Hockey would never work in Las Vegas, the skeptics said. Too hot. The desert. The strip. The night life. Who would have time for hockey? Why would anyone want to go to a game?

Marc-Andre Fleury was why. He was the Vegas Golden Knights. He put the team on the map. He made them relevant. He damn near won them the Stanley Cup as a first-year team.

If you go to the Westgate Sportsbook in Vegas, you’ll still see the Golden Knights listed on the odds board among the leading Stanley Cup contenders. But this will be the first time in franchise history that Vegas will seek the silver of Lord Stanley’s mug without their golden goalie between the pipes. 

Is there life in Vegas beyond The Flower? That’s Fleury’s nickname but this flower who bloomed on top of a steady diet of frozen water is no more. In the summer, the Golden Knights traded Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks, even though he was coming off the best season of his NHL career.

He posted career-bests in goals against average (1.98) and save percentage (.928) and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender for the first time. Vegas, though, had a younger, cheaper version of Fleury in Robin Lehner – who, oddly enough, they acquired from Chicago.

Facing a salary cap crunch, the Golden Knights opted to move on from Fleury’s $7 million a year paycheck.

Life Without Flower

The Golden Knights reported to training camp and for the first time, Fleury’s smiling faces and his playful pranks were there waiting to brighten everyone’s day.

“(Fleury’s) been the heart and soul for quite a bit for our team and our organization,” left wing Jonathan Marchessault told the Las Vegas Journal-Review. “It’s going to be different, but it just shows you how unstable the world of hockey is. No one is safe out there. You have to stay on your toes and give your best every night.”

Even those who were only Fleury’s teammate for a brief time were energized by the electricity of the warmth he exuded.

“I feel very fortunate (that I was) able to play with him for the little bit that I did,” defenseman Nic Hague said. “He’s a guy that I grew up watching, watching him win his Cups. Just a great guy. He always had a smile on his face. He loves what he does. It’s definitely going to be a little bit different not having him around.”

We’re all looking for the comfort of the familiar right now. We all want that feeling of settling into a favorite activity, of recreating that feeling of returning to somewhere we know and love, even if we can’t leave the house right now. A huge part of what we love about online gambling is the experience it recreates for us, of stepping onto the casino floor with friends and pitting our wits against the dealers, the odds and that most formidable opponent of all: chance.

There’s a reason why casinos have been around in one form or another for centuries, and even as we move online and away from the red carpeting and blaring noise we find in the old-fashioned buildings, we’re still craving that same experience. As the world has evolved, elements of casinos have changed with it, while others have stayed resolutely the same. Let’s look at how gambling houses have moved with the times over the years.

Way, Way Back

As you’re no doubt aware, gambling has been around for as long as people have. Human beings have always wanted to bet against each other, or on each other for that matter, and games of dice and cards date back to around 2,300 BC. Over the centuries, these games evolved and so did the elements used to play them. Historians have found it hard to pinpoint exactly when the first dice were thrown, for example, but it’s interesting to note that several of the most popular games developed over time as people from different nations travelled and brought their own interpretations of local games home with them.

Poker, for example, has elements of French, Spanish, Italian and British card games but wasn’t played as “poker” until French and American gamblers matched wits in New Orleans after the Louisiana Purchase. The point is, there have been gambling dens and card rooms for centuries, but the first real casino came along much later.

Venice Gives It A Home

The first casino was built in Venice in 1638, called Il Ridotto. This translates as the retreat, or the private room, in this context and the reason for that name was clear: because there far too many ridotti in Venice and the government wanted to crack down and bring them under their control. These ridotti were private gambling dens, generally in the luxurious apartments of the wealthy, and the Great Council of Venice decided that this activity had gone on unchecked for long enough. No more ridotti, they declared, just one, with a “The” at the front so you know it’s the only one you’re supposed to go to.

They built it in a wing of the Palazzo Dandolo to coincide with the annual spring carnival in anticipation of an explosion of games of chance, and it ended up staying open much longer than that. In theory, Il Ridotto was open to all members of the public but the high stakes of the games on offer meant that only the wealthy could play. It was still popular enough to be closed in 1774 during a period of extreme panic about the morality of Venetian citizens. However, the first casino had been born and countries across the world had taken note.

The Wild West To The Las Vegas Strip

If you’ve ever watched a Western, or played a Red Dead Redemption game for that matter, you’ll know that saloons were the home of gambling in the American west. Owners of these watering holes were always on the lookout for ways to convince paying customers to spend their money at their establishment, and card and dice games were high on the list of most popular attractions. However, there was always a push against it from religious groups and activists worried about the nation’s moral fiber, and more and more legislation was introduced to crack down on gambling across the country. By about 1910, gambling was illegal in the United States. Of course, it didn’t just go away, and in 1931 the state of Nevada legalized gambling as a way of kickstarting some much needed revenue, and the start of construction work on the Hoover Dam meant that there were a lot of new arrivals looking for entertainment.

The first casino in Las Vegas was built in 1941, named El Rancho Vegas, but the arrival of organized crime figure Bugsy Siegel really got the show on the road when he built his casino The Flamingo in 1946. Money was flooding in and more and more casinos started popping up on the strip.

