' as he is nicknamed, and is met by the first Bond one-liner (see 'Best Line').

Over supper Bond explains Baccarat to Leiter and the audience, and Leiter explains the CIA's Bond (not 007) his mission: Le Chiffre, the Soviet spymaster in France, is in financial difficulty, but intends to save his life and Communist funds by winning it back at the casino. Bond's job is to clean him out.

Matters are complicated when Bond's former lover, Valerie Mathis turns out to be a communist agent with Le Chiffre. They meet in Bond's room, and knowing about Le Chiffre's bug they turn up the music and kiss, before acting their parts for the villain.

The next night at the casino the game takes place. Bond is told if he wins, Valerie will die. Bond is beaten by Le Chiffre, but then gets an extra donation, with which he cleans out the 'toad'-like villain. Valerie disappears, and Bond returns to his room after dealing with a henchmen using a gun disguised as a cane. He hides the cheque just before Valerie comes (she is in fact a French agent, who supplied the extra donation), but Le Chiffre and his men capture them. Bond is tied to a bath and tortured by having his toenails removed with pliers (rather than Fleming's version using a seatless cane chair and carpet beater).

Valerie gives away the location of the cheque, but helps Bond reach the razorblade in Le Chiffre's cigarette case, which he had left on the bath. Bond escapes, and overcomes a henchmen. Le Chiffre enters the bathroom with a gun, and he and Bond shoot each other. Le Chiffre is more seriously hurt, but reaches another razorblade, hidden in his hat. Bond says 'call the police' just as Le Chiffre lunges. Bond fans with bad videos will now be infuriated as they miss the climax. Bond dodges the razor blade and finally overcomes Le Chiffre.

Above: The final scene which is missing in all VHS releases except the 1997 Special Edition by Spy Guise Video.

First Casino Ever Built In Las Vegas

Review
Peter Lorre is superb as the villain Le Chiffre. His toad-like looks and menacing acting make him a great villain. Michael Pate is annoying but acceptable as Englishman Leiter, and Linda Christian is competent enough as Valerie Mathis, although her looks are taken away from by the black and white.

But what about the first James Bond? Barry Nelson is just about okay. He is handsome and about the right age, and unlike Roger Moore he has at least read the books, although his Americanisation of Bond takes away slightly from Fleming's cold character. Nelson was born in San Francisco, California on 16th April 1920, and was a regular actor in mid-sized roles on Broadway in the '40s. Since Casino Royale he has appeared in 'Airport' (1970) and 'The Shining' (1980). So how did he do? Certainly he is credible as Bond, although he lacks flair. He delivers the one-liners sharply, and his interpretation of the role is not too bad, although being an American he will always look out of place. Nelson's Bond is hard and cold, as 007 should be. He struggles at the fight scenes (hardly surprising considering the production was filmed live) but he does a reasonable job, with a similar quality of acting to Lazenby.

The picture itself, directed by William H Brown Jr. and written by Antony Ellis and Charles Bennet, with music by Jerry Goldsmith is reasonably filmed, and remains tense throughout (an effect slightly spoiled by the needless use of Act intros). Obviously the usual special effects are lacking, but overall this is a credible performance of Fleming's book, with good production values and passable performances.

Availability
Spy Guise Video now made this amazing and historic program available back in 1997 - complete with the restored ending missing from previous video versions. The added ending restores the final confrontation between Bond and Le Chiffre in which Bond comes out victorious. There is a traditional Bond ending 'with a kiss' and then the credits appear.

This deluxe collector's edition also featured many extras: an exclusive overview of the life of Ian Fleming and the 'Casino Royale' legacy hosted by Lee Pfeiffer, co-author of the best-selling book 'The Essential Bond: An Authorized Celebration of 007'.

Additionally, this version contained rare promotional advertisements, photographs, and information about James Bond clubs, magazines and officially licensed collectibles.

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Gambling is a vital business for the Mafia. They’ve earned lots of money from playing card games and betting on virtually every sport. The Mafia ran numerous illicit and deluxe gambling joints all over the United States. The Mafia Bosses had police officers and other law enforcers on their payroll and thus their gambling maneuvers went down without interruption by state agencies. However, the 1931 legalization of gambling in the state of Nevada transformed the casino and gambling industry in the country. After the legalization of gambling in the state, there was little activity as only a few people cared, including military men from adjacent camps and some local cowboys.

