AH Challenge: Replace Vegas as gambling capital

The Vulture · Oct 20, 2009

With a post-WWII POD, establish Atlantic City, St. Louis, Chicago, Reno, or another secondary "gambling city" in America in the position Las Vegas occupies. Neon, fancy themed casinos and hotels, huge amounts of tourism, mob involvement, the works.

Bonus points if Bugsy Siegel still opens a financially successful casino in Las Vegas ands attempts to develop the area.

Detroitman32 · Oct 20, 2009

Oh, if this was international, one could claim Macao is doing that OTL.

The Vulture · Oct 20, 2009

Sorry, I should have specified United States.

charl · Oct 20, 2009

Catastrophic collapse of the Hoover Dam half-way through building it, perhaps? Or unusual weather patterns causing the city to become so irradiated after a nuclear test in Mariposa (people used to watch nuclear explosions from Las Vegas back in the day) causing the no yet fully developed gambling capital to become abandoned by tourists?

Jasen777 · Oct 20, 2009

in the 1920's and into the '30s the most famous casino was in Dallas. It had alot of business from the rich people in the area and celebrities from across the nation. Of course it was never legal and finally got shut down. If Dallas had opted to legalize (which is probably unlikely) it could have been a gambling mecca, but it wouldn't be the same as Vegas which was completed dominated by gambling - Dallas would have too much else going on.

DuQuense · Oct 20, 2009

It may be possible to have Some place in Florida, during the 20's, legalize Casinos. then during the 30's go big hoping to ride out the depression on gambling Business.

wormyguy · Oct 20, 2009

Detroitman32 said:
Oh, if this was international, one could claim Macao is doing that OTL.

They actually have been doing pretty poorly lately. They were kinda like a Chinese version of Dubai - creating lots of supply without very much outside demand.

Wolfpaw · Oct 20, 2009

Reno could work; big citites like Chicago and St. Louis are iffy since there's already so much there.

Florida used to be the big center of gambling in the United States prior to the Mob going to Havana. Tampa is a good candidate, you'd just have to try and muscle-out the Trafficantes so things can be more evenly split.

Or maybe upstate New York; Saratoga Springs and other places were sizeable centers, though never as big as Florida.

In the end, the mobsters would probably want something out West, away from all of the scrutiny, legalism, and crowding of the East Coast. So, yeah, if not somewhere in Florida, Reno.

Jape · Oct 20, 2009

I've always liked the idea of Havana as the gambling capital of America. Not literally but say no Castro it ends up the haven of mobsters in the 1960s as they get clamped down on in the States. Looser laws, looser lawmen and it ends up the No.1 foriegn holiday destination for Americans in the late 60s/early 70s, something I'm sure an open Cuba would have become regardless IMO.

Douglas · Oct 20, 2009

Reno.

Las Vegas wasn't initially in the State of Nevada. If it stays part of New Mexico, which doesn't legalize gambling until much later, Reno is the winner.

Tothlord · Oct 20, 2009

With its party atmosphere would New Orleans be a possibility?

GreatScottMarty · Oct 20, 2009

Bay of pigs succeeds and the mob is back in Havana

Berra · Oct 21, 2009

California strikes me as the best bet (pun intended), given it's nature, the Hollywood glamour an 52 million people.

Beedok · Oct 21, 2009

Berra said:
California strikes me as the best bet (pun intended), given it's nature, the Hollywood glamour an 52 million people.

I thought it was 32 not 52. Might be wrong, but still thought it was closer to Canad than the UK.

The Kiat · Oct 21, 2009

Tothlord said:
With its party atmosphere would New Orleans be a possibility?

Make gambling as legal in Lousiana as it is in Nevada, then sure. N'Orleans would be the party capital of the country... as long as it stays above the water.

charl · Oct 21, 2009

I still think it would be easier to eliminate Las Vegas as a gambling city. That would make another city the gambling capital per definition. Since the city is a pretty new one it shouldn't be too hard to find a PoD that would make it so it doesn't grow to prominence.

Or you could go the other way: earlier Las Vegas. The area was settled by Mormons but abandoned in the 1850s. If they stayed they would never stand for making their city a gambling haven.

dilbert719 · Oct 21, 2009

Another possibility is to make horse racing a more prominent element of the US gambling scene. In such an event, places with prominent horse tracks are likely to be stronger gambling sites, and the casinos will flock to them, instead of the other way around. That'd be a good way to get to wolfpaw's idea of Saratoga being a gambling capital.

Mad Bad Rabbit · Oct 21, 2009

Galveston was an (illegal) gambling mecca until the late 1950's ; and
like Las Vegas, had no real economic reason to exist besides tourism.
Maybe if Jim Simpson wasn't elected county attorney and/or Will Wilson
wasn't elected Texas attorney general in 1956?

Berra · Oct 21, 2009

Beedok said:
I thought it was 32 not 52. Might be wrong, but still thought it was closer to Canad than the UK.

I think you are right. Still, it's a lot of people in the area...

Dan Reilly The Great · Oct 21, 2009

AC is probably your best chance as far as an alternate to Vegas, it's got the location in that it is closer to Philly, Baltimore, Wilmington, and NYC than vegas is to LA, not to mention that new jersey is already heavily populated in its own right. As such it is far easier for people to travel from these massive population centers than to vegas than it is from LA, and if the west coast is less populated than it was OTL, then there is almost no chance for vegas to become the destination that it is today.