His operation would attract some of the same affluent people, both legit and criminal, who gambled at his illegal club in Los Angeles. He was convinced that the new club would succeed, primarily because vehicle traffic from Southern California had to use the highway and would therefore stop in Las Vegas. Wiley responded that he could do nothing because McAfee’s gambling activities in California did not impact Nevada and were perfectly legal in Las Vegas. Carville, called Clark County District Attorney Roland Wiley and complained that someone like McAfee should not run a casino in Nevada. Unfortunately for McAfee, his reputation preceded him. Within a decade of moving to Las Vegas, McAfee was the city’s gambling superstar, with most of his presence on Fremont Street. McAfee saw Las Vegas as a place where he could put his knowledge as an illegal casino operator to legitimate use. Amazingly, he convinced the owner to sell for around $20,000, even though it was purportedly worth much more. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, McAfee bought the Pair-O-Dice Nightclub several miles outside of town and across from where the Wynn Hotel is now. Continual pressure from grand jury investigations into local crime, a recall of the Los Angeles mayor, a general push to eliminate gambling and FBI inquiries of McAfee helped him make the decision to leave for good. It was 1938, and McAfee again relocated to Las Vegas with his wife, a former actress by the name of June Brewster. The cops knew this, but out of sight means out of mind and, based on McAfee’s background, it was clear that LAPD vice operations were not necessarily proactive in their enforcement efforts. It was typical of the time when operating an illegal speakeasy that the club’s gambling tables could be flipped over and hidden if a raid happened. This establishment was popular with rich business and Hollywood folks. Although he denied being involved and was never charged, throughout this time, McAfee continued his illegal casino on the Sunset Strip in L.A. Apparently, some rivals had been killed by a candidate for office who was being supported by McAfee. Then, in 1931, McAfee was the focus of disparaging headlines in Southern California and Las Vegas after being taken into custody by Los Angeles police following a double murder. McAfee didn’t stay long before deciding to head back to Los Angeles.
#FREMONT CASINO DICE CLUB LICENSE#
In 1930, McAfee headed to Las Vegas, where the city fathers issued him a license to run a legal gambling business, which was then restricted to games such as poker in saloon-type clubs. This was during the prohibition years, and he had established himself as a “businessman” in Los Angeles, working the nightclubs where illegal alcohol was served. McAfee eventually decided he could make more money working in vice instead of working on vice, and that’s when McAfee left LAPD. I’m not sure when he decided to “go sideways,” but as a vice squad captain, he became acquainted with the owners of nightclubs, illegal gambling operations and brothels in Los Angeles. McAfee was a former police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. Guy McAfee’s first club in Las Vegas, the Pair-O-Dice This property was later acquired by a man named Guy McAfee. One of those businesses was the Pair-O-Dice Club that opened on Highway 91, which later became known as the Las Vegas Strip. With gambling establishments opening by 1931, many “businessmen” came to Vegas to start one. Many people mistakenly believe that Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was the first crime figure to operate in Las Vegas, but he was not. Who was the first organized crime figure in Las Vegas? Hint: It was not Bugsy Siegel.
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