The Move Online

As the internet became a tool that everybody could use in the early 1990s, of course it was only a matter of time before gambling went online. When the Free Trade and Processing Act was passed by Antigua and Bermuda in 1994, licenses could be granted to online casinos and the gambling company Microgaming, based in the Isle of Man, licensed the first software for online gambling that same year.

Intercasino, based in Antigua, was the first official online casino when they launched in 1996 and a flood of other companies followed suit, but they’ve consistently had to find ways around gambling laws. The American Department of Justice cracked down hard on online gambling in the US in 2011, locking down three of the leading sites, but around the world the virtual equivalent of the casino has continued to flourish.

If you want to see just how broad the range of top online casinos sites, and how they vary from game to game and country to country, you should check out an online casinos review site. Top Dog Casinos breaks down the best online casino reviews from actual players into easy-to-navigate categories and shows just how many different choices there are.

Mobile Gambling

Gone are the days when you’d have to boot up your chunky PC and listen to the dial-up modem connecting before you could log on to a poker game. Now, advancements in technology mean that you can play in HD online casinos from any mobile device wherever you are. Now, the casino is where you are, whether that’s on a train, in a hotel room, or waiting for the oven to heat up so you can make a start on dinner, and it’s only getting more popular. We still want the same classic casino experience, it’s just the packaging that’s changed.

There is so much to do in Las Vegas that if you don’t plan before you go, you may find that you will miss out on some of the incredible sights it has to offer. Consider what you would like to see, as well as the other members in your party and also plan how you will move about the area, whether by bus or car rental. By doing it in advance, this will reduce the stress of trying to find the transport you need while out there.

Where to Stay

If you are going to Las Vegas to gamble, then researching the best hotels that offer this and the location of them is vital. However, if gambling isn’t your thing, then look for hotels that have good swimming pools and facilities as well as good restaurants, which can be thoroughly researched through online reviews.

Make sure the location is right for your needs because although a hotel can look like it’s very close to an attraction, in reality, it could be a 20-minute walk.

How to Move About

As Las Vegas is so big, walking everywhere isn’t an option so research in advance the best form of transportation for you. There are a few options to navigate the city, but popular ones include renting a car from one of the many car rental companies, hiring cabs or catching a bus.

The benefit of having a car rental is that you can go as far out as the Grand Canyon for a day trip. Just make sure you choose a car suitable for the dirt track roads.

Cabs are plentiful but can be expensive if you rely on them all the time, so another option is taking advantage of the many forms of public transport. Check bus timetables and prices online beforehand. This way, you can plan where you can go and how long you have at each attraction without missing your bus back.

Ease the Pain

There are so many amazing places to eat and drink in Las Vegas that most people overindulge either through food or drink, or both. But instead of heading straight to the fast food chain to eat your hangover away, consider planning ahead and making a list of what to eat when hungover so that you have some natural remedies to ease the pain.

Bananas can help with potassium levels and in turn, increase your energy and honey helps break down alcohol levels because of its antioxidant properties. All of these can be found in the supermarkets in Vegas so research the best ones to use before you go out there.

Vegas is a really fun vacation, but you need to make sure you do a lot of planning in advance to get the best of the trip. Take advantage of offers you may see online before you go for hotels, restaurants and day trips and you will find you can have the time of your life and save money.

Known for its unrestricted access to gambling and being a glittering oasis of a party atmosphere, Las Vegas is the city for those who know how to have fun. With so many tourists traveling to enjoy a hedonistic lifestyle in the land of plenty, many worry about their safety while traveling. Undergoing a road trip to Las Vegas should ideally involve a bit of preparation to ensure that you make the most of your journey with the utmost safety measures considered.

Have a designated driver

All states within the US have set their legal alcohol limit to a BAC of 0.08. If you’re wondering how many drinks is .08 BAC, then you’re looking at approximately four to five drinks, depending on your weight – at which rate your judgment would be significantly impaired. If you have been drinking the night before, and want to double-check whether you are below the legal alcohol limit, then using a breathalyzer, for example, one by Low Cost Interlock, will help you get an accurate reading on whether you are fit to drive. Otherwise, having a designated driver for your trip to and from the city of Las Vegas will help to ensure your safety.

Use your common sense

If you’ve turned up to Las Vegas with a healthy budget, it would be wise to not constantly flash your cash. When you are in any given city, there are bound to be criminals who might aim to target tourists – regardless of whether you’re in New York, Paris or Las Vegas. Exercising a bit of common sense when you’re walking the streets at night, in particular, will help to ensure your safety while you’re enjoying a vacation in this infamous city of pleasure.

In terms of using your common-sense on the road, it’s best to get all possible distractions out of the way first. Putting in your destination details into your GPS before you set off means you won’t be constantly fiddling with your phone or arguing with other passengers about what to put in. The same applies to any music you want to play – or at the very least, give instructions to a passenger who will put on the music for you.

