In September 1958, the New China Club launched the Keno Queen contest, accompanied by a parade through downtown Reno featuring the eleven contestants. An ad for the grand opening refers to the club as “Reno’s Monte Carlo.” There was another grand opening in 1957 after the addition of more than 800 square feet of floor space, for a total of 4000 square feet for gaming at the time it was the only casino with two individually operated keno games. The club expanded in 1956, with a larger, improved casino area and a café.

Eventually it had the first legal fan tan and pai gow games in Nevada. Opening at 260 Lake Street in a space formerly occupied by the Palm Saloon, the New China Club offered 21, dice, roulette, keno, and slot machines. An Octoad announced, “Reno’s Newest Casino-Bar,” suggesting the business opened around this time. In his license application, Fong and real estate agent Helen Penny positioned the New China Club as a place where Black servicemen at Stead Air Force base could come to gamble, rather than being bussed to Sacramento, since Reno casinos would not serve them. The Nevada Tax Commission granted a gambling license to Bill Fong for the New China Club on August 6, 1952.