William F. Harrah
Encyclopedia
William Fisk Harrah was an American
businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos.
, California
, the son of a lawyer
and politician
. From his early years, William was a driven individual. When the car his father bought him was stolen and stripped, he vowed to his sister that he one day would own a duplicate of every automobile the family ever owned. Now, there is a William F. Harrah Automobile Museum in downtown Reno, NV.
He studied mechanical engineering at UCLA where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta
Fraternity. He was forced to drop out when the Great Depression
of the late 1920s hit and soon began work at various family businesses including a pool hall, a hot dog stand, shooting gallery and a bingo-style operation called the "Reno Game".
William's father insisted that the Circle Game was a game of skill and not of chance and argued that it was legal. The District Attorney however, disagreed and closed the game down several times. This upset both William and his father who had difficulty in hiring players to round out the circle. Even if a hired player won, he or she was shut out of winning the pot. Eventually players grew tired of competing against the house. His father was tired of hearing his son complain that he wasn't making improvements to the interior of the building to provide more comfort for the players.
Expecting to give his twenty-year-old son a valuable lesson, John challenged him to run the operation by himself. William (Bill) said, "Dad, that would suit me just fine," and paid his father $500 for the business. He then headed down to the pier and fired the shills.
In the course of just three years Bill made the $100-a-week game into a $25,000 and then a $50,000-a-year business. However, Bill grew tired of fighting the politicians and looked to expand his operations into Reno. It was on October 30, 1937 that he opened his first club at 124 N. Center Street, Harrah's Club Bingo, a full block and a half from the Bank and Palace clubs that garnered the bulk of the play in Reno, Nevada
.
As the locals expected, his tiny tango (bingo) parlor closed-up fast, lasting only until November the 15th . In July 1938 Bill opened another bingo parlor, this time closer to the action, called Harrah's Plaza Tango. Virgil Smith was the main financier and a partner in the operation, and also in the club that opened in 1938, called the Plaza Tango at 14 E. Commercial Row. Two months later Harrah found a better location at 242 N. Virginia Street, squeezed-in close to Harolds Club, called Ed Howe's Tango Club.
After a sit-down with Nick Abelman, Bill Graham and Jim McKay, Harrah waited to be accepted into the Reno gaming fraternity. Eventually, Cal Custer, a respected ex-bootlegger from California and a long-time confidant of John Harrah's law firm, stood up for Bill and his new business ventures were given the green light, after there was an exchange of money.
Ed Howe insisted on $25,000 for his business, but strangely, he agreed to accept just $1000 from Harrah now that he was a verifiable friend of the Bill Graham's group, and the new location on Virginia Street sprang to life. Though the building itself was in disrepair, Bill spent generously on improvements. He soon gained a life-long reputation for running honest games and treating his customers and employees with fairness.
Over time, Harrah expanded his casino several times, and built a hotel tower in 1969. Harrah's Lake Club at Lake Tahoe is another story in and of itself, having grown from one side of the highway and then to the other at the old Stateline Country Club
, but Harrah loved it even more, if that was possible. Harrah's Tahoe opened its Hotel in 1973. Harrah was a huge sports enthusiast, but nothing compared to his love for old cars and his massive antique car collection grew to easily become the largest and finest in the world.
Harrah trusted his top executives, and while he spent time walking his properties and demanding that things were perfect, he delegated authority and his managers appreciated his trust in their ability to manage his properties.
William Harrah died at the age of 66 during an operation to repair an aortic aneurysm at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester
, Minnesota
.
. He used his influence to create the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1955, an organization used to regulate gaming in Nevada. In 1959, Harrah created an even stronger Gambling Commission to regulate the casinos in Nevada with the intent of ridding them of corruption and crime.
William Harrah was known for his relations with both his customers and employees. He was the first to invite African-American entertainers to perform in his casinos and welcome all races. He removed the color and sexual barrier by hiring women as dealers as well as other employees regardless of skin color or gender. The main theater in Harrah's Reno was named Sammy's Showroom after entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr.
(who's Deusenberg replica now resides in the museum that bears Mr. Harrah's name) , and actor-comedian Bill Cosby
recalls Harrah as a good friend.
The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
is named after him.
Harrah had an extensive collection of classic car
s. After his death Holiday Inn planned on breaking up the collection at auction. An outcry by the people of Reno & Sparks led to Holiday Inn donating 175 vehicles to establish the National Automobile Museum
in Reno, Nevada, a collection also referred as The Harrah Collection.
for a brief period in 1969. Harrah had seven wives in his lifetime. With ex-wife Sherry he adopted boys named John and Tony. His widow Verna
has produced some movies, including Anaconda
.
The highest Total Rewards Card Tier "Seven Stars" was named after his seven wives.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos.
Early years and education
William Harrah was born in South PasadenaSouth Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the son of a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. From his early years, William was a driven individual. When the car his father bought him was stolen and stripped, he vowed to his sister that he one day would own a duplicate of every automobile the family ever owned. Now, there is a William F. Harrah Automobile Museum in downtown Reno, NV.
He studied mechanical engineering at UCLA where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
Fraternity. He was forced to drop out when the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the late 1920s hit and soon began work at various family businesses including a pool hall, a hot dog stand, shooting gallery and a bingo-style operation called the "Reno Game".
