Richard 'Pick' Hobson was created in Illinois on May 15, 1911. He headed west in 1929, eventually landing in Reno where he worked like a dealer at the Palace Club. After gaining some experience, and some friends, Pick invested his profit a gaming operation at the Colombo Club at 244 Lake Street, inside Colombo Hotel. The Toscano Hotel, just down the street, housed advertising for Pick's clubs for years, reminding those driving by, to check out his other casinos.
Joe Hobson, Pick's brother, joined him inside a casino found in the tiny town of Hawthorne, Nevada throughout the Second World War, when the munitions facility what food was in full swing. Also under way were the constantly fighting service men in the city, working in the munitions facility. The Pick returned to Reno in 1943 and opened 'Pick's Club,' which reopened in 1946 since the Frontier Club when Joe dedicated to the casino at 220 North Virginia Street.
The casino featured a bar, craps, 21, and roulette, plus a race-horse book. A bingo hall was added in 1948, and 30 slot machine games were brought-in by Virgil Smith. Later a Keno game was added as well as the table games expanded. By 1956 if the club was sold to Bill Harrah, there have been 172 slots.
Harrah paid nearly $1 million for the casino, and portion of his final cost was a stipulation that Hobson wouldn't operate another casino for three years. In 1960, Pick purchased the Overland Hotel, just around the corner on Commercial and Center Street. The club backed-up to website his old Lake Street casino.
In 1970, Pick purchased the Cosmo Club, which he operated for four years until it absolutely was closed so he could expand the Overland. At the same time, Pick was operating the Gold Club in Sparks, along with the Topaz Lodge at the California State Line.
Once again, Bill Harrah came knocking, offering to lease the Overland, though the hotel and casino immediately closed and also the property was demolished in June 1977. The Cosmo Club has also been demolished, and Harrah purchased the Riverside hotel casino from Jessie Beck and traded it to Hobson in exchange for that Overland and Cosmo Club land.
Pick Hobson was the last owner of the Riverside casino, which closed in December 1986. An auction of slots and memorabilia from your Riverside as well as the Overland was held, and the hotel closed in November 1987. Pick gone after Portola, California soon afterwards. He passed on August 19, 1996, always remembered being a very congenial boss who did his far better to take care of his employees.