Casino Gaming History and News

This week in Nevada, one of the biggest stories was the passing of brothel owner Dennis Hof. To many across the country and world, he was the face of the American brothel industry. This week we have decided to look back at some of the history of brothels in Nevada and show you all of our fantasy brothel chips that pay tribute to these establishments.

In 1971, the Mustang Ranch would become the first brothel to be licensed in the state of Nevada. What would follow later is 10 of the 17 counties in Nevada allowing legal brothels to operate. The Mustang Ranch became the most profitable brothel when it came to revenue and they outdid everyone else combined at that time in the 1970s.

Brothels were known to be in existence since the mining days of the 1800s, but the Mustang Ranch was the first one again to be licensed. Each country that allows brothels in Nevada has different licensing requirements. Licensing fees to operate can be anywhere between $100,000 to $200,000. Workers are required to register with the county sheriff and there are weekly checkups. And any county with more than 700,000 people in Nevada cannot have a licensed brothel.

As for the Mustang Ranch, it closed in 1999 when the federal government took it over due to tax fraud and other crimes.  Its owner Joe Conforte fled to Brazil in 1991 to avoid charges and reportedly still lives there to this day. In 2010, a movie titled Love Ranch was made about the Mustang Ranch. Actor Joe Pesci of Casino and Goodfellas fame played Joe Conforte.

Many adult men and women come into our store in Downtown Las Vegas and enjoy looking at our brothel chips and some of the funny adult appropriate sayings on them. Some end up take one or two and others end up taking an entire bunch of them. For a great humor gift for the upcoming holidays or just to collect a few, you can purchase each brothel chip clicking each picture below. The majority of our brothel chips cost $3 a piece. Please note some of these images of the chips may not be safe for work.

We also have a state one that tributes the brothels as well you can purchase below: 

We always like to talk about the different customers who visit Spinettis. One of those groups of people are our poker enthusiasts who come from all across the country and the entire world to our store here in Downtown Las Vegas to purchase poker supplies. Many of them end up taking hundreds of our home game poker chips back to their respective cities and countries.

So this week we are going to focus on all of our different kinds of home poker chips. There are a few different kinds of poker chips where some have denominations and others do not. The benefit of having poker chips that do not have denominations on them is you can use them both for tournament and cash games and change the amount value of each chip. Below you will see descriptions of each of our different types of chips and you can click on each picture to purchase.

Denomination Poker Chips:

Dunes Commemorative Chips: These are one of our most popular purchases because it pays tribute to the Las Vegas Strip Casino of the past Dunes. The chips actually look like the real ones that were used at the casino. Aside, many players come in after purchasing an original set and buy additional chips as they become popular with their home game pals. The chips are 9 grams. You can purchase any of our 10 different denominations clicking the picture below.

11.5 Gram High Roller Casino Poker Chip: Perhaps the thing that makes these chips special is the fact that they have the famous Las Vegas sign on them. These chips will make you remember your Las Vegas strip or the positive things you have about the city. You can click the picture below to purchase.

Coin Inlay Poker Chips Casino Las Vegas: More often than not you do not see the casinos use coin inlay chips anymore. This set pays tribute to earlier times when coin inlay chips were more common. A great 14 gram chip that stands out is what comes to mind and looks like something that looks very appealing to play with. You can purchase the chips clicking the picture below.

Ace King/Denomination Chips: Are you a fan of the card and suits? These gold hot stamped denomination chips are great for someone who would like a colorful chip game set with a lot going on. Each denomination has its own unique multicolored style. You can buy some below clicking the picture.

Desert Palace Casino Poker Chips: Though not a real place, these Desert Palace chips are also one of our popular choices among home game poker players and sometimes dealing school students who are looking for a hot stamped denomination chip. What’s great about the Desert Palace chips is there are denomination chips from 5 cents all the way up to 50,000. Purchase below clicking the picture.

Tournament NCV Chips: I like to call these our slick chip because the detail on them just stands out. These chips are perfect for any poker tournament you would like to hold. Not much more to say on these other than they are one of our other popular sellers. Their presentation says it all. They are 14 grams chips. You can buy them below clicking the picture.

Nevada Club 15 Gram Chips: If you are looking for something a little heavier, these chips are actually made of brass. These chips are very durable. Unlike our other clay composite chips, when you are playing with them, you will for sure get a different feeling and sound from them. Everyone has an acquired taste for their home poker chips and this very well may be the ones you want. Click the picture below to purchase:

Non denomination poker chips:

Double Dice poker Chips: Our most economical chip that we have. If you are just looking for the standard clay composite chip in numerous colors, this one will for sure do the trick. This is also a popular chip for our aspiring dealing school students. Clicking the picture below gets you these. They are 11.5 gram sized chips.

