A recent magazine article has highlighted the fact that casino gambling in the United States is now the largest form of entertainment, surpassing all sports, theater, movie and television revenues combined. This is amazing.
Apparently, the collectors of spoons from the 1890's also enjoyed gambling, because we have spoons indicating an interest in these games. But gambling spoons are relatively rare, so it obviously was not a preoccupation as it is today.
Mechanical roulette wheel with enameled 4-leaf clover
(fork)
The wheel actually turns
Enameled roulette wheel finial and bowl has enameled cards
Another version of the Monte Carlo roulette and card spoon
Enameled cards finial and 4 leaf clover
Monaco crown
These spoons are of more recent vintage, since Las Vegas did not even exist as a city at the time of the souvenir spoon movement of the 1890's - 1920's. Las Vegas got its start as a "wild west" gambling town in the 1930's during the building of the Hoover Dam. Prior to this it was just a very small farming community.
Transfer print roulette finial and cast roulette wheel finial
Cutout images of card suits (Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii)
the "clubs" suit finial on a twisted stem
Nice enameled bowl showing four aces