History of the Mob in Las Vegas
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Thanks to MyHeritage for sponsoring this. Goto bit.ly/TheCynicalHistorian for a free 2-week trial and 50% off from there.
The history of the mob in Las Vegas, Nevada, is rife with misconceptions and myths (all of LV history really). So let's go through how and when mobsters exerted influence; beginning in the late-1940s in the Flamingo; moving through the golden era while resistance from the FBI, police, and gaming commission built up; through to their downfall from 1979-1986. Along the way, we'll meet a whole cast of characters, such as Bugsy Siegel, Tony "the Ant" Spilotro, Harry Reid, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Moe Dalitz, and Benny Binion. The reality of mobbed-up Las Vegas is quite different from what most perceive.
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See pinned comment and its replies for notes, responses, and errata
If you’re ever in Las Vegas, be sure to check out the Mob Museum: themobmuseum.org/plan-your-vi...
and the Clark County Museum: www.clarkcountynv.gov/governm...
-To do some primary-source research, check out UNLV’s special collections: www.library.unlv.edu/speccol
Bibliography
Sally Denton and Roger Morris, The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and its Hold on America, 1947-2000 (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001). amzn.to/3qYdnVo
Ronald A. Farrell and Carole Case, The Black Book and the Mob: The Untold Story of the Control of Nevada's Casinos (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1995). amzn.to/3nsKsXp
Michael S. Green, Nevada: A History of the Silver State (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2015). amzn.to/3l1ymUt
Mark Hall-Patton, Asphalt Memories: Origins of Some of the Street Names of Clark County (Henderson, Nev.: Clark County Museum, 2009). amzn.to/3zMaQPz
Eugene Moehring and Michael Green, Las Vegas: A Centennial History (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2005). amzn.to/2L8u0pV
Reed Redmond and Jeff German, Mobbed Up: The Fight For Las Vegas, Las Vegas Review Journal and Mob Museum, podcast. 2020-2021, www.reviewjournal.com/podcast...
Hal K. Rothman, Neon Metropolis: How Las Vegas Started the Twenty-First Century (New York: Routledge, 2002). amzn.to/3HwEIUS
Geoff Schumacher, Sun, Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas, rev. ed. (2004; Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2015), audible. amzn.to/3nwwiU8
David G. Schwartz, Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond (New York: Routledge, 2003). amzn.to/30wQspj
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Connected videos:
Playlist of my Las Vegas related videos: • Las Vegas history
History of Las Vegas: • The History of Las Veg...
Bugsy review: • Bugsy | Based on a Tru...
Aviator review: • The Aviator and Howard...
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Hashtags: #history #LasVegas #Mob #Mafia
Chapters
0:00 intro and promo
2:42 misconceptions
6:46 mafia arises
10:26 opposition forms
14:53 golden age
19:11 corporatization
22:56 downfall
28:49 implosion montage
32:07 conclusion
32:44 outro
Thanks to MyHeritage for sponsoring this. Goto bit.ly/TheCynicalHistorian for a free 2-week trial and 50% off from there. Click "read more" for further info, corrections, and bibliography
If you’re ever in Las Vegas, be sure to check out the Mob Museum: themobmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/purchase-tickets/
and the Clark County Museum: www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/parks___recreation/cultural_division/musuems/clark_county_museum.php
To do some primary-source research, check out UNLV’s special collections: www.library.unlv.edu/speccol
Thanks for watching! Please consider supporting the channel by buying merch: teespring.com/stores/the-cynical-historian
Or by donating to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/CynicalHistorian
*[reserved for errata]*
Here are some related videos:
Playlist of my Las Vegas related videos: ua-cam.com/play/PLjnwpaclU4wWlBIcN6Xq0oJgMyEIoFrzw.html
History of Las Vegas: ua-cam.com/video/AyQtQogodYw/v-deo.html
Bugsy review: ua-cam.com/video/4nhlqQ5qFf8/v-deo.html
Aviator review: ua-cam.com/video/GTQ-lFDhVw8/v-deo.html
*Bibliography*
Sally Denton and Roger Morris, _The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and its Hold on America, 1947-2000_ (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001). amzn.to/3qYdnVo
Ronald A. Farrell and Carole Case, _The Black Book and the Mob: The Untold Story of the Control of Nevada's Casinos_ (Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1995). amzn.to/3nsKsXp
Michael S. Green, _Nevada: A History of the Silver State_ (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2015). amzn.to/3l1ymUt
Mark Hall-Patton, _Asphalt Memories: Origins of Some of the Street Names of Clark County_ (Henderson, Nev.: Clark County Museum, 2009). amzn.to/3zMaQPz
Eugene Moehring and Michael Green, _Las Vegas: A Centennial History_ (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2005). amzn.to/2L8u0pV
Reed Redmond and Jeff German, _Mobbed Up: The Fight For Las Vegas,_ Las Vegas Review Journal and Mob Museum, podcast. 2020-2021, www.reviewjournal.com/podcasts/mobbedup/
Hal K. Rothman, _Neon Metropolis: How Las Vegas Started the Twenty-First Century_ (New York: Routledge, 2002). amzn.to/3HwEIUS
Geoff Schumacher, Sun, _Sin & Suburbia: The History of Modern Las Vegas,_ rev. ed. (2004; Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2015), audible. amzn.to/3nwwiU8
David G. Schwartz, _Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond_ (New York: Routledge, 2003). amzn.to/30wQspj
That montage of the destruction of all those old casino hotels was... Very cool, but bitter sweet to see. I actually got sad, when the Stardust was shown... Then the Riviera destruction. I she'd some tears