The famous Harrah’s Casino can trace its roots to a small bingo parlor on Venice Beach.
The Great Depression caused William F. Harrah to drop out of UCLA at the age of 18 while he was working toward a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1929, shortly after dropping out of school, he went to work for his father, John Harrah, a former mayor of Venice and a well-known attorney, at his bingo parlor called “Circle Game.”
The business struggled over the next few years and John Harrah decided to sell the business to his son, now 20 years old, for $500 in 1932.
Within two years, the parlor amassed $25,000 in profits under William Harrah’s ownership.
Since bingo was viewed somewhat of an illegal activity, state authorities periodically shut down the parlor. In 1937, after a trip to Reno, Harrah decided to close shop and move his business to Nevada, where he observed that the bars don’t close and the police don’t harass casino owners.
A casino empire was born. “It’s very modest beginnings for our company,” said David Strow, spokesman for Harrah’s Entertainment. “We really don’t count his experience in California as part of company history. The history starts when he opened in Reno.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 11, 2007. Read the original PDF.