The move to gaming
For quite some time, bingo was considered illegal in California, but games of skill which were often based on bingo were legal. The Reno or Circle Game involved rolling a ball down a board where it would register a card suit and number. If one of the 33 players seated in a circle around the board matched a four-card sequence, he or she won.William's father insisted that the Circle Game was a game of skill and not of chance and argued that it was legal. The District Attorney however, disagreed and closed the game down several times. This upset both William and his father who had difficulty in hiring players to round out the circle. Even if a hired player won, he or she was shut out of winning the pot. Eventually players grew tired of competing against the house. His father was tired of hearing his son complain that he wasn't making improvements to the interior of the building to provide more comfort for the players.
Expecting to give his twenty-year-old son a valuable lesson, John challenged him to run the operation by himself. William (Bill) said, "Dad, that would suit me just fine," and paid his father $500 for the business. He then headed down to the pier and fired the shills.
In the course of just three years Bill made the $100-a-week game into a $25,000 and then a $50,000-a-year business. However, Bill grew tired of fighting the politicians and looked to expand his operations into Reno. It was on October 30, 1937 that he opened his first club at 124 N. Center Street, Harrah's Club Bingo, a full block and a half from the Bank and Palace clubs that garnered the bulk of the play in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
.
As the locals expected, his tiny tango (bingo) parlor closed-up fast, lasting only until November the 15th . In July 1938 Bill opened another bingo parlor, this time closer to the action, called Harrah's Plaza Tango. Virgil Smith was the main financier and a partner in the operation, and also in the club that opened in 1938, called the Plaza Tango at 14 E. Commercial Row. Two months later Harrah found a better location at 242 N. Virginia Street, squeezed-in close to Harolds Club, called Ed Howe's Tango Club.
After a sit-down with Nick Abelman, Bill Graham and Jim McKay, Harrah waited to be accepted into the Reno gaming fraternity. Eventually, Cal Custer, a respected ex-bootlegger from California and a long-time confidant of John Harrah's law firm, stood up for Bill and his new business ventures were given the green light, after there was an exchange of money.
Ed Howe insisted on $25,000 for his business, but strangely, he agreed to accept just $1000 from Harrah now that he was a verifiable friend of the Bill Graham's group, and the new location on Virginia Street sprang to life. Though the building itself was in disrepair, Bill spent generously on improvements. He soon gained a life-long reputation for running honest games and treating his customers and employees with fairness.
Over time, Harrah expanded his casino several times, and built a hotel tower in 1969. Harrah's Lake Club at Lake Tahoe is another story in and of itself, having grown from one side of the highway and then to the other at the old Stateline Country Club
Stateline Country Club
The Stateline Country Club, just inside the state border in what is now Stateline, Nevada started as a small cafe with a pair of gas pumps. Inside, visitors enjoying the early 1930s at Lake Tahoe could find a soda fountain bar and a few tables to enjoy a meal...
, but Harrah loved it even more, if that was possible. Harrah's Tahoe opened its Hotel in 1973. Harrah was a huge sports enthusiast, but nothing compared to his love for old cars and his massive antique car collection grew to easily become the largest and finest in the world.
Harrah trusted his top executives, and while he spent time walking his properties and demanding that things were perfect, he delegated authority and his managers appreciated his trust in their ability to manage his properties.
William Harrah died at the age of 66 during an operation to repair an aortic aneurysm at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Influence and legacy
Harrah was very influential in how the gaming industry operated in NevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. He used his influence to create the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 1955, an organization used to regulate gaming in Nevada. In 1959, Harrah created an even stronger Gambling Commission to regulate the casinos in Nevada with the intent of ridding them of corruption and crime.
William Harrah was known for his relations with both his customers and employees. He was the first to invite African-American entertainers to perform in his casinos and welcome all races. He removed the color and sexual barrier by hiring women as dealers as well as other employees regardless of skin color or gender. The main theater in Harrah's Reno was named Sammy's Showroom after entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
(who's Deusenberg replica now resides in the museum that bears Mr. Harrah's name) , and actor-comedian Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
recalls Harrah as a good friend.
The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV is consistently one of the highest ranked hotel and hospitality colleges in the nation. The school is named after William F. Harrah, the founder of Harrah's Entertainment....
is named after him.
Harrah had an extensive collection of classic car
Classic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
s. After his death Holiday Inn planned on breaking up the collection at auction. An outcry by the people of Reno & Sparks led to Holiday Inn donating 175 vehicles to establish the National Automobile Museum
National Automobile Museum
The National Automobile Museum, located just south of the Truckee River in Reno, Nevada, displays historic automobiles from the late 19th century and from throughout the 20th. Most of the vehicles displayed are from the collection of the late casino owner William F...
in Reno, Nevada, a collection also referred as The Harrah Collection.
Personal life
Harrah was married to singer-songwriter Bobbie GentryBobbie Gentry
Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material...
for a brief period in 1969. Harrah had seven wives in his lifetime. With ex-wife Sherry he adopted boys named John and Tony. His widow Verna
Verna Harrah
Verna Harrah is a film producer. She is the widow of Bill Harrah, the hotel and casino magnate. She has contributed to many charities and philanthropic causes.-Selected filmography:* Anaconda * Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid...
has produced some movies, including Anaconda
Anaconda (film)
Anaconda is a 1997, adventure-horror film, directed by Luis Llosa, starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Owen Wilson, and Eric Stoltz. It centers around a film crew for National Geographic who are kidnapped by a hunter who is going after the world's largest giant anaconda, which is...
.
The highest Total Rewards Card Tier "Seven Stars" was named after his seven wives.