Las Vegas, the glittering city in the desert, has long been associated with mobsters and organized crime. The story of how mobsters came to dominate the casino industry in Las Vegas is a fascinating and complex one, dating back to the early days of the city’s development.
In the early 20th century, Las Vegas was a small town in the Nevada desert, known primarily for its mining and railroad industries. However, with the legalization of gambling in 1931, the city began to attract a different kind of visitor – those looking to try their luck at the gaming tables.
As the city’s gambling industry began to grow, so too did the influence of organized crime. The mob saw an opportunity to profit from the lucrative casino business, and began to establish a foothold in Las Vegas. One of the first mobsters to set his sights on the city was Bugsy Siegel, a notorious gangster who saw the potential for big profits in the nascent casino industry.
Siegel, along with his partner Meyer Lansky, began to invest in and build up the casino scene in Las Vegas, starting with the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in 1946. The resort was an instant success, drawing gamblers from around the country and solidifying Las Vegas as a gambling mecca.
However, Siegel’s success was short-lived, as he was murdered in 1947, likely by his own associates who were unhappy with his handling of the Flamingo project. Despite his untimely demise, Siegel’s legacy lived on, paving the way for other mobsters to move in and further establish their control over the city’s casinos.
One of the most infamous mobsters to rule over Las Vegas was Anthony “Tony” Spilotro, a Chicago Outfit enforcer who became known as the city’s “mob boss.” Spilotro was involved in numerous criminal activities, including extortion, racketeering, and murder, all in the name of protecting the mob’s interests in the city.
Despite the efforts of law enforcement to crack down on organized crime in Las Vegas, the mob continued to hold sway over the city’s casinos well into the 1970s and 80s. It wasn’t until the passage of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in 1970 that the government was able to effectively prosecute mobsters and dismantle their criminal enterprises.
Today, Las Vegas is a much different place than it was in its mob-dominated heyday. The city’s casinos are now owned and operated by large corporations, and the influence of organized crime has largely been eradicated. However, the legacy of the mobsters who once ruled over Las Vegas lives on in the city’s history and lore, forever entwining the worlds of crime and gambling in the desert oasis.
