The model for the Strip casino resort had been set for over two decades when the first really new idea came to Las Vegas. With only 63 rooms at opening, it was a fraction of the size of today's Strip megaliths, but it had all the elements - gambling, dining, lodging, entertainment, retail - that Strip resorts have today. Gambling in Las Vegas had been around since 1931, but for the first time at the El Rancho Vegas, it became part of a larger resort complex that could appeal to both casual vacationers and serious gamblers. But that all changed when California hotelier Thomas Hull opened the doors of the El Rancho Vegas, the first self-contained casino resort on what would, over the next decade, become the Las Vegas Strip. Mostly confined to downtown clubs and a few small roadhouses on Boulder Highway and Highway 91, the artery leading south to Los Angeles. Originally, gambling in Las Vegas was small-scale. The first gambling halls were small, but this was the origin of today's international commercial casino industry. When Balzar signed the law, it again became legal for saloons and hotels to offer games like craps and blackjack. In early 1931, reeling from the effects of the Great Depression, lawmakers considered returning to a regime of 'wide open' gambling, which would allow commercial establishments to bank games once more. In 1909, thanks to Progressive opposition, the state criminalized gambling, though over the years a series of carve-outs allowed low-stakes social games - pastimes like poker, played against other players and not against a central bank. Here's the difference: In 1869, Nevada first legalized commercial gambling, which back then was primarily card and dice games played against the house. Rather, it brought back 'wide open' gambling. 98, which Governor Fred Balzar signed into law on this day, didn't 'legalize gambling' in Nevada. March 19, 1931: Commercial Gambling (Re) legalized

The five dates discussed below are significant milestones that show how Las Vegas developed its dominance-and how it is hoping to retain it in the future. About 80 percent of that revenue comes from Las Vegas. Today, Nevada's gaming industry is a juggernaut the largest in the United States and second largest in the world, with annual casino revenues of more than $11 billion.

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