FAD Diamond Chips: These chips are great for both home game poker and roulette chips. As mentioned at the top, you can change the denominations to whatever you want. These 11.5 gram chip comes in eight different colors. Click below to purchase:

Suited Poker Chip:  You will find hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades on all of these 11.5 gram chips. A classic design that can be used for both home game and cash games. Purchase clicking the picture below:

Tri-Color 14g Ace / King Pro Poker Chips: People love being dealt pocket aces and pocket kings. These 14 gram chips are very colorful with hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds also on the chip as well. As noted, everyone has their preference, but these chips make a great selection. Click below to purchase:

A rare first edition Stardust $1 chip:

For the ultimate Stardust fan, the place opened in 1958 and this was the first one dollar chip on the tables. 60 years later, here it is for someone to purchase. Price is $2475. Send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767 if you are interested.

A very cool Blackjack Layout:

This Royal 21 Blackjack layout from Silverton Casino in Las Vegas is in great shape and makes for a great addition to any gaming table. Price on this layout is $75. Send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767 if interested.

By now you probably know that Spinettis Gaming Supplies is broken down into many different categories of what our business provides to gaming enthusiasts and collectors everywhere. Aside from our custom chips and card guards, we wanted to show you some of our other custom items that we can do for playing with, using for an event or a different promotional reason.

Custom Plaques:

Known usually to be involved in the game of baccarat, plaques have their cultural relevance in a variety of different movies and TV shows. Unlike a casino chip, plaques always standout on a table because of their size. Whether you want to make some really cool promotional items that are plaques or use them for gaming, it can be done. There is a minimum quantity of 25. Each one is $1.12 each. There is also a $35 artwork setup fee. Additional artwork charges may apply. You can purchase custom plaques and find out more information clicking the picture below in various cards.

Custom cards:

For playing purposes and again promotional reasons, we can make digital print playing decks of cards for your next great gaming event to promote or play with. We have the ability to do standard poker size decks or bridge size decks (10 cents more per deck). Prices on decks are below. There is a minimum quantity of 12. There is an ability to do custom faces on the cards as well besides your custom cards backs. Linen finish is also available for an additional $0.45 per deck and custom print boxes, but those start at a minimum quantity of 100 boxes.

Rates for cards:

12 decks $15.99 per deck

24 decks $14.99 per deck

48 decks $7.99 per deck

100 decks $5.49 per deck

250 decks $4.74 per deck

350 decks $3.47 per deck

500 decks $3.10 per deck

750 decks $2.99 per deck

1000 decks $2.29 per deck

Setup for backs $35

Setup for faces $200

If interested, we can get you an accurate quote by sending us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or calling us at 702-362-8767. See some examples of past digital print playing cards we have done for different clients below.

There is also the ability to do real 100 percent plastic Copag playing cards. Send us an inquiry to find out more information.  

Custom cases:

We recently made these custom chip cases with a company logo on them for an event you can see in the picture below. We have the ability to take a variety of our chip cases and put a custom plaque on the case. For this project, we used our 200 cherry wood chip cases. Pricing depends on quantity and product. If interested, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

Custom dice:

Though a little more expensive, custom dice are also an option. Each custom dice stick (5 dice) requires a custom die for $60, the stick of dice costs $39.99 and there is a one time setup charge of $35. If ordering numerous pairs/designs at same time, there would only be one setup fee. If you are interested in custom dice, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

Custom cut cards:

If you are a casino or run a gaming room, cut cards may be something you want to have your company be remembered. We have the ability to do either a bridge sized cut card or a poker sized cut card. Minimum order is 100 cut cards in a variety of colors. It comes with a $35 artwork setup fee. See some examples and click the picture below to buy your 100 custom cut cards. 100 is the MINIMUM order quantity again.

Custom Card Guards:

And finally, one of our most popular custom items is our custom card guard for poker. For $19.95 you can make a great gift come to fruition for the holidays. All details about ordering a custom card are below clicking the picture.

Casino chairs:

We have shown you all of our tables over the last few weeks. Today, we are going to show you some of our gaming table chairs we currently have. If you are interested in any of these items, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

We have a set of 6 red chrome chairs for $375:

Blackjack chairs for $40 a piece:

Blackjack barstools for $90 each:

6 Blackjack and Chrome Chairs Set for $150:

This week, the Museum of Gaming History partnered with us to display some Nevada history.

