On this day in history, gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada, back in 1931. Since then, Las Vegas has grown from a dusty old silver mining town into one of the premier vacation destinations in the world. Decades after Nevada, other states and locations around the world joined the fun and legalized various types of gaming as well. And eventually we got to today, where we can all enjoy online gambling any time we like. But the first big domino to fall was Nevada.

Sorry, I forgot to put a check inside (Zazzle.com image)

Long before 1931 though, gambling had a long and storied history in both Nevada, and pretty much everywhere else around the world. But with prohibition, the US government was in a particularly cranky mood, and when they stopped the flow of booze, they also shut down all the legal gambling establishments across the country.

The reason Nevada finally went against the tide and re-legalized it in 1931 was because, well, without gambling why the heck else would anyone come to Nevada? The state government wisely realized that it would be a huge boon to tourism. Reportedly they also considered a different option to increase visitors to their state – building the world’s largest statue of a cactus – but wisely chose the legalization of gambling instead. (Okay, I was told that last part by a one-eyed man at a gas station outside Fresno, so it may not be entirely true). Anyway, those of us who love to game and bet should raise a drink and maybe play a few hands of Blackjack today to celebrate this historic day.

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