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Southern Nevada, where the city of Las Vegas is found, may seem like an inhospitable desert, but it has been home to humans for a long time. Petroglyphs show signs of human presence in the area more than 10,000 years ago. Members of the Paiute tribe inhabited the region as far back as 700 CE.
Although Siegel’s vision for the city was fulfilled, he didn’t live to see it. Siegel was gunned down in his Beverly Hills home on June 20, 1947. It’s believed that the hit was ordered by his business partner, Meyer Lansky (pictured). The original budget for the Flamingo was US$1.5 million, but it ended up costing $6 million, likely because Siegel was skimming funds and having his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, deposit the money in European bank accounts.
One of the first gangsters to set up shop in Las Vegas was a man named Jim Ferguson. Ferguson reportedly met a woman named Vera Magness who wanted to set up her own brothel, so he took her to Las Vegas where they both began running successful illegal businesses in prostitution, bootlegging, and gambling.
Jim Ferguson may have been the first mob boss of Las Vegas, but it was Bugsy Siegel who envisioned the Las Vegas we see today. Siegel was a New York mobster working for the famous Meyer Lansky, who sent him to the West Coast in the 1940s to expand their gambling business. Siegel reportedly dreamt of setting up a gambling oasis in the desert near Las Angeles, which eventually led him to Las Vegas.
By 1954, Las Vegas was attracting more than eight million tourists per year, drawn in by the affordable opulence and incredible music acts like Elvis Presley and Liberace.
In 1931, the ban on gambling was lifted, and the construction of the Hoover Dam, located just outside of Las Vegas, began. This massive project brought thousands of workers to the area, all seeking refreshment and entertainment. Fremont Street was the only paved street in Las Vegas, and it was quickly filled with small casinos, showgirls venues, and eventually, legal bars.
In 1946, Siegel opened the Flamingo casino with investment from Lansky (reportedly drug money he had generated from Mexico). It was the first resort-style casino that offered a luxury experience worthy of Hollywood’s elite.
The Flamingo was just the third casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The high-class joint welcomed dozens of celebrities to its opening night and consistently booked the best talent to perform in its lounge.
A small settlement developed in Las Vegas over the following decades. In 1905, the railroad arrived, connecting the small city to the country’s main rail network and encouraging further development.
The dam was completed in 1936, and the hydroelectric power it generated was used to light the very first flashing signs of Las Vegas’ casinos.
The version of Las Vegas created by the likes of Howard Hughes is the one we know today. While it still earns the nickname “Sin City” for a multitude of reasons, organized crime is no longer top of the list.
Sources: (History) (Biometrica) (National Crime Syndicate) (Far & Wide)
The mid-1940s saw the beginning of the mob’s 50-year hold on Las Vegas, as many different organized crime organizations began building following the trend.
A casino called El Rancho was the first such establishment to be built on Highway 91, a location that would come to be known as the Las Vegas Strip. Like many casinos, it ended up under mob ownership a few years down the line.
A group of Mormons tried unsuccessfully to create a settlement there in 1855, and the land was eventually taken over by an industrious rancher named Octavius D. Gass. He owned almost the entire Las Vegas Valley up until 1881 and is remembered by some as the “father of Las Vegas.”
Another attractive characteristic of Las Vegas was the availability of speedy divorces. From the early 1900s, it was known as a place where couples could go to get their divorces handled quickly thanks to Nevada’s loose marriage laws. The flip side of this, i.e. quick marriages, would also prove to be a big draw in the future!
The area was first discovered by Europeans when Antonio Armijo’s expedition group came across the Las Vegas Valley in 1830. He was on a mission to create a trade route between Mexico and California at the time. Rafael Rivera, another member of the group, gave the area the name “Las Vegas,” which means “the meadows.”
Gambling was banned in Nevada in 1909, and Prohibition was introduced nationwide in 1920. Rather than reducing the town’s appeal, it offered the perfect opportunity for illegal underground casinos and speakeasies to spring up.
The Stardust in particular was a famous hangout for the Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., all of whom were either rumored or confirmed to have connections with the mob.
