Even today we consider Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world. Money, fame and glamour gave the city a reputation. These have been joined by the best games, some of which you can find currently reproduced in excellent online casinos national. The past counts organized crime stories and numerous attempts to control the city. Money laundering, trafficking, extortion and many other illegal activities took place through these stops. Let's meet their authors.
Tony Cornero – " The Hat”
Tony Cornero, known as hat or Admiral he began his career as a rum smuggler during Prohibition . Ironically, he owned a shrimp trading business as a front, which we can argue matched quite well in another setting. He started by smuggling Canadian whiskey into California.
Cornero moved to Las Vegas and together with his brother bought a property where they built one of the first casinos. roadside in the city. O The Green Meadows it was successful, which attracted the attention of a prominent New York gangster, who demanded a share of the profits. Cornero refused, which would lead to the casino's closure after he sold it and moved back to California.
Interest in the game did not wane and this Vegas gangster eventually became famous for his game boats in California Bay . By this time, in the early twentieth century, gambling was prohibited in this state. Thus, a clever way to circumvent the law was to turn boats into floating casinos.
They still exist today casino boats in America , as we recently revealed in an article we published. Cornero knew this approach was not legal, but took advantage of the fact that state authority only applied until a few miles from the coast . Therefore, the legal vacuum allowed an activity that still endures today.
Some of the most famous casino boats were called SS Rex and SS Tango . These carried about 2000 punters and a crew that could go up to 350 elements. California authorities have found a way to deal with this embarrassing situation by changing the extent of territorial waters. Thus, floating casinos were illegal because they were in Californian waters.
After the end of this branch of business and an attempt on his life, Cornero moved again to Las Vegas and began construction of the Stardust Resort and Casino , which is still an icon of the city. The Las Vegas Gambling Commission refused him a license due to his record as an alcohol smuggler.
This was followed by requests for loans from other Vegas gangsters and casino owners to complete the construction of Stardust. On July 31, 1955, Cornero communicated to an investor that he would need an additional $800,000 to provide liquidity to his casino as well as pay vendors. Would die suspiciously playing craps that same day, allegedly poisoned.
Moe Dalitz
Born in Boston, this casino gangster began his activity during Prohibition, like Tony Cornero. The front business was provided by family laundry , ironically, where he used the company's trucks to transport alcoholic beverages. Like many mobsters of the time, this activity became quite profitable and helped finance much of the gambling activity.
Dalitz became a relevant figure in Las Vegas , notably for the acquisition of the famous Desert Inn and its subsequent transformation into a casino, to join the The Sundance Hotel Casino . He was also responsible for helping Tony Cornero build the Stardust Resort and Casino , more than enough grounds for suspicion and figure on this our list.
As part of the casino mafia, he joined other individuals of dubious reputation and entered other areas of business. Among them, a real estate development company, a shopping center, a country club and even a hospital. This Vegas gangster was essentially an investor , funding numerous projects throughout the city.
Bugsy Siegel
Bugsy Siegel was one of Vegas ' most notorious gangsters, with ties to the mafia and gambling. Born on February 26, 1906 in Brooklyn, New York, he came from a poor Jewish family. The story hints that Bugsy was quite charming among women and was often seen in the company of Hollywood stars .
Unfortunately, it was also an unscrupulous murderer , responsible for the deaths of other organized crime bosses. The list of crimes committed is quite extensive. From carjackings to the aforementioned bootlegging of alcohol during Prohibition. He also had control over a prostitution ring and illegal gambling.
His fame as a mobster finds its peak as a professional killer. As a teenager, he worked for Meyer Lansky as a confidence man to carry out murders. To understand Lansky's dimension, it is enough to consider that it was he who inspired the Hyman Roth's character in the film godfather . In slang, we would say it was about big fish.
Bugsy's Las Vegas connection begins in the early 1930s when he and Moe Sedway (who also worked for Lansky) supplied illegal services to construction crews Hoover Dam. Over the next decade, he helped finance the Flamingo Hotel , a stake he would later sell under threat of death.
A Flamingo's opening was a disaster , it was 1946. The bad weather meant that many of The Hollywood stars did not appear. Added to this is the fact that the hotel is not yet fully finished. Unable to stay overnight, many casino players ended up taking their winnings and continuing to play elsewhere.
The casino would eventually close two weeks later it would reopen the following year. Unfortunately, Bugsy's debts were already so large that the mob could no longer forgive them. He would be shot dead in the sumptuous Virginia Hillda mansion, his girlfriend's Beverly Hills possession.
Even today Bugsy Siegel is regarded as the man who invented Las Vegas as the capital of the game and as we know it today. After all, the famous Flamingo Hotel and Casino it still stands as one of the city's great icons. If you have the opportunity to enter the building, you will be in the presence of a historical landmark.
Interesting Fact: Nickname Bugsy it was a result of his temperament. After all, the term applies to crazy or unstable. The criminal hated being called that and is said to have threatened to kill anyone who had the nerve to do so in his face. Just in case, it was best to avoid it.
Johnny Roselli
Another famous gangster from Vegas and the United States of America, Roselli was born in Rome, Italy. Moved to Chicago in 1922 and in the 1950s became a high representative of the mafia of Los Angeles. His job was to collect a percentage of the casinos ' profits. Imagine if you were currently faced with the volume moved in fantastic online slots .
His diverse tastes led him to work as a film producer , ironically having financed a gangster film. It was also Roselli who became friends with Frank Sinatra , becoming patron of its membership in the The Los Angeles Friar's Club . Here, Roselli was part of a card game cheating scheme that was eventually uncovered by the FBI.
This man would allegedly recruited in the 60s by the CIA to take part in a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro by poisoning his food. Casino mafia stories rarely have a happy ending. Johnny Roselli would later be found dead inside a barrel off the coast of Miami, Florida.
Tony Accardo
Born in Chicago, Tony Accardo became involved in the mafia at an early age. His nickname, Joe Batters it was attributed to him by Al Capone himself. In the course of a dinner where Capone was host, Accardo murdered three men with a baseball bat . From there to his connection with the game was a small step.
Throughout his successful career in Las Vegas, Accardo was responsible for ensuring that casinos exclusively used his slot machines and services. As usual, these people do the same kind of thing. proposals that cannot be refused , the profits were quite large.
He died in 1992 of a heart attack. Chicago's chief of Chiefs . Unlike other Vegas gangsters in this article, he was relatively discreet throughout his life for the important role he had in organized crime. Better yet, he didn't end up murdered by his cronies.
Frank Rosenthal
Another Vegas gangster who mixed gambling with other activities linked to organized crime. During the 1950s, he managed one of the largest illegal betting systems of the United States of America. I was already working for the famous Chicago Outfit , the Al Capone alliance.
Eventually moved to Las Vegas and managed several casinos, among them the Hacienda , we Freemont , we Stardust and the Marina . He was also responsible for the first sports betting in Stardust , making it a reference in this segment.
A metal plate under the driver's seat it saved him from an attempt on his life when a bomb exploded in his Cadillac Eldorado. After being banned from a casino in Nevada, he moved to Florida and became a consultant for sports betting companies.
Marshall Joseph Caifano
Another Vegas gangster to our list, this Italian descendant was also part of the Chicago Outfit . With a long career in crime that included murder, robbery, extortion and more, he did not fail to be associated with the illegal gambling business . He was also responsible for controlling casinos in Las Vegas owned by organized crime groups.
Moe Sedway
Moe Sedway was of Polish descent and began a career in crime fairly early. He also worked with the aforementioned Meyer Lansky. Prominent name among the casino mafia, Moe used to visit Las Vegas frequently to control the Transamerica payment service . This man was also associated with the financing of the Flamingo , being a relevant Vegas gangster on our list.
The Mob Museum-The Mob Museum of Las Vegas
No wonder that even today the gaming industry has a not very positive reputation. The long years of association with organized crime they have left a stain that only in recent years has been laid aside. O Mob Museum Las Vegas is a fascinating testimony of the black history between the law and organized crime.
Here you will be able to know the path of some of these criminals and their associates, with unique artifacts that recreate a very reliable image of the casino mafia. There are several exhibits which include a photo gallery of some of the most brutal homicides, a firearm shooting training simulator, crime lab and even a distillery.
Final thoughts on the gangster world of Vegas
These violent criminals have left a mark on American history and continue to do so. inspire movies, TV series, books and even exhibitions in museums dedicated to his activity. All the names described here played an active role in building the image of gambling in Las Vegas. Some have even built some of the city's most iconic casinos.
Films and series such as Casino , or Boardwalk Empire of Martin Scorsese give us to know a little of this reality that for years existed behind the curtain . Far from these days, the world of physical gambling or even online casinos is mostly controlled by companies and individuals of high reputation.
Frequently asked questions about Vegas Gangsters
Now that we've introduced you to some of the most famous names in the gaming world, you might have some questions. After all, the connection between many of these men is enough to leave us with our heads spinning. Nothing like our classic frequently asked questions section to eliminate those last doubts concerning every Vegas gangster.