The humble beginnings of a desert town

Positioned in the interior of the expansive Mojave Desert in Nevada, Las Vegas was a dusty town that seemed ages away from its now revered nightlife, casinos that operate round the clock as well as numerous other modern entertainment options. During the early 1940s, the town was essentially made up of a small number of filling stations, some slot machine shops and a few outlets dishing out junk food. Living or working in Las Vegas was not pleasant. The Mafia only caught onto the humongous money mining capability of the town after the end of World War II.

Mafiosi Bugsy Siegel

How the Fidel Castro Revolution impacted on Las Vegas

The famed American crime boss Alphonse Gabriel Al Capone, aka Scarface, aka Big Boy, aka Public Enemy No. 1, had a great interest in Las Vegas, although he wasn’t able to accomplish his agenda of transforming the town into a casino harbor for holidaymakers and gambling enthusiasts. As such, Las Vegas stayed without the Mafia until its potential was realized by

. The timing of the coming of these Mafiosi couldn’t be any better. Prior to the development of Las Vegas by these Mafiosi, American holidaymakers searching for a splendid gaming time had to travel to Cuba. The crooked Batista administration warmly received gangsters in Cuba; there were countless casinos and the earnings were great. About ten years passed after the first Las Vegas casino was opened and Cuba was swept with the Fidel Castro Revolution. Consequently, there was no choice for legitimate gambling other than heading to Las Vegas.

The Flamingo and other resorts

The moneyed Mafia launched The Flamingo, the first gaming resort in Las Vegas on Boxing Day of 1946, courtesy of Siegel’s superb organizational skills and creativity. The opening of several other resorts backed by Mafia followed suit. Gaming in Las Vegas became an exceedingly lucrative and lawful commercial activity for the Mafia. The previously dull dusty desert town was duly transformed into the ritzy Las Vegas Strip.

Before the mid-20th century, the New York City Mafia Families and Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit had launched businesses in Las Vegas. The Outfit operated three main casinos, specifically the Riviera, the Stardust and the Desert Inn. The Outfit opened other casinos in the 1960s including the Golden Nugget, the Fremont, and the Hacienda. Travelers from across the country and the rest of the world flocked Las Vegas to at least have a taste of the city’s unrivaled gaming, vibrant nightlife and world’s best entertainment.

Sharing the spoils

Many Mafia Families were coming up with gambling resorts as the existing businesses started being concerned about the shrinking of profits occasioned by increased competition. The different Mafia families from across the country struck a deal ensuring that each one would receive an intertwined profit share from the other’s resort. It was almost impossible to identify which resort was owned by who. Every Mafia Family received a share of the spoils; mind you it was a colossal share.

The fall of the Mafia

Enter the antisocial and self-centered magnate Howard Hughes in the 1960s, and businesses of Las Vegas Mafia started falling. Hughes rooted for and achieved the legislation of a Nevada law that banned conglomerates from having interests in casinos and resorts. Hughes went forth to purchase over fifteen gambling resorts, expelling Mafia from them. By the end of the 1970s, Hughes suffered huge losses instead of the huge profits he had craved for and thus left the casino business.

The Mafia made a comeback to the Las Vegas casinos, albeit for a short time. In the 1980s, the FBI instigated far-reaching assaults on the Las Vegas welfares owned by the Mafia. Casinos and resorts controlled by Mafia were taken by the FBI and vented to legitimate proprietors. The new landlords transformed the city’s appearance into a family-friendly vacation destination. The majority of the members of the Mafia were arrested and charged, mostly for tax evasion, and faced the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in jail.

Online casino gaming

Las Vegas still carries on with its gambling legacy as it’s the hub of some of the world’s best online casinos that can be played from any corner of the world. Gaming enthusiasts do not need to travel all the way to Las Vegas for gambling; rather, one can gamble and play slot games online and enjoy free spins and other casino bonuses upon registering. It’s only a matter of time before online casino becomes fully legal in all states in the US.