The casino had long been a sexualised arena, and the 20th century brought little change. For many people, the casino was considered a place that men could come to relax, unwind, and be indulged to the fullest.

The start of the Second World War in 1939 meant that the majority of the male workers had answered the call to fight overseas, meaning the workforce in Nevada’s casinos had been depleted dramatically. In 1943, the first advert for a female operator was placed in The Nevada State Journal. Although this was originally a venture of necessity, it gave women the opening to join in, as well as attracting more male patrons to the casino hall. This caused a stir amongst the competition, and it wasn’t long before every casino hall in Reno was hiring female game operators. It wasn’t until 1971, however, that Las Vegas followed suit, with the Silver Slipper hiring their first female cards dealer, and the Union Plaza catching up later that year. Shirley Brancucci was the first female baccarat dealer on the Las Vegas strip. She worked at the Stardust, under Frank ‘Lefty’ Rottenstall – a pioneer of sports gambling with an unsavoury reputation as an organised crime associate. Shirley described how nervous she was on her first night, as Frank watched her like a hawk as she dealt out the cards.

Frank Rosenthal, he was very, very, 'You better do what I say.' He had a big, big ego. Shirley Brancucci

"Some of the people (men) would not play if I was on the game," she said. "They would play if I was on the 'money' but not calling the game. So they had me sit on the 'base' all the time." It wasn’t just gender bias that Shirley was subjected to during her time in Las Vegas, she was also sexually objectified on a number of occasions. She discusses meeting Johnny Rosselli, a renowned mobster and co-owner of the Tropicana, where Shirley worked as cocktail waitress before working at the Stardust. "Johnny Rosselli, he was very hot. He was messing with me (touching her inappropriately) one day, and I kicked him, and he kicked me back. I didn't know who he was ... I told him I was there to serve drinks and that was what I was doing." The 70s also brought the first female craps dealers to the strip – one of whom was Deborah Nutton. She was initially told by casino bosses that "bending over the game would ruin your ovaries". Having received a nursing degree from UNLV, Deborah didn’t pay attention to the claims, pursued the position and became a fantastic craps dealer. By the time she was 25, she had been promoted to the position of boss of the dice pit at the Sands, but wouldn’t spend her breaks in the employee break room with her male co-workers. Instead, she chose to spend her break time in the women’s toilets. Her male colleagues at the Sands called her "that (expletive) broad". Deborah explains that during her time at the casino, she "tried hard not to complain or do anything", because dealers were expected to "dummy up and deal."

…I knew none of it made sense and they had so many rules for women that were different than men. Deborah Nutton, Craps Dealer