Casablanca not formalised until 1910. Under the French rule, Muslim anti-Jewish riots occurred in 1908. The famous 1942 film "Casablanca" (starring Humphrey Bogart) underlined the city's colonial status at the time—depicting it as the scene of a power struggle between competing European powers. The film has a cosmopolitan cast of characters (American, French, German, Spaniard, Czech, Norwegian, Austrian, Bulgarian, Russian, and some other nationalities). Europeans formed almost half the population. During the 1940s and 1950s, Casablanca was a major centre of anti-French rioting. A bomb attack on 25 December 1953 (Christmas Day) caused 16 deaths. Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast)
CasaBlanca Resort murder of three-year-old Kristyanna Cowan. By 2007, the CasaBlanca was the largest employer in Mesquite. CasaBlanca Resort began a series of world class events in 2007 to establish Mesquite as a destination resort. ESPN televised boxing from the CasaBlanca Showroon and skeet shooting from their Oasis Gun Club. The $40,000 Smokin' in Mesquite BBQ Championship was established in 2009 and seen on the Pitmasters TV series on TLC. The Golden Gloves National Junior Boxing Tournament was held at the CasaBlanca Event Center in 2010 and televised by the TVS Television Network. The PBA Virgin River Seriors/Regular Doubles Championship was also