In 1937, Bill Harrah, who’d previously run a bingo-like game in Venice Beach, California, relocated to Reno and opened Harrah’s Heart Tango, a small bingo club.

His first venture into Nevada gaming was a failure—Harrah realized that he had a lousy location, though, and continued to try to find a niche in the competitive Depression-era Reno bingo market.  He eventually was able to find a better location—Virginia Street—where he could open Harrah’s Bingo.

The rest, as they say, is history. Harrah’s attention to customer service differentiated him from the rest of the business, which was still dominated by a carnival “hello stranger, goodbye sucker” mentality. Harrah, on the other hand, believed that if you showed customers respect and provided a clean, friendly place for them to gamble, you’d be far more successful than joints built on the premise that “there’s a sucker born every minute.” Harrah’s Bingo quickly drew hordes of loyal customers.

In 1946, Harrah decided to branch out. He opened Harrah’s Club, a small casino dominated by slot machines.  As with his bingo hall, he opted to emphasize customer service.  He demanded consistency from his employees—customers were to have a great time, every time they walked through the door.  

Standardizing casino customer service was then a novel idea, and Harrah’s Club prospered. Adding a casino in Lake Tahoe, Bill Harrah could now boast that he commanded not just a gambling hall, but a casino empire.

Today that empire is much larger, but its managers should never forget their company’s roots—the simple game of bingo and an untiring devotion to customer satisfaction. Bill Harrah taught many lessons that are still valid, particularly in today’s challenging economic climate.

SOURCE: Harrah’s Collection, UNLV Special Collections

David G. Schwartz (www.dieiscast.com), is the Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.  He is the author of  Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling.

By David Schwartz

David G. Schwartz an Atlantic City native and the director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is the author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling. His web site can be viewed at www.dieiscast.com.