The stank of cigarette smoke hung in the air constantly, making the front door a de facto entrance into a coal mine. The carpets hadn’t been cleaned in years. Each sportsbook had its own clientele and atmosphere.īy the time I visited Little Caesar’s it was approaching its final days.

The three most notable were the Imperial Palace, Barbary Coast, and Caesars Palace. Other Las Vegas casinos carved out their niches in horseracing and sports betting. But the Stardust remained the hangout for sharps and wiseguys. The Las Vegas Hilton (Superbook) eventually eclipsed the Stardust in size and betting handle. Other casinos followed the Stardust lead and opened their race and sportsbook. Why promote something, and let Little Caesar’s and other turf clubs rake in all the profits? And so, the Stardust Race and Sportsbook was born, which instantly became the epicenter of (legal) sports gambling in America. He wanted sports gambling at the Stardust, not so much for the huge revenues it brought in, but rather because he did a popular local television show in the casino showroom that often discussed sports gambling. In the mid-’70s, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthalwas among the first to lobby for changes. So, the truce held for a quarter-century. Besides, they took up lots of space and brought in a demographic that wasn’t appealing to casinos at the time (lowlifes, degenerates). Casinos didn’t view race and sports as lucrative ventures at the time. Reflecting an uneasy truce of heavy-handed forces, race and sportsbook owners agreed to take action in stand-alone betting parlors, called “turf clubs.” In return for being left alone, they agreed to not offer casino games, or hotel stays. Although gambling was legalized in Nevada nearly two decades earlier, wagering on horse racing and sporting events wasn’t allowed until 1949. The history of sportsbooks in Las Vegas is interesting, and little known. To describe Little Caesar’s as “a dive” would be giving it far too much credit. It was wedged in the middle of a run-down shopping center on the Las Vegas Strip just south of Bally’s(which was the MGM many years earlier). Though I visited only once, in 1986, I remember Little Caesar’s well. Churchill Downs, Leroy’s, and others were the only places where sports wagers were accepted. Long before “Little Caesar’s” become synonymous with a national pizza chain, it was one of a handful of stand-alone race and sportsbooks in Las Vegas.

Super Bowl week is a good time to remember and reminisce.

Remembering Little Caesar’s and other smaller casinos in Las Vegas which for many years were the only places that legally took sports bets. Las Vegas History: Remembering Little Caesar’s

Casinos owned by caesars