While the people who showed up for the games were enthusiastic, the Gamblers were a somewhat esoteric form of entertainment in Vegas as the time and with competition like Elvis Presley, Liberace and Tom Jones taking up most of the attention, only a few hundred people would attend the games.
In 1971, with the team in dire financial straits, the Gamblers needed a new influx of cash.
Casino magnate Ralph Engelstad, who had played college hockey at North Dakota,[3] took control of the team and changed the name to the 'Outlaws'.
After the Gamblers were caught violating league rules several times, the Outlaws were expelled and all of their results for the year were retroactively wiped out.
By the mid-70's, the team was experiencing troubles both on and off the ice as players were reported to have behaved poorly during their trip to Germany.