Skokie, Illinois is about 15 miles north of downtown Chicago. It’s a diverse village of about 65,000 people, and while it’s just beyond city limits and certainly maintains a small-town feel, it’s essentially a Chicago suburb.

The Casino Collectibles Association (CCA) has announced its 31st annual show, scheduled to take place in Exhibit Hall C at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, from June 13th to 15th, 2024. The association calls the show a "must-see for those fascinated by gaming history".

Every year the non-profit Casino Collectibles Association features four fascinating and free educational seminars related to gaming history at the World’s Largest Casino Memorabilia Show. This year, they are the next best thing to being a fly on the wall during the golden years of the iconic Las Vegas Strip casinos.

►How we gambled before ash economy? ►Are religion and gambling somehow connected? ►How did risk-taking change after humanity settled down? ►How did 2nd chances - the concept of starting again - develop in America's gambling? ►Why did Las Vegas and Atlantic City seesaw on legalizing gambling?

Oliver Lewis wasn't supposed to win the first Kentucky Derby.

Oliver Lewis wasn't supposed to win the first Kentucky Derby. The jockey atop Aristides was instructed to have the horse serve as a "rabbit" and go hard at the beginning of the race to wear down the field, so stablemate Chesapeake could preserve his energy for the end to ride to victory.

When it first opened on April 4, 1957, the Tropicana was the most expensive hotel-casino ever built on the Las Vegas Strip. It was dubbed the “Tiffany of the Desert” in a nod to the status jewelry store. That elevated level of style set a new bar for what guests could and should expect, on a visit to Vegas.

One of Las Vegas’ longest-standing Strip casinos is shuttering its doors for good. Tropicana Las Vegas is set to close Tuesday, just two days shy of its 67th anniversary. Once a crown jewel on the Strip, the aging property has struggled to stand out in recent decades amid a sea of megaresorts.