Las Vegas has had its fair share of Hollywood limelight over the years. This gaming capital of the world is featured in numerous films. For some it plays a key role in the script, in others it is merely has a cameo apperance. The size of the hotels, wealth and glamor attract many film writers and directors. Heres a list of some of the most famous films featuring Vegas:

Con Air – This action thriller staring Nicolas Cage features Las Vegas near the end of the movie. Cage actually lands an airplane on the Las Vegas Strip destroying half of it as he goes. Thankfully this hasn’t happened in real life. I couldn’t bare to see that amount of destruction on the strip.

Fear and Loathing in Vegas – This psychedelic quirky drug comedy starring Johnny Depp at his best portrays Las Vegas in the 1960s. Depp and a friend travel to the city with a case full of drugs which turns into long schizophrenic trip. The film also documents their stay in the famous flamingo hotel.

Casino – Casino was directed by the famous Martin Scorsese and tells the story of a Mafia member managing the large Tangiers casino on the strip. The film depicts the wave of mob crime which took place in the 1970s and 80s. You gain a great image of how Vegas was in those days from watching this film which, shows the glamor, wealth and extravagance the city has to offer.

Viva Las Vegas – This film starred the king of rock Elvis Presley as he played a character who wanted to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The song has become world famous and the movie helped the reputation of the city grow.

Oceans 11-This film starred all the the stars including, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julie Roberts and George Clooney. The plot is based on a group of robbers stealing from the famous Bellegio Casino.

UK online casinos are now becoming very popular with online users. But nothing will compare to the Las Vegas experience. It is a world famous city, but still relatively new, so you may be thinking how it became the gambling capital of the world, well here a brief history of the city….

Las Vegas as we know it today is one of the most famous, extravagant, colorful cities around the world. The city can be found in the Nevada desert and has a rich history from its formation to its current day status of being the gambling capital of the world. Heres a brief history lesson in how the famous city was formed.

In 1855 Mormon setters from Salt Lake city traveled to the desert oasis to build a railway track through the Las Vegas springs. After building a small colony community the Mormons left due to constant raiding from Indians. In 1890 rail workers decided that the area of Las Vegas would be perfect for creation of a small town and stop off point due to its water rich oasis. The rail road was created and connected to several major towns near the region. The town was soon being built with small saloons, bards and shops opening.

Nevada was the first state to legalize gambling but in 1910 gambling was strictly outlawed. No form of betting was allowed even the flicking of a coin! Instead of gambling being driven out of the town, it simply only grew with several illegal casinos being setup up feeding the growth of an underground gambling industry. By the early 1930s the industry was thriving as the town grew and became larger and larger. Gambling was once again legalized in 1931 in an attempt to create taxes and funding for schools and state education. Now the state relies heavily on the income of gambling to help pay for state projects.

Vegas was pretty much unaffected by the depression in the 1930s due to the amount of local economic growth taking place in the town. Hotels and casino’s were beginning to rise all over the town, the Hoover dam was constructed providing electricity in the region. During WW2 the Nellis Airbase was constructed and was the base for thousands of trainee pilots, many of whom took up residency in Vegas. Even today, many in Vegas are connected in some way to the air base.

After the war the town soon grew into a city and more hotel and casino complexes where being constructed. The El Rancho complex was the first successful hotel and casino complex on the now infamous strip. During the 1940 several new casinos were constructed along the same strip of road. These first generation era casino were renovated or demolished throughout time and by the 1960s the most famous was the Flamingo Hotel which was owned by Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel who was part of a notorious crime squad around that time.

The flamingo hotel still exists today and is part of the Hilton hotel group. The building boom continued throughout the 1950, with several big hotels being constructed including, the Tropicana, Hacienda, Stardust and Rivera Hotels. Every year hotels were being built and most were making huge amounts of money. Visitors were increasing every year and hotels and casinos were in demand. This growth has continued until this very day.

When gambling was legalized in other states such as Atlanta in 1976, Nevada could no longer pride itself as the only region in the US to legally gamble. It was at this time that plans for Mega Hotel/ Casino complexes were drawn up to make sure visitors kept returning to Vegas. Vegas chiefs increase the appeal of Vegas by not just appealing to tourists for gambling reasons. Before only gamblers would visit the city but, hotels owners and investors saw the need to expand facilities and entertainment to attract families. Through the 1980s and 90s theme parks were added to casino’s, further attractions were added for tourists to enjoy.

Vegas simply grew bigger and bigger as Hotels and casinos competed for the most extravagant complexes and facilities. Now the city boasts the greatest hotels in the world, numerous themed parks and of course at the heart of the city, the greatest casino’s facilities.

Its an amazing story. Who would would have thought the desert spring valley discovered just over 100 years ago would become such an iconic, famous and entertaining city loved by millions of visitors a year. Online gambling casinos are now the new rage, but they will never be able to replicate the character and atmosphere of Vegas.