Lady Luck: These Women Changed Casino Gambling as We Know It

As a woman who loves to gamble, I love nothing more than visiting land-based casinos, playing slots and table games, betting on sports and even playing in online casinos too.

Gambling has always been accessible to me, and that is something I, admittedly, take for granted. Historically, though, that hasn’t always been the case and gambling has been restricted to women or, often, denied altogether.

I’m not just talking about playing in casinos. Women have been stopped from dealing, managing, owning and sometimes even entering casinos at various points in history. But, as women often do, we always find a way. 

The fact that I am so freely able to not only gamble myself but also write about gambling as a woman in 2025, and that so many other women are able to forge a thriving career in the gambling industry, is thanks to all of the women before us who have broken through gender barriers.

The women who pulled up a chair at a table full of men and refused to move; the women who refused to let gender stereotypes hold them back; the women who weren’t afraid to be trailblazers so that other women could follow -- we owe it all to them.

So, with International Women’s Day on 8 March, I wanted to take a moment to honor and celebrate the stories and achievements of women I consider to have paved the way for me as a woman gambler.

There are too many women pioneers for me to include them all on this list, which in itself should be celebrated. Whether gamblers, dealers, owners or executives, every boundary crossed by a woman, whether a tiny step or a large leap, has ultimately helped to make gambling more accessible for me. 

So, to narrow it down, I have chosen women with, what I consider to be, extraordinary stories that have filled me with inspiration -- and put a smile on my face too.  

Eleanor Dumont, Blackjack Brainiac

Eleanor Dumont, also known as “Madame Moustache,” single-handedly conquered the stigma that blackjack is a man’s game. She not only became the first known female professional blackjack dealer but she was also an incredible player. 

”Madame Mustache” attracted men to her tables from all across the country. (Image: courtesy of Cowgirl Magazine)

Born Simone Jules in 1829, either in Paris or New Orleans, depending on what source you believe, Eleanor arrived in San Francisco at the age of 21, with an in-depth understanding of the game “Lucky 21.” She landed her first blackjack dealer job at Bella Union casino and was such a success that she opened her own gambling parlor called “Vingt-et-Un” in Nevada City. 

As well as an incredible gambler, Eleanor was also a shrewd businesswoman, only allowing well-kept men through the doors, and refusing entry to all other women except herself. Men travelled for miles to see the beautiful and charming “woman dealer,” particularly the wealthy and powerful of the Old West.

In her later years, Dumont travelled as a professional gambler and dealer, always drawing crowds wherever she went. It was during this time that she developed the distinguishing hair above her lip that resulted in the “Madame Moustache” nickname.

Lottie Deno, ‘Cleaning House’ in the Wild West

Another legendary gambling heroine was Lottie Deno, although that was just one of her nicknames.

Lottie Deno showed gamblers that winning at cards wasn’t just a man’s game. (Image: courtesy of GothicWestern.com)

Born as Carlotta J. Thompkins in Kentucky, Lottie travelled with her wealthy father as a youngster, picking up poker skills from him along the way. 

She moved to San Antonio in 1865 and became a house gambler at the University Club. When her lover was accused of murder, the pair fled, touring and gambling throughout the frontiers of Texas and Mexico.

Lottie made a name for herself wherever she went for her skills and bravery at the poker table. In Alamo City she was known as the “Angel of San Antonio,” and at Fort Concho she became known as “Mystic Maud.”

But it was at Fort Griffin, a frontier outpost near the Texas Panhandle, that she made the biggest impact when she famously beat notorious Wild West legend Doc Holiday in a game of Five Card Stud.

Lottie’s escapades have become part of the folklore of the American Wild West including how she got her most famous nickname, Lottie Deno. 

One night in a saloon, Lottie won every hand of poker from every gambler in the room and legend has it that a drunken cowboy shouted from the back of the saloon “Honey, with winnings like them, you oughta call yourself Lotta Dinero.” Of course, dinero means money in Spanish and the name stuck.

‘Poker Alice’ Ivers, Bootlegger, Madam, Gambler

She was one of the most famous figures of the American frontier and not just for gambling.

Even in her later years, Poker Alice knew how to handle the male gamblers on the Wild West frontier. (Image: courtesy of Poker’s Palace)

Born in 1851, Alice was originally born in England but moved to Virginia and then to Colorado, where she made her name as a professional gambler, bootlegger, and brothel owner.

After her first husband died in a mining accident, Alice was left in a financially difficult position. She started dealing and playing poker, and had a knack for counting cards and calculating odds at great speed. 

While Alice loved winning money, she also loved spending it too and would travel to New York to buy all the latest fashions which she would then wear at the poker table to distract other players. Alice was also known to carry a .38 firearm with her at all times and smoke cigars too.

By the time she’d earned the nickname “Poker Alice,” men would travel for miles to watch her play and challenge her. It is claimed that she started every game by saying: “Praise the Lord and place your bets … I’ll take your money with no regrets,” and that she could make up to $6,000 a night (over $100,000 in current money).

In 1910, Alice opened her own saloon, Poker’s Palace in South Dakota, which operated as a gambling parlor and brothel. She had several run-ins with the law but always managed to escape prison, and was finally pardoned after hundreds of community members signed a petition.

