Archive topic

The Mob

28 pieces from the Nevada Gaming History archive.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

THE STARDUST: INSIDE THE OUTFIT’S FINAL EMPIRE

Before Frank Rosenthal ever walked into the Stardust, before Tony Spilotro enforced the Outfit’s will on the streets of Las Vegas, the casino was born from the impossible ambition of Tony Cornero—a man who refused to quit even when the law, the Mob, and fate itself pushed back. What followed became the last great skim in Nevada history, a quiet empire built behind the neon and dismantled under federal pressure.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

The Stardust and the Last Great Skim: Rosenthal, Spilotro, and the Outfit’s Collapse

The Stardust Hotel & Casino became the final battleground of Mob influence in Las Vegas. Frank Rosenthal ran the casino with unmatched precision, Tony Spilotro enforced the Outfit’s interests on the streets, and Teamsters money fueled the last great skim. Their rise and fall marked the end of an era — and the collapse of Chicago’s control over the Strip.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Johnny Roselli: The Smoothest Mobster in Las Vegas and the Man Who Bridged Hollywood, Washington, and the Strip

Johnny Roselli connected the Chicago Outfit, Hollywood, the Las Vegas Strip, and the CIA, moving through the relationships that shaped an extraordinary career.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Virginia Hill: The Queen of the Flamingo and the Woman Who Outran the Mob (1930–1966)

Virginia Hill’s Chicago connections, her partnership with Bugsy Siegel, the Flamingo’s chaotic opening, and her life after Las Vegas.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Moe Dalitz: The Desert Inn’s Quiet Architect (1947–1989)

Moe Dalitz didn’t build Las Vegas with headlines or muscle — he built it with discipline. From his Cleveland roots to the Desert Inn’s rise, this story follows the quiet architect who shaped early Strip development, stabilized casino operations, and helped turn Las Vegas into a real city.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

The Chicago Outfit’s Quiet Takeover of Las Vegas (1940–1970)

Gus Greenbaum, the Flamingo, the Riviera, the Stardust, and the Chicago Outfit’s influence on Las Vegas casino operations and the skim.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

The Flamingo: Birth of the Modern Strip

The Flamingo’s chaotic 1946 opening, Bugsy Siegel’s gamble, and the luxury resort blueprint that helped shape the modern Las Vegas Strip.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Frank Costello, the Mob, and Las Vegas

Frank Costello’s influence ran through the partnerships, political connections, and casino accounting that linked New York organized crime to mid-century Las Vegas.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Meyer Lansky — a focused biography on Las Vegas, operations, and money movement

Meyer Lansky (born Maier Suchowljansky, July 4, 1902 — January 15, 1983) is remembered in twentieth-century American crime history less as a street-level gangster than as the architect of organized crime’s finances. Born in what is now Belarus and raised in New York’s Lower East Side, Lansky became the calculator and banker of the National … Read more

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

The Black Book: Nevada’s List of Excluded Persons

Nevada’s Black Book is the state’s infamous List of Excluded Persons — a lifetime ban aimed at mobsters, cheats, and anyone who threatened the integrity of casino gaming. This deep dive explores how the list began, why it mattered, and how it shaped Nevada’s modern gaming industry.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

El Cortez Hotel & Casino: The Last of Old Las Vegas

A Complete Historical Narrative of Ownership, Construction, Mob Influence, and Legacy Few casinos in Las Vegas carry the weight of history quite like the El Cortez Hotel & Casino. Opened in 1941 and still operating today, it is the longest‑running casino in continuous operation* in Las Vegas, a living artifact from the city’s pre‑Strip era. … Read more

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Lucky Luciano: Power, Structure, and the Making of the Modern American Mafia

Charles “Lucky” Luciano—born Salvatore Lucania in Lercara Friddi, Sicily in 1897—was the architect of the modern American Mafia. His career spanned the brutal street gangs of the Lower East Side, the Prohibition empires of the 1920s, the reorganization of the Mafia into the Five Families in 1931, and his eventual fall through prosecution, imprisonment, and … Read more

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Hoffa, Dorfman, and the Teamsters: How a Union Pension Fund Helped Build Modern Las Vegas

Introduction Few forces shaped the early development of Las Vegas as profoundly as the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund, controlled by union president Jimmy Hoffa and administered by his trusted lieutenant Allen Dorfman. Between the mid 1950s and the late 1970s, the fund became one of the most important—and controversial—sources of capital for casino construction, … Read more

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Teamsters, Mob Influence, and the Financing of Las Vegas

Financing, Teamsters, and Mob Influence in Nevada Casino History Introduction Behind every Nevada casino is a story about money — who supplied it, who controlled it, and how it shaped the state’s gaming industry. From private investors and early entrepreneurs to the powerful Teamsters Central States Pension Fund and organized crime influence, the financing of … Read more

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Moe Sedway: Meyer Lansky's Las Vegas Lieutenant, the Flamingo, and the Mob's Casino Empire

The story of the quiet gambling operator who helped establish organized crime's casino interests in Las Vegas, survived Bugsy Siegel, and became one of the most influential figures in Nevada's early gaming industry.

2026 · Nevada Gaming History

Which Las Vegas Casinos Did the Mob Control? The Real History

For decades, the Mafia’s involvement in Las Vegas has been exaggerated, romanticized, and sometimes simply invented. The truth is more complicated.

2023 · Nevada Gaming History

Los Angeles Crime Boss Jack Dragna

Jack Dragna from a Los Angeles Police Department Mug Shot – 1946 Jack Dragna, born Giacomo Tommaso or Ignazio Dragna in Corleone, Sicily, in 1891, was a notorious American mobster who rose to power in the early 20th century and led one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Southern California. After immigrating to the … Read more

2023 · Nevada Gaming History

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. … Read more

2023 · Nevada Gaming History

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 are 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, … Read more

2023 · Nevada Gaming History

Your Desert Inn Casino Host – Wilbur Clark

Wilbur Clark was a prominent figure in Las Vegas’s development, recognized for his significant contributions to the casino industry and luxurious resorts. His friendly, approachable personality made him a relatable figure, inspiring trust and confidence among visitors. Las Vegas was never perfect, but the right frontman, like Clark, helped shape its welcoming image. In the … Read more

2023 · Nevada Gaming History

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 … Read more

2023 · Nevada Gaming History

The Stardust’s Founder – Tony Cornero

Tony Cornero (born Anthony Cornero Stralla in Northern Italy in 1899) was a leading figure 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 losses, young Tony vowed to be on the other side of the cards … Read more

2022 · Nevada Gaming History

The Chicago Outfit and Skimming Las Vegas

This new book explores the roots of the Chicago mob, taking readers from its early days before Al Capone, through Prohibition and bootlegging, and finally to Las Vegas, where Chicago’s influence grew unnoticed. Discover how the Outfit’s beginnings and early leaders set the stage for its future dominance, making Las Vegas a key hub in … Read more

2017 · Nevada Gaming History

The King’s Castle and Incline Village Casino

How’s this for a great shot from the early ’70s? This postcard is from Reno Tahoe Specialty, Inc. Nate Jacobson built the King’s Castle Casino at Incline Village (Lake Tahoe), but first, let’s look at the previous owners and names! As is often the case at Lake Tahoe, George Whittell is at the heart of … Read more

2015 · Nevada Gaming History

Meyer Lansky’s Mob Influence

Meyer Lansky was influential enough to draw hundreds of inquiries from law enforcement agencies during his lifetime, including the FBI, CIA, Highway Patrol offices in dozens of states, local police, and detective agencies, highlighting the widespread interest in his activities. Strange, because as dirty and sticky as his hands were for the Mob, no charges … Read more

2013 · Nevada Gaming History

Mob City – Reno Connection

When Lucky Luciano organized the first Commission of the American Mafia, the cities with representation were all large, heavily invested in the riches from Prohibition, and had a ready delivery system for the booze that came in, usually along waterways and docks controlled by gangs. Detroit, Buffalo, and Cleveland (although each currently seeing a decline … Read more

2013 · Nevada Gaming History

Vegas and the Mob

The Mob didn’t start the gambling in Nevada, and especially not in Las Vegas. In fact, they were relative latecomers, since Nevada had gambling for years before it was officially legalized in 1931. Because Nevada was such a large state with such a small population, there wasn’t much reason to invest capital to set up … Read more

2013 · Nevada Gaming History

"Bugsy" Siegel Still an Icon

“Bugsy” Siegel’s story begins with a tough childhood in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg district, where no one expected the skinny kid to leave a lasting impact, which can inspire curiosity and empathy in the audience. Siegel was already street-wise by the age of nine, rolling drunks and stealing from merchants, and he and Moe Sedway set up … Read more