Two displays are currently viewable to the general public to see for free at our Downtown Las Vegas location at 810 S Commerce Street. On having the displays in his store from the Museum of Gaming History, our owner Mike Spinetti said this:

"Gaming collectibles have been my life-long passion. Being on the Mob Museum Advisory Board, being a life member of both the MoGH and the Casino Collectibles Association, (CCA) and, after retiring from my real day job, opening a store in downtown Las Vegas specializing in buying/selling/trading gaming antiques and casino chips is like Christmas everyday. Hence my willingness to have these display cases available for everyone to see pieces of this fabulous hobby!"

The first display pays tribute to the Flamingo Capri that was opened from 1959 to 1979 on Las Vegas Boulevard at the location where the Imperial Palace once sat and is now home to The Linq. It will take you through the history of this Flamingo expansion property that was the first resort in Las Vegas to have an artificial lake. Everything from casino chips used at the Flamingo Capri to matchbooks, roof tiles, and dinner menus are on display with dozens of other items.

The other display pays tribute to Nevada’s atomic history which focuses on the nuclear testing that was done at the Nevada Testing Site that was 65 miles away in Nye County. This presentation shows off some of the testing photos and also photos of some of the Miss Atomic Bomb beauty pageant winners which were held mostly in Las Vegas, Nevada.

President of the Casino Collectibles Association and the Southern Nevada Casino Collectibles Club Jerry Vergatos added, "Michael Spinetti has shown true dedication to the Museum of Gaming History time and time again. Patron, Supporter, Backer, Sponsor, Donor, Contributor, are all synonyms that best describe Mr. Spinetti."

We look forward to you coming by and seeing the two displays and seeing all the new stuff we currently have in our store.

Deal of the century: 144 Stratosphere Casino Decks, one case for $72

You can get 144 decks of Stratosphere Hotel and Casino decks for 50 cents a deck. Price for the case is $72. A deal like this will not becoming around again any time soon. Get in on this deal while we still have them and click the picture below to buy.

New Monte Carlo Las Vegas Casino Dice in Stock:

With Monte Carlo’s name changing to Park MGM, this is your chance to get a pair of Monte Carlo casino dice from the now closed casino. You can purchase a pair of dice for $2.25 or buy a few clicking the picture below:

Flamingo Hotel and Casino Chip from 1948:

This $5 chip is no doubt a rare find. If you want to go back 70 years to the 1940s, you can with this chip. Our asking price is $425. Send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767 if you are interested.

A rack of North Las Vegas Fiesta casino chips for $2 a chip:

You can get this whole rack of chips from the Fiesta Casino in North Las Vegas for $200 and 33 percent off. Click the picture below, add 100 chips to your cart and enter the promo code fiesta to purchase. We only have one rack.

48 Nevada Club Reno roulette chips for $100

For the ultimate roulette chip collector out there, they make like this set of 48 roulette chips from Nevada Club Reno. Price on the set is $100. If you are interested, send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

We are getting in a generous mood at Spinettis Gaming Supplies as we move closer to the holiday season. We have sliced prices on many of our casino tables. Besides cutting prices on some of our current tables, we’ve also have made some new additions to our retail floor. Without further interruption, let’s begin and show you everything we have.

If you are interested in any table, send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767

The Flamingo Burlesque Sit Down blackjack table was $1350, but now it is $999. You can see pictures below:

Aside from this sit down table, we also just got in this new stand up Flamingo blackjack table for $1199.

For in store customers only, if you come to our Downtown Las Vegas location, you can now get our folding leg blackjack table in either blue or green for the price of $199.

Playing roulette on a real casino table does not get more affordable than this. You can have a roulette table from the historic Las Vegas Club that was down on Fremont Street for $799 down from $899.

For those who like UFC and Blackjack, this UFC event table from the MGM Grand would make a great addition to any man cave. The new price is $1299 down from $1499. If you take it with the chairs, it is $1449.

Those looking for an affordable mini baccarat table with a Las Vegas casino logo do not have to look any further than this Paris Baccarat table. New price is down to $499 from $599.

More new table additions to our store:

With its brass legs and a very hard to find blackjack layout from Little Caesar's with the Tommy Gun logo on it, you will rarely find an old school blackjack table like this one from a small casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The price for the table is $1500 plus shipping fees.

We have a new stand up blackjack table for $275.

And this blackjack table with the Green Valley Ranch logo on it is $899 that also comes with the chairs.

Those wanting a poker table with folding wooden legs, this one goes for $295.00.

Finally, those looking for a set of 8 poker chairs. This plush set of chairs with the cushions goes for $300.

For those wondering, we have the ability to put new custom or different layouts on any table, change out the rails and do a variety of different things to make a table look however you want.

