The first Las Vegas gambling license was issued to Mayme Stocker at the Northern Club. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Sure, Las Vegas is best known for its casinos, night life, and hotels (15 of the world's 25 largest hotels by room count can be found on the Las Vegas Strip). But the entertainment capital of the world can keep you busy without spending stacks of cash. Even if you're not into casinos. VSIN is the sports betting network, expert analysts, live odds, betting lines and data for every sport so you can bet on sports with confidence. It is with good reason that this city in Nevada is known as the gambling capital of the world. Yet, the world changes and people are always looking for new places to go to and different ways to have fun. Bearing this in mind, it is a good moment to consider whether Las Vegas is still the planet’s top gambling. Your Las Vegas elopement doesn’t have to be all lights, gambling, and Elvis Presley impersonators—our favorite venues for eloping in Vegas are outdoors and absolutely stunning! Be it the red rock of Valley of Fire or the historic vibe of Nelson Ghost Town, there are so many options that allow you to enjoy the glitz and glam of the Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is one of the most iconic and popular cities in the world today and is highly recognizable even by those who have never set foot into Vegas. Known for its swanky casinos, night life, parties, women, booze and all the finer things in life, Las Vegas is a city like no other.

The Entertainment Capital of the World, Sin City, the City of Lights, etc. are all nick names that Las Vegas has rightfully acquired over time, but the question we are asking today is one of Vegas’ history – How did it get the status that it enjoys today? How did Vegas become America’s Gambling Capital?

Turning back the clock

To comprehend the evolution of this highly developed city in the middle of nowhere, we need to turn the clocks back to the year 1905 which is when Vegas was officially founded. The mighty Vegas of today had very humble beginnings. The city was born out of requirement for a rest stop for the thousands of railroad workers who were stationed at that site. In fact, 1905 is also the year where the railroads were introduced in this dusty part of the country. With the expansion of the rail road industry, the rest stop began to grew, and it was not many years after, that Vegas had bloomed into a full-fledged society or human civilization and even had its own print media, financial institutions, ice plants, brickyards and as many as thousand five hundred inhabitants.

Something else happened during this phase of growth which acted as a catalyst to the development and industrialization of Las Vegas. A land rush was created by Las Vegas Land and Water Company and this was the first amongst several so-called booms to affect the city.

Construction boom

Las Vegas Capital One

Fast forward to the thirties, and more good news was headed Vegas’ way. The rate of development had settled down, but the town still expanded and grew at a steady rate. News that a hydroelectricity producing dam was going to be constructed on the Colorado meant that more finances were poured into this area of the country by investors and this really reignited the growth of Las Vegas like never before.

The construction of the Dam, which is known today as the Hoover Dam, roped in thousands of job openings at a time when the economic weather was grim in the rest of the country.

With the availability of jobs and money, it was not long before the strength of Las Vegas doubled what it was just a decade ago. Furthermore, investors poured money into private construction projects in the area and the Government invested in public construction projects which in turn led to more jobs, more money, and a new-found vigor for the growth of Las Vegas.

However, the gambling association that this city is so closely knitted with now a days was mostly the result of a piece of legislation 1931 which essentially legalized gambling and this started to attract people from all over the country. This was the second phase in the growth of Las Vegas and its affinity for casinos and gambling.

The rise of a new resort town

By the 1950’s, Las Vegas was already a well-developed resort town which was viewed by most people across the country as a getaway location with nice resorts, clubs and casinos. It soon started gaining attention as the countries go to city for all things gambling, glitz and glamour.

The history of Las Vegas is riddled with mobsters and casino gangsters. One of the most infamous ones at that was the one and only Bugsy Siegel and despite being a hardened criminal and mobster, many people credit him for almost single handedly boosting the casino industry in Las Vegas which ultimately led to the city becoming what it is today.

Furthermore, because of the infiltration of mobsters into many of the big casinos, the government took action and forced casinos to either shut down or clean up their acts and this led to casinos pouring back large chunks of their profits back into growth and development which resulted in more stable jobs, and an improved economic climate throughout the city.

A family friendly vacation spot

As organized crime was fought strategically by the government, it started to become increasingly more difficult for criminal gangs to sustain themselves and most, if not all of the big criminal rings and operations died out at the turn of the seventies. With this, more corporations and big shot industrialists and tycoons started to invest in Las Vegas and brought forward yet another boom in the development and growth of this city.

