Legendary Women of the Casino Industry

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we took a look at the casino industry and collected the first women working there. They did not only work there but actually led some of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas in the 20th century. These legendary women of the casino industry paved the way for today’s female CEOs. And served as an example with their behavior and contributions to the development of the city. 

Gambling became legalized in Las Vegas in 1931 with a woman taking part in it from the very beginning. Ever since women had a crucial role in forming the city and its casinos, with some of them even managing big resorts. These remarkable women helped the involvement of women in all different parts of the gambling industry. From being a poker player to leading an online sports betting site. You can read more about the most influential women here, but first, take a look at their predecessors. 

Judy Bayley, the “First Lady of Gambling”

If we jump to the 1950s, we can find another important woman in Las Vegas history, Judy Bayley. She moved to Las Vegas with her husband, Californian hotelier Warren Bayley in 1956. They opened first the Hacienda Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, then the Casino a year later. Following her husband’s death in 1964, Judy took over the operations. She became the first woman to own a Nevada resort and ran it successfully until her death. She realized the importance of marketing and added special features to the resort.

Like the famous horse and rider neon sign, that still welcomes visitors to Downtown at Fremont Street. Bayley was also famous for her philanthropic activities. The Judy Bayley Theatre was named after her in 1972. Don’t worry, if you can’t visit Las Vegas in person, just visit one of the online casino sites in the US. 

Mayme Stoker

As we mentioned, the first casino license in Las Vegas was granted in 1931. The person who received it was Mayme Stocker who had been living in the city since 1911 as the wife of a railroad man. She opened the Northern Club, a card room in 1920. Where one of her sons, Harold was the chief operator. He worked as a dealer before and knew the rules of the games. Her mother turned the club into a gambling hall after receiving the license and called it La Bayou after. Mayme handed over the operation of the club soon after, which operated under different names later. But her early involvement still makes Mayme Stocker one of the legendary women in the casino industry. 

Sarann Knight Preddy

The first African American woman with a license to own a casino was Sarann Knight Preddy. She arrived in Las Vegas in 1942 but soon left the city to attend a business school in Los Angeles. After her return, she worked as a Keno writer and learned to deal 21. Preddy bought the Lincoln Bar in Hawthorne and renamed it the Tonga Club in 1951. After receiving her license, it operated as a gaming nightclub until 1957.

Then she returned to Vegas and dealt blackjack at several casinos. Including Jerry’s Nugget Casino where she worked seven years as a dealer. Even though Preddy couldn’t get another gaming license, she had an important role to involve African American women in the industry. Preddy also fought for civil rights and was awarded for her efforts. 

Jeanne Hood

Jeanne Hood’s husband, Dave Hood was the president of Hyatt Nevada. The company that bought Four Queens casino in Downtown Las Vegas in 1972. After her husband’s death, Jeanne ran the operations in Nevada between 1977 and 1993. She helped to popularize slot machines on the casino floor which are so elementary elements of gambling places, including online gambling sites in the US.

Jeanne later worked together with the mayor of the city and other casino owners to improve downtown. In the 1990s she went to work as a director and gaming consultant for American Vantage Companies. Besides being engaged with several local organizations from the Fremont Street Experience to the Nevada Dance Theater. 

Claudine Williams

Another significant figure in Nevada’s gambling history was Claudine Williams who started working in the industry at the age of 15. She worked in Dallas for future  Las Vegas icon Benny Binion. And she also met her husband, Shelby Williams there. The couple moved to Vegas in 1964 and bought the Silver Slipper Casino on the Strip. They sold it five years later to Howard Hughes and built the Holiday Casino. Claudine became the president and the general manager of the casino after her husband’s death but sold it to Holiday Inns in 1983. She was the chairman of the Harrah’s Las Vegas casino and hold this position for several years. Williams was the first woman inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 1992 awarding her work in the gambling industry.

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