Again, if you want to purchase any table, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

A rack of MGM 1 chips:

We are selling one rack of $1 MGM chips for 40 percent off this week. We regularly sell these for $5 a chip, but you can get this entire rack this week for $3 a chip. They are no doubt a good condition rack.  To buy the rack, send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

Boxes of new Dunes Matchbooks:

If you are a fan of the Dunes, you can buy a box of brand new condition matchbooks for $25. See the picture below. We have a few boxes. Send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

When you walk through the front door of Spinettis Gaming Supplies, on your left you will see a collection of chips on the top shelf in our glass case that are fantasy chips.

What is cool about these chips is that even if you are not a collector of the real Las Vegas casino chips, these make a great gift to someone. There are all types of chips that tribute Bugsy Siegel from the Flamingo and The Rat Pack which are Sands chips. Fantasy chips are a great collectible aside from real chips that were used in the past at these historic casinos, but they are not actually the real thing.

Another benefit of them is that they are all $3.00 a chip. With the holiday season coming up, they make a great gift for any stocking stuffer and someone who is a fan of past great Las Vegas casinos.

Below you can find our wide variety of fantasy chips broken up into different categories.

Sands Casino: For many when they think of Sands, the Rat Pack comes to mind. Below you will find individual fantasy chips of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis Jr. We also have older style Sands chips as well. As always, click the picture below to purchase each.

Pioneer: Pay tribute to Vegas Vic with all these different denomination chips. Heading down to Fremont Street, Vic is still there above everyone looking down. He is one of the signature symbols of Las Vegas. Click on each one to purchase the fantasy chip you want.

Flamingo: Two chips that pay tribute to famed mobster Bugsy Siegel who was part of the early days of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino tribute early Las Vegas history. Each can be purchased below clicking the picture.

El Rancho Hotel and El Rancho Vegas: Pay tribute to both El Rancho resorts with these chips below. You can buy one from the first resort on the Las Vegas Strip and one from the second one that was open from 1982 to 1992.

Showboat, Landmark, Dunes, Desert Inn, Silver Palace, Silver Slipper, Stardust, and Thunderbird: All of these closed casinos from the past we have one fantasy chip to pay tribute to these historic Vegas resorts. You can see each below and purchase by clicking the picture.

And if you are interested in buying a very cool gift, we have Rat Pack and Marilyn Monroe fantasy chip sets below that can be purchased that come in this very cool chip case.

Some other fantasy chips not listed here can also be found clicking the link here where you can see our entire section.

Today, the location of the famous Peppermill restaurant on Las Vegas Boulevard and the adjacent Ross department store with the rest of the shopping plaza is where there was once a casino named Silver City. It was opened from 1975 to 1999. It was an interesting location because it was right across the street from the Stardust Hotel and Casino and Sands was right down the road.

Silver City takes us back to the days where a resort would offer you many free things just to get you in the door. They had something called the Silver City funbook which also advertised free margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, free popcorn, a free souvenir and even a free country breakfast from the hours of 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Imagine a 24-hour breakfast for 99 cents, steak, and eggs for $1.79 and a $4 prime rib dinner.

On the gambling side in the funbook, there was a match play offer for 21, roulette and craps and a keno ticket credit. The casino even gave people a chance to win back your transportation fare. One contest the resort held was giving patrons the chance to win a new Ford Ranger by offering the public two free slot pulls. In another brochure advertisement for the casino, Silver City offered 10 cents craps, 25 cent roulette, $1 blackjack, 500 loose slots and a variety of favorite games including video poker and wheel of fortune.

Focusing on the business history of Silver City, it was owned by Circus Circus Enterprises/Mandalay Resort Group at one point. They ended up acquiring it for 30 million dollars. One year prior to the Silver City opening in 1974, there was a casino called Riata that was there for less than a year.

In the world of Las Vegas Trivia, it became the first casino to ban cigarette smoking in 1991. When we look back at Silver City, you’re going to find a place that offered tons of free incentives for people to come in the door, low priced food and an experience that made the customer felt like they were getting something before giving.

Below you will find a variety of Silver City chips for sale. You can purchase each clicking the picture:

Either deck of cards from Silver City are available for $6 a piece. To order, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or call us at 702-362-8767 to let us know what color you are looking for. We have limited quantities.

Additionally, we have 6 matchbooks in different styles from Silver City you can see below. The price for each one is $2 a piece. If you want any of these, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or call us at 702-362-8767.

Finally, we also have one magnet from Silver City for your refrigerator for $3.50.