Vegas went from being a shady gambling getaway riddled with mobsters to a family friendly vacation spot with innumerable gaming and entertainment options within just a few years and this continue through the eighties and nineties. Furthermore, it also became a hotspot for bachelor and bachelorette parties. News of the fun and entertainment that Vegas had to offer spread through the country like wildfire in the 80s and 90s and this saw the biggest influx of visitors into the city than ever before. In fact, people from around the world were flying into Las Vegas for its high-stake gambling opportunities and luxurious lifestyle options.

As of today, Vegas is a city which remains largely unaffected by the ups and downs of the American economy. It has become somewhat of an evergreen (which is ironic since it is in a desert) playground for grown-ups. Las Vegas also has an edge and some freedoms as a city such as – no state income tax, low property taxes, low unemployment, and great weather almost year-round.Today, Vegas is home to over half a million permanent residents and also home to tons of the biggest and best casinos, hotels and resorts in the world.

Reviews

Las Vegas is in the western region of the United States and it is situated in the state of Nevada. The Spanish word 'Las Vegas' means 'The Meadows' in English and was at first found in the 1829 by the group of explorers led by Antonio Armijo, the Mexican merchant looking for a way to Los Angeles. Before then Las Vegas was known as the 'route of death'. Though, searching for water exposed springs in the valley, which made the voyage shorter by numerous days.

Las Vegas stayed almost unidentified until the year of 1844, when the traveler John C. Fremont, made a record in his tour log featuring how his journey camped there during the spring. However, it was ten years prior this event that Las Vegas became an everlasting agreement for Mormon missionaries. They erected a fort to make the mail stop in Los Angeles as well as Salt Lake Cit. It was the Mormons' aim to teach agriculture to Paiute Indians. But, in 1857 this was discarded as the Paiutes attacked the fort and discarded their wisdom.

In the year 1902, the U.S. Senator William Clark from Montana purchased the privileges to the Mormon agreement, together with water privileges and 2,000 acres of land. It was his objective to build up a city and he handled to build a railroad for spray locomotives.

The city was formally discovered in the year 1905 and integrated in the year 1911 with a populace of just 800. At first severe anti-gambling rules managed the region of Nevada but this all altered in the year 1931 when gambling was lawful all over the state of Nevada. That similar year divorce rules were passive in Nevada, making Las Vegas a place to get a divorce later than just six weeks of custody.

It was after the Second Great War, that Las Vegas started to grow its status of 'Sin City'. Hotels as well as casinos were grown and amusement and visiting attractions became the valley's biggest owner. Therefore, by the year 1960 affluent industrialists were being drawn to the capital. Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian was a main performer in growing the recent capital; he bought Flamingo and in the year 1968 he opened the largest inn on earh, the Worldwide Hotel.

Currently, a long period after it’s beginning, Las Vegas is one of the biggest towns of the 20th Century along with a populace of more than 2 million. Magnificent restaurants are still being formed, all larger and more comfortable than ever. Lastly, Las Vegas remains the most vigorous competitor for the world's main sights.

Things about Las Vegas you may be interested in

Read about Las Vegas in our travel-guide
What to do in VegasBest clubs in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Travel guide

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 (7.2 km) stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is mostly outside the Las Vegas city limits, in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester. The center of gambling in the United States, Las Vegas is marketed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, also commonly known as Sin City or Vice City, due to the popularity of legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages at any time (as is true throughout Nevada), and various forms and degrees of adult... Read more »

Vegas again and again - Nov 26, 2006, by MadSuh
I stayed down at Isaac's place for a night down in Long Beach. He just got a new place so it was all empty. I did have some cushions and a sleeping bag:) We went out that night and some drunk guy called me fag because of the man purse I am... Read more »

Visiting Las Vegas - Jun 20, 2010, by MadSuh
Heading to Vegas is always nice for me. I just like the desert. A lot of people find it boring, but to me it's a place of freedom and maybe peace as well, anyhow it will give you time to think about anything you want. When finally driving... Read more »

Getting around in Vegas - Feb 22, 2006, by travelgrove-editor
Population: 478,434 Major Airports: McCarran International Airport (LAS) When to Go: The summers are scorching hot, but this is one of the best times to go if you are looking for cheap deals. Other times of the year to get a great deal... Read more »

Las Vegas, the Casino City - Feb 22, 2006, by travelgrove-editor
Las Vegas is situated in the lower part of the state of Nevada and sits in the center of the Mojave Desert, who would have guessed to find in the desert, a city of lights, and all you can eat buffets, casinos and the ultimate city of... Read more »

Enjoy yourself in Las Vegas, NV - Feb 27, 2009, by MadSuh
Las Vegas is one of the best places to visit. It's one of the few destinations that offer a little bit of everything as well as a lot of extras. Besides all the gambling that people think of, there are a ton of other things to do. Whether... Read more »

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