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William Fisk Harrah (September 2, 1911 — June 30, 1978) was an American businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos.
Early Years and Education
William Harrah was born in South Pasadena, 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 he would own a duplicate of every automobile the family ever owned.
He studied mechanical engineering at UCLA. He was forced to drop out when the Great Depression of the late 1920's hit and soon began work at various family businesses including housed a pool hall, a hot dog stand, shooting gallery and a bingo-style operation called the "Reno Game."
The Move to Gaming
For quite sometime, 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 player won, he or she were shut out of winning the pot. Eventually players grew tired of competing against the house. His father was tired of hearing his son complain so he sold the business to William at the age of 20, for $500.00.
In time William, made the $100-a-week game into a $25,000 and then a $50,000-a-year business after only three years. However, William grew tired of fighting the politicians and moved his operations into Reno. It was on October 30, 1937 that he opened the first Harrah's Casino in Reno, Nevada. However the casino was met with failure and closed within two months because of poor location. In July of 1938 William opened another bingo parlor, this time closer to the action. Though the building itself was a poor he gained a reputation for running honest games and treating his customers and employees with fairness.
Over time, Harrah was able to open other casinos. He would spend most of his time in his casinos, watching the action, making sure that everything in the club provided the customers with comfort.
William Harrah died at the age of 66, during an operation to repair an aortic aneurysm at St. Mary's Hospital in Minnesota.
Influence and Legacy
Harrah was very influential in how the gaming industry operated in Nevada. 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 casino's in Nevada with the intent of ridding 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 William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration is named after him.
Trivia
- Was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity at UCLA
- Opened the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada
Casino magnates | 1911 births | 1978 deaths | Gaming Hall of Fame | Phi Delta Theta brothers | Harrah's Entertainment
"William F. Harrah"