Ashtray of the week:

Here’s a very cool one from the Playboy Club formerly at Palms Hotel and Casino. The price of the ashtray is $15. If you’re interested, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or call us at 702-362-8767

We have expanded our glassware section. If there is anything you are interested in, send me an email to marketing@spinettis.com and I can check price.

Today, the area of Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas are where a place called Little Caesar's use to be. It was opened from 1970 to 1994. It had no relation to the more famous Caesars Palace.  There was 25 cents craps and $1 blackjack.

Aside from the traditional gambling, Little Caesar's became known as the early hangout to make bets on a variety of different sporting events. According to different people I’ve spoken with who actually went to Little Caesar's, there were a minimal amount of table games there. It was all about betting on football, baseball, basketball and other events.

In a YouTube video done by Bravo Von Muller, a former employee of the Little Caesar's, he says the place was known for serving only a $1 hot dog when it comes to food. Dealers were given free drinks. Two stories he tells is of the famous casino owner Bob Stupak making a million dollar bet on the Bengals against San Francisco in the Super Bowl. At the time, it was the biggest legal bet ever made in Las Vegas.

Another story this former Little Caesar's dealer tells is how the casino acquired rug that was used at the Four Queens Hotel and Casino down on Fremont Street. A pretty random acquirement and way to upgrade this small casino on the Vegas Strip no doubt. That is how you bring Fremont to the Strip. For those who knew it, it was the place to bet sports and it won’t be soon forgotten.

What is cool about a lot of the casino chips and dice is they have the famous Tommy Gun on their logo. You can see some of our chips below that have the Little Caesar's Tommy Gun logo on them and the others from our collection.

One of a kind blackjack table from Little Caesar's:

With its brass legs and a very hard to find blackjack layout from Little Caesar's with the Tommy Gun logo on it, you will rarely find an old school blackjack table like this one. The price for the table is $1500 plus shipping fees. You also have the option to pick it up in our store. Send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or call us at 702-362-8767.

We also have blackjack shoes for an additional $150 you can see in the picture below. You can order that by email us at marketing@spinettis.com or giving us a call at 702-362-8767.

Rare High-End Chip from El Cortez:

Let’s go back down to Fremont Street and 1964 with this rare chip from the El Cortez. It’s pretty unique because If you go and you look at other ones online, the 3 o'clock white and green stripe is actually backward on this making it a little unique. Price for the chip is $600. If interested, send us an email to marketing@spinettis.com or give us a call at 702-362-8767.

For those dice collectors, we have a rare pair from the Las Vegas Club from the 1950s up on Ebay. You can purchase them by clicking the picture below:

Have you got your 2018/2019 calendar yet?

If you haven’t yet, this 2018  and 2019 calendar two-year calendar is a great choice with a lot of great photos of Las Vegas. It’s only $5. You can click the picture below to purchase:

For those who want to venture a little off the Las Vegas Strip, a few casino resorts sit near Caesars Palace and the Bellagio. Those properties are the Palms Hotel and Casino, the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino and a place called Gold Coast Hotel and Casino.

If you venture over to Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, you will walk in the room and may never see more games of baccarat going on than here. For some people, it is considered to be the best place in town to play baccarat. The just off strip casino caters to the Asian community with gaming and restaurants. There is also a breakfast buffet for $7.99 and a lunch buffet for $9.99 with your Boyd gaming card. For those who like steak, the resort opened a steakhouse in 2016 called Cornerstone. There is also a TGI Friday’s and Subway.

Considered to be a locals’ casino, Gold Coast Hotel and Casino was opened in 1986. As we already mentioned, it is a Boyd Gaming Property. The Hotel and Casino is very spread out. Besides the baccarat gaming, people can also find roulette games where you can do a $3 minimum bet. Meaning, you can bet on three numbers instead of the usual five. So no $5 minimum on numbers.

Michael Gaughan, who is the son of the great Jackie Gaughan, got into the casino business like his famous father and Gold Coast became the first casino he built from the ground up. It was also the first casino in Las Vegas to have a first-run picture movie theater. There is also a bowling alley upstairs. In 1995, an over 10 million dollar jackpot was hit on a slot machine that made it the largest jackpot at the time in the city’s history.

Gold Coast is also home to the monthly meeting of the Southern Nevada Casino Collectibles Club. They meet the second Tuesday of every month. Doors open at 6:00 PM.

Below you will find our chips, cards, and dice from Gold Coast you can purchase clicking the picture of each.

Finally, if you’re interested in buying 144 casino decks for under $95.00 from places including Gold Coast, Stratosphere, Red Rock or South Point, you can buy a case of decks for $94.95 clicking the picture below. There’s no better deal on volume casino deck cases than this: