Benny Binion, born Lester Ben Binion on November 20, 1904, in Plot Grove, Texas, was an American gangster and casino owner. He founded the World Series of Poker and Binion's Horseshoe, a casino resort in Las Vegas. Benny Binion was known for his extensive criminal activities and contributions to the development of the Nevada gambling... Continue Reading →
Carl Cohen – Las Vegas Casino Manager and Owner
Carl Cohen was born in Cleveland, Ohio February 15, 1913, and spent his adult years working in the gaming industry, first finding employment at the Thomas Club as a dealer. Cohen saw the Cleveland Syndicate’s casinos as a fine job and was both a dice dealer and later a pit boss. He also worked as... Continue Reading →
Moe Sedway and Las Vegas
Above: Moe Sedway enjoys a cigar with friend and casino partner Gus Greenbaum (Right) Moe Sedway was an American gangster and a close associate of the infamous mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. Born in 1894 in Ukraine, Sedway immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in New York City's Lower East Side.... Continue Reading →
Organized Ohio – The Mayfield Road Gang and Casinos
Today, Cleveland is best known as the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Clinic. Plus, their pro sports teams the Indians, Cavaliers, and Browns. The town and its weather are harsh, face-first against the cold winter winds that constantly blow from Lake Erie. Not the most inviting atmosphere, but... Continue Reading →
Your Desert Inn Casino Host – Wilbur Clark
Wilbur Clark was a prominent figure in the development of Las Vegas, known for his contributions to the city's casino industry and luxurious resort properties. Congenial and affable, he offered a friendly face and made a casino look safe – not shady. Las Vegas was never perfect, but the right frontman never hurt. In the... Continue Reading →
Moe Dalitz as Mr. Las Vegas opens the Desert Inn Casino
Moe Dalitz was a prominent American businessman and organized crime figure who rose to prominence during the Prohibition era. Born on December 25, 1899, in Boston, Massachusetts, he grew up in a Jewish family and dropped out of school at 14 to work in the garment industry. However, he realized quickly he could make more... Continue Reading →
The Stardust’s Founder – Tony Cornero
Tony Cornero (born Anthony Cornero Stralla in Northern Italy, 1899) was a moving force in the California rum running enterprises of the 1920s and an early Las Vegas casino owner. When his father lost the family farm in Italy due to gaming loses, young Tony vowed to be on the other side of the cards... Continue Reading →
The Chicago Outfit and Skimming Las Vegas
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I’ve finished another book that deals with Las Vegas casinos and the impact organized crime had on the city and its eventual financial health as the 1980s rolled around. However, Vegas and the Chicago Outfit is primarily about how the Outfit came to power, how its early... Continue Reading →
Las Vegas Sports Wagering and Viewing
Betting on your favorite team wasn’t legal in Nevada until the 1940s, but you could always find a local bookie who would lay a line for you. At the Country Club in Lake Tahoe, you could talk to Doc at the bar, any night after 9 pm and get a bet down. Nickle lines were... Continue Reading →
El Rancho – First on the Las Vegas Strip in 1941
The El Rancho in Las Vegas was built by Thomas Hull as an addition to his chain of “El Rancho” hotels in Gallup, New Mexico, and Fresno and Sacramento, California. The 63-cabin resort was designed as a way-station, a break for families to enjoy on their trip through Nevada, not as a casino property. Still,... Continue Reading →