The following timetable shows the most important times and milestones in the gambling history of the united states. Since its legalization in Nevada to the first casino opening in Ohio.
| 1931 | Nevada legalizes casino gaming. |
| 1947 | Mobster Bugsy Siegel, opens The Flamingo in Las Vegas. |
| 1950 | The Senate Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, begins to hold hearings on criminal influence in the casino industry. |
| 1955 | Nevada passes legislation creating the Gaming Control Division under the Nevada Tax Commission. This legislation establishes unequivocally that licensing of a casino owner is a privilege revocable by the state. |
| 1958 | The Stardust Hotel opens. They created the traditional “star headliner” entertainment act by debuting a stage spectacular as its main entertainment feature. This form of entertainment would become widespread on the Las Vegas Strip. |
| 1959 | Nevada passes legislation creating a State Gaming Commission that’s independent of the Tax Commission. Its function would be establishing and administering gaming regulations. The Commission and its enforcement arm, the State Gaming Control Board, develop rigorous application and investigation processes to screen persons for their suitability for casino ownership and operation. This legislation continues to define the framework for the regulation of gaming in Nevada. |
| 1966-1970 | Howard Hughes purchases numerous casino properties in Nevada. His involvement is a strong signal that the Nevada casino industry presents investment opportunities for legitimate business people. It also gave investors assurance that the industry is not teeming with mob influence as once was thought. |
| 1967 & 1969 | Nevada passes two Corporate Gaming Acts, which remove barriers against the direct involvement of corporations in the casino industry. These laws expand existing casino operators’ access to financial capital through legitimate debt and equity markets. This allows existing public corporations to acquire casinos, and increase the amount of public information on the profitability and ownership of casino operations. |
| 1973 | Harrah’s Entertainment becomes the first “pure casino” company to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange. |
| 1976 | New Jersey becomes the second state to legalize casino gaming. |
| 1978 | The first casino opens in Atlantic City, N.J. |
| 1989 | The Mirage Hotel & Casino Resort opens in Las Vegas. It ushers in the era of the destination casino resort. Upon its opening, the Mirage is the most expensive hotel casino in history, with construction costs of $630 million. It had more than 3,000 rooms and headliner attractions such as the Siegfried and Roy show, setting the new standard for Las Vegas casinos. |
| 1989 | South Dakota and Iowa legalize gaming, kicking off a five-year period of the largest expansion of gaming into new jurisdictions in U.S. history. |
| 1992 | The first racetrack casino opens in Rhode Island. |
| 1992 | Chef Wolfgang Puck opens Spago Las Vegas at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Puck is the first celebrity chef to open a contemporary fine dining restaurant in the city. The opening of Spago Las Vegas ushers in a new style of dining in the city. It initiates Las Vegas as a worldwide culinary attraction and beginning the food and beverage revolution in the commercial casino industry. |
| 1994 | The states of Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, and West Virginia legalize race track casinos. |
| 1995 | The commercial casino industry creates the American Gaming Association. |
| 1996 | The National Center for Responsible Gaming is created |
| 1997-1999 | The National Gambling Impact Study Commission is conducted, which is a congressional study examining the economic and social impacts of commercial casinos. Findings reveal commercial casinos provide positive economic and social benefits for casino communities. |
| 2003 | The American Gaming Association (AGA) board of directors enacts the AGA Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming. It is an industry pledge to employees, patrons and the public to integrate responsible gaming practices into every aspect of daily operations. |
| 2005 | Mega-mergers of casino companies become the norm as MGM Mirage acquires Mandalay Resort Group in April and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. acquires Caesars Entertainment in June. |
| 2005 | Gross gaming revenues in the United States top $30 billion for the first time. |
| 2006 | The first racetrack casinos open in Florida and Pennsylvania, bringing the total number of states with racinos to 11. |
| 2007 | The Kansas legislature, and subsequently voters in four counties, legalize state-owned casino gambling at four locations. |
| 2008 | Two racetrack casinos open in Indiana, bringing the number of states with racetrack casinos to 12. |
| 2008 | Voters in Maryland pass a statewide referendum that legalizes 15 000 slot machines at five locations throughout the state. |
| 2009 | Voters in Ohio approve a constitutional amendment that would bring a casino to each of the following cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. |
| 2009 | Kansas opens the first state-owned casino resort called Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Dodge City. |
| 2010 | Table game operations begin in Delaware and Pennsylvania, which only allowed slot machines. |
| 2010 | The first casino opens in Maryland. |
| 2012 | The first casino opens in Ohio. |