So influential was Poker Alice to the world of gambling that her story has been fictionalized many times including the film “Poker Alice” where she is played by none other than screen icon Elizabeth Taylor.

Mayme Stocker, First Casino Licensee in Las Vegas

Mayme Stocker is one of the most renowned names in Nevada gambling history as she became the very first lawful casino operator in Las Vegas.

Mayme Stocker, seen here with her son Clarence, ran a casino on Fremont Street near what is now the Mob Museum. (Image: UNLV Special Collections)

However, unlike some of the women in our article, Mayme didn’t have a background or even an interest in gambling. Instead, she became the owner of the Northern Club in 1920 because her husband, who was a railroad worker, was forbidden from owning a saloon or club on company rules.

On the outside, The Northern Club was a soft drink emporium, but on the inside it offered gambling and whiskey during the height of prohibition. When the bill passed to legalize gambling, Mayme was granted the first casino license in Las Vegas, making history in the process.

Mayme relinquished control of the day-to-day running of the club, and by 1941 famed mobster Bugsy Siegel was running it. Over the next few years, the club operated under several names including the Monte Carlo Club and La Bayou before transforming into a Golden Gate expansion.

Living until the age of 97, Mayme spent the rest of her years in Las Vegas, active both socially and politically, ensuring she was a highly respected member of her community.

Sarann Knight Preddy, Casino Segregation Freedom Fighter

Sarann Knight Preddy is one of the most inspiring women on my list, having been discriminated against not only for her gender, but also her color.

Sarann Knight Preddy spent decades in Las Vegas dealing with discrimination and helping end casino segregation. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Born 1920 in Oklahoma, Sarann moved to Las Vegas in 1942 but found very few job opportunities for black people in gambling due to strict segregation rules. 

After attending business school in California, Saraan managed to find a job as a keno writer at the Cotton Club, an exclusive club for African Americans on the Westside of Las Vegas.

Most important though, she learned to deal 21, and when an opportunity to buy a club, the Tonga Club, arose in Hawthorne, she took it. In doing so, Saraan became the first and only woman of color to receive a gaming license in Nevada.

When she returned to Vegas, Saraan worked as a dealer in various clubs until the city passed an ordinance in 1958 forbidding women to work as dealers. Cast out of the gambling industry for both her color and her gender, Saraan set up two other businesses in the textile industry, but her heart wasn’t in it.

Eventually, she was able to return to gambling years later, securing a six-month contract as a dealer with Jerry’s Nugget, although she ended up staying there for seven years.

Saraan died in 2014 but left behind a vast legacy. Before her death, she worked hard to restore Moulin Rouge, which was not only the first integrated casino in Las Vegas but also the site where hotel owners and city and state officials met in March 1960 and signed an agreement to end segregation across Las Vegas.

She succeeded in having Moulin Rouge placed on the National Register of Historic Places and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Nevada.

Judy Bayley, ‘First Lady of Gambling’

Judy Bayley earned her title as the “First Lady of Gambling” after becoming the first woman in Nevada history to solely own and operate a hotel-casino.

Judy Bayley opened the Hacienda and set a standard for casino and new game promotions. (Image: courtesy of Nevada State Museum)

Judy and her husband, Warren “Doc” Bayley, opened the Hacienda Hotel (where Mandalay Bay stands now) in 1956 and the casino the year later.

After Doc’s death in 1964, Judy took sole reins of the business, which was unheard of at the time. When she took over the business was in trouble but, through a series of innovative changes and inspired marketing campaigns, Judy made it highly profitable for the next seven years until she passed. 

During her time at the top, Judy is credited with bringing new games to the Las Vegas Strip, such as Live Keno. She also maximized PR opportunities, raising the profile of herself and her business at every opportunity. 

Judy showed not only that women can be successful in the gambling industry, but that they can lead from the very top, which was a huge breakthrough for women in the industry.

Jean Brady, Paving the Way for Women Dealers

Jean Brady is commonly thought to be the first female blackjack dealer on the Las Vegas Strip. This isn’t entirely accurate, but it has some truth in it.

Jean Brady knew she could deal with the best, and fought for her right to do so. (Image: UPI)

Women had been dealing in Las Vegas as early as the 1940’s. The first known job advert for women dealers on the Strip was posted in 1943 and they had been in those roles for 15 years. However, male dealers didn’t like it. They feared for job security and it was this pressure that resulted in an ordinance banning women from card-dealing positions in 1958.

That ban lasted 12 years, so between 1958 and 1970 there were no women dealers on the Strip at all. However, this wasn’t true of the casinos outside of the main Strip area. Women dealers continued to work in places like North Las Vegas, Reno and Henderson.

When it came to reinstating women dealers to the Strip, Jean Brady was the poster-girl. She was working at the Silver Slipper as a slot machine cashier when casino manager Jack Piper asked her to deal blackjack.

In an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 1970, Jean admitted she took the role, not to advance women’s rights but for her own prospects: 

“I’m not fighting for any rights for women. I’m just trying to take the best job opportunity available to me.”

Nevertheless, Brady’s recruitment started a new influx of women dealers back to Strip, who saw that it was possible. One such woman was Shirley Brancucci who became not only the first baccarat dealer on the Las Vegas Strip, but also the first female baccarat manager.

Claudine Williams, Expanding the Strip’s Footprint

Claudine Williams started in the gaming industry when she was just 15, and was the first woman ever to be accepted in the Nevada Gaming Hall of Fame.

Claudine Williams learned from a legend and came to Nevada where she began developing property on the Las Vegas Strip. (Image: Las Vegas Sun)

Born in 1921, Claudine was originally from Louisiana but moved to Texas at a young age. During the Great Depression, she dropped out of high school and lied about her age to get a job in a gambling hall run by the famous Benny Binion, at just 15 years old.

That experience, plus the help of a $5,000 bank loan, led Claudine to buy her own Houston Steakhouse and casino, becoming the youngest woman to ever own a gambling club in Texas before she was even 21.

Fourteen years later, Claudine moved to Nevada and together with her husband Shelby, bought the Silver Slipper Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. After selling to Howard Hughes in 1969, they bought land opposite Caesars Palace and built the Holiday Casino, which later developed into Harrah’s.

When her husband died in 1977, Claudine became the president and general manager of the casino, a Nevada first for a woman, and continued to expand and develop the business. Even when it was sold to Harrah’s she continued at the helm as Chairwoman using her experience and expertise to lead the business.

Claudine is recognized as being one of the most influential women in the history of gambling and was central to the expansion and development of the Las Vegas Strip.

Jeanne Hood, Original Slots Influencer

I couldn’t possibly include Claudine Williams on my list without also adding Jeanne Hood. For a long time, Claudine and Jeanne were peers, the only two women in charge of casinos in Las Vegas at the same time. However, Jeanne’s influence went a little further.

Jeanne Hood was a businessperson who recognized the value in slots and the women who played them. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Similar to Claudine, Jeanne took over operations of Four Queens casino in downtown Las Vegas after the death of her husband in 1977. However, Four Queens was part of the Hyatt hotel group, so when Jeanne took over, she didn’t just take over one casino, but several. 

Hyatt formed a subsidiary, Elsinore Corporation, to manage its gaming interests, and Jeanne became vice president and then president, overseeing the development of gaming properties in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Jeanne was a pioneer not only in running a casino, but in running a corporate gaming operation on a larger scale. At a time when table games reigned supreme, Jeanne was instrumental in enlarging the role of slot machines -- particularly dollar slot machines -- on the casino floor and also played a vital role in reviving downtown Las Vegas. 

Barbara Enright, Modern Poker Pioneer

Barbara Enright takes our final position in the top ten list, most notably because she was the first woman inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Barbara Enright was the first to make men take women seriously at the poker table. If they didn’t she took their money. (Image: poker.se)

It’s hard to celebrate Barbara Enright without first acknowledging another Barbara – Barbara Freer – who was the first female poker player to enter a general World Series of Poker tournament in 1979.

Before Freer, no woman had ever sat at a WSOP table with men so it was a huge milestone for poker playing women at that time. With that barrier broken, Enright showed that women were coming to Las Vegas to compete. 

She became the first woman to win an open event at the WSOP, then became the first woman to win two WSOP bracelets, then the first woman to win three. 

Enright is the only player to be inducted into all three poker halls of fame -- the Senior Poker Hall of Fame, the World Series of Poker Hall of Fame and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Barbara undoubtedly influenced modern female poker players who have been able to not only compete with men but also reach heights previously unheard of.

She paved the way for other women milestone setters, such as Vanessa Selbst, considered by many the most successful female professional poker player of all time and the only woman to have reached the number one ranking in the world on the Global Poker Index. Also, Annette Obrestad, the youngest ever player — across all genders — to win a WSOP bracelet. She did this at just 18 years old, in the inaugural WSOP Europe event, beating 361 other players to take home more than $2 million for first prize.

Current Trailblazers

The current landscape for women in gambling is vastly different from the past. That is largely thanks to women such as those mentioned above who have all played their part in expanding and developing how women are seen in the industry.  

Figures released in 2023 showed that women now make up 48% of the gaming workforce in the US. There is still more work to be done with positions of authority, but headway is, at least, being made.

The trend is the same for women gamblers, with recent statistics showing only a 1% difference between the number of men and women in the US who play slot machines at land-based casinos.

The growth of online gaming has also opened more doors to women than ever before, both in terms of playing and working. There is a constant stream of new trailblazing women making their mark and proving time and time again that women can and will put their stamp on gambling history.

Again, there are far too many women to mention, but Melonie Johnson, president and COO of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, who is the first Black woman to run an Atlantic City casino; Siobhan Lane, CEO of Gaming at Light & Wonder; and Jette Nygaard-Anderson CEO of online gaming company Entain are all great examples of women currently in top leadership roles. 

Organisations such as Global Gaming Women are now in place to support women in the gaming industry through mentorship, education and scholarships. They provide a network and foundation to enable women to thrive in the business and we are already seeing a whole new generation of trailblazers that I can’t wait to write about.