<P> Realizing that gambling would be profitable for local business , the Nevada state legislature legalized gambling at the local level in 1931 . Las Vegas , with a small but already well - established illegal gambling industry , was poised to begin its rise as the gaming capital of the world . The county issued the first gambling license in 1931 to the Northern Club , and soon other casinos were licensed on Fremont Street like the Las Vegas Club and the Apache Hotel . Fremont Street became the first paved street in Las Vegas and received the city 's first traffic light in 1931 . </P>
when did las vegas become a gambling town
1931