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NV - First Nevada Gaming Black Book

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Casino and Gambling Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
NV - First Nevada Gaming Black Book
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The first an possibly only known copy of the original Nevada Black Book in private hands.

This eleven page notebook is the very first casino black book made by the Nevada Gaming Commission about 1960-1. It was owned by the very first Nevada Gaming officer. The commission, formed in 1959, was formed to be the watchdog agency over public gaming in Nevada. Their job was to keep out corruption and organized crime. The formation of the Commission was not a random act. J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, was on a mission to wipe out organized crime. He oversaw the gangster wars and used counterintelligence and secretive investigative efforts to obtain information on organized crime and make convictions.

The State of Nevada had its own agenda, to allow open gaming throughout the state, especially in Las Vegas, Tahoe and Reno, and keep it clean.

This book is the very first book containing suspected criminals, criminals, and people who might be involved in illegal activity at Nevada Casinos. It was made in a soft cover format, allowing the addition or deletion of pages as published. The Commission, who approved our sale of this book, told me that in 1961 the first hardcover book was made and it had a solid black cover, hence the name “black book” for the “undesirables”. The name “black book” caught on and has been used ever since.

This book contains the names of many famous mafia figures, the most famous of which is Sam Giancana. The lot also contains a black book from circa 1975, in which Giancana is still present as an excluded person. For collectors of Nevada Casino material, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.