The expansion of the Las Vegas gaming economy relied on two critical infrastructures: the Junket System and Casino Credit. These innovations industrialized gambling tourism and created the framework for high-stakes play.

The Junket System

The junket system outsourced player acquisition to independent representatives who chartered flights, vetted players, and delivered them to casinos in exchange for commissions. It was like a travel agency for gamblers, with much higher stakes.

The Marker System

To facilitate high-stakes play without physical cash, casinos developed the Marker System, supported by Central Credit (est. 1956), a centralized database to prevent credit abuse. Players could gamble on credit, settling up later.

The 1983 Shift

A pivotal shift occurred in 1983, when Nevada legislation codified markers as negotiable instruments (checks). This transformed unpaid gambling debt from an unenforceable civil matter into a criminal felony (bad check), allowing the state to prosecute non-paying debtors.

Corporate Credit

This legal framework provided the security necessary for corporate casinos to extend billions in credit, replacing mob-enforced collections with state-sanctioned legal recourse. The marker became as binding as a mortgage.