The Nevada desert was a popular spot for military activities, which naturally saw a boom from World War II through to the Cold War. This gave Las Vegas a boost in footfall for several decades. More than 100 nuclear bombs were detonated at the famed Nevada Test Site between 1951 and 1963, and Las Vegas visitors would often see mushroom clouds from their hotel windows.
In the 1950s, the infamous organized crime group known as the Chicago Outfit started opening casinos in Las Vegas. They opened some of the most famous Vegas classics, including the Stardust, the Desert Inn, and the Riviera. Another Chicago-based organization opened the Hacienda, Sahara, and Fremont casinos in the 1960s.
There are countless stories that show just how deeply connected the city of Las Vegas is to the mob. A gangster called Moe Dalitz took over the Desert Inn in 1950, and became so instrumental in building the city up to its current state that he became known as "Mr. Las Vegas."
In addition to running casinos, Dalitz also helped to fund what is now the University of Nevada, as well as raising US$ 1 million from the Teamsters to build the Sunrise Hospital, and contributing to many charitable causes. In 1976, this particular mobster was named Humanitarian of the Year!
Another famous gangster with connections to Las Vegas was Jimmy Hoffa, the infamous labor union leader of the Teamsters who was deeply involved in organized crime. Under Hoffa’s leadership, the Teamsters invested in several Las Vegas casinos through their pension funds.
Spilotro was perhaps the last person in Las Vegas you’d want to meet on a bad day. He was the inspiration for Joe Pesci’s character in the 1995 Scorsese movie ‘Casino.’ Spilotro was killed in 1986, allegedly for running his own rackets without paying the bosses and having an affair with Frank Rosenthal’s wife.
Another notorious Las Vegas gangster was Anthony Spilotro, nicknamed Tony the Ant by the press. Spilotro was a member of the Chicago Outfit gang and arrived in Vegas in 1971. According to the Los Angeles Times, there were more Mafia-style murders in the city during the first three years after his arrival than in the previous 25 years combined.
Cullotta personally confessed to over 300 crimes and informed on the likes of Anthony Spilotro (pictured in court) as well as several other powerful mob bosses. His testimony led to the arrest of many important Las Vegas figures, contributing to the dwindling presence of organized crime in the city.
Another contributing fact was the arrival of heavy-hitting investors like Howard Hughes. Hughes took interest in Las Vegas in the 1960s, buying up casinos like the Desert Inn. Businessmen like Hughes took the casinos out of the hands of the mob and began turning them into corporate conglomerates. In 1989, the city’s first mega-resort was opened in the form of the Mirage.
The 1980s saw a decline in the mob’s hold over Las Vegas. This was partly brought on by the turning of Frank Cullotta. Cullotta worked with Anthony Spilotro, forming a burglary crew known as the Hole in the Wall Gang. He was arrested in 1981 and flipped by the FBI, becoming an informant against his associates.
The biggest casino they invested in was Caesars Palace, which is still perhaps the most iconic casino in Las Vegas. Interestingly, another famous gangster called Frank Rosenthal was the pit boss at Caesars. Rosenthal is portrayed by Robert De Niro in the Martin Scorsese film ‘The Irishman’ (2019), in which Jimmy Hoffa is played by Al Pacino.
With all that in mind, it’s easy to forget that the city has such a shady past. Not only was Las Vegas rife with organized crime for most of the 20th century, it was actually built from the ground up by the mob.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to find out all about the criminal roots of the aptly named “Sin City.”
Exploring the criminal history of Sin City
Discover how the mob built the gambling capital of the world
LIFESTYLE History
Las Vegas has a reputation for being both magical and seedy in equal parts. The bright lights and manmade magnificence attract around 40 million visitors from around the world every year, crowding into the desert city to visit its countless casinos and see live shows from some of the biggest stars in the world. Las Vegas boasts some of the largest hotels on the planet, and the Strip is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US.
With all that in mind, it’s easy to forget that the city has such a shady past. Not only was Las Vegas rife with organized crime for most of the 20th century, it was actually built from the ground up by the mob.
Intrigued? Click through this gallery to find out all about the criminal roots of the aptly named “Sin City.”