Pre-plan your budget

There are so many dizzying sights in Las Vegas; it can be tempting to shell-out time and time again, which could really dent your budget – particularly if you are gambling. To stay safe when it comes to your bank account, always pre-plan your gambling budget. Put time aside to figure out how much you would be willing to part with – particularly if you end on a loss. Remember, you may very well end up with a loss, the house often wins. Try to segregate your budget into daily allowances. If you come to a loss on the casino floor, be sure to go out for dinner or lunch and have a breather. If you want to spend money wisely, you can find city-passes for a fixed rate that will help you to get out and see the rest of the city.

Staying safe in Las Vegas is all about using common sense and pre-planning. Remember: if you think you’ve had too much to drink, do not get behind the wheel of a car. A quick use of a breathalyzer should confirm when it’s time to go back to bed and some time away from your vehicle.

Las Vegas was established in 1829 to serve as a trade route between California and Mexico. The city didn’t always look the way it is now. Rare retrospective photos show swim-up gambling tables, the charm of 1950’s showgirls and vintage cars parked outside casinos for a weekend getaway. 

New developments and renovations have significantly altered the face of the famous Las Vegas Strip. Many of the world’s largest resort properties, hotels and casinos are located on the Strip. Many casual gamblers are also playing on the internet in casinos like the bet365 online casino for example. If you are looking to play at the newest online casino, you will definitely find one that suits your needs. Online casinos offer a wide range of games that you can play anytime, anywhere. The Strip is actually not located in the city limits of Las Vegas. It is under Clark County’s jurisdiction.

Hotels

The Strip got its name from a former vice cop and businessman from Los Angeles. It was named after the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The Strip showed signs of development in the early 1930s, but it saw a boom in growth in the 1940s. The Flamingo Hotel is one of the earliest resorts on the Strip, built by Meyer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel. The hotel opened in 1946.

Riviera and Tropicana are also among the oldest resort hotels on the Strip. The Stardust Resort and Casino presented production show spectacular in 1960. The Tropicana Hotel bought the American rights to Folies Bergere in 1959. The show continued for almost 50 years, closing only in March 2009.

The Las Vegas Convention Center also opened in 1959. It aimed at occupying vacant hotel rooms with convention delegates during the slack tourist months. The convention center now offers 1.5 million sq. ft of exhibit space and over 5.5 million convention delegates visit Las Vegas yearly.

Casinos

Multiple coin slot machines were introduced in the 1960s. Computerized dollar slot machines replaced nickel slot and mechanical penny machines. Payouts also increased. From a few hundred dollars, players can now win several million dollar progressive jackpots.

Caesars Palace, a luxury hotel and casino, opened in 1966. Several hotel-casinos opened in the following years. A lot of older hotels were demolished in the late 1990s to allow for the construction of new mega-resorts. The Sands Hotel and Casino became the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, while the Dunes Hotel became the Bellagio. The Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino became the Mandalay Bay, and the Desert Inn became the Wynn Las Vegas.

Steve Wynn is recognized for building some of the most luxurious hotels in Las Vegas. He changed the city’s reputation as a gambling area to be a classy resort destination. Wynn introduced the era of expensive and luxury hotels in 1989. He built the Treasure Island, Bellagio, and Mirage on the Strip. Wynn also brought Cirque du Soleil to Treasure Island and Las Vegas. There are currently 7 Cirque du Soleil shows playing in Vegas. The Bellagio, Mirage, and Treasure Island were purchased by MGM Grand Corp. in 2000. Wynn built the Wynn Las Vegas, one of the most expensive resort-hotels in Vegas, in 2005 on the land previously occupied by the Desert Inn. He opened Wynn Macau in 2006.

Aside from the large resorts, casinos, and hotels, the Strip is also home to other attractions like the Fashion Show Mall, M&M’s World and Adventuredome. The area was a popular celebration destination during New Year’s Eve in the mid-1990s. In 2006, the Strip lost its status as the highest-grossing gambling center in the world to Macau.

Today, Las Vegas hosts almost 38 million visitors every year. The average stay in Vegas is 3.6 nights. Hotel consolidation has become quite common in recent years. The city’s nearly 150,000 hotel rooms are 80% occupied throughout the year. The 10 largest hotels in the US are located in Las Vegas. The largest is the Venetian & Palazzo with 8,107 rooms. The MGM is the second largest hotel in Vegas, with 6,582 rooms. Wynn has 4,750 rooms, Caesars offers 4,000 rooms, Aria and Excalibur have 4,000 rooms, and Bellagio has 3,950 rooms. Other joints like Mirage, Flamingo, and Cosmopolitan have over 3,000 rooms. Las Vegas Sands, MGM, and Caesars control more than half of the rooms on the Strip.

The prices of hotel rooms tend to be higher during the weekend. Tours, attractions, entertainment, and shows operate all week long. Room rates are based on supply and demand. Prices are high when there’s a high demand. Convention sites and hotels in Vegas host a lot of smaller conventions every week.

Renovations and new additions provide Las Vegas and the Strip with a contemporary appeal. Visitors can also frequent nightclubs, specialty retail, high-end dining, and spas. Each property has a unique design, layout and aesthetic. The Strip will continue to grow, so more changes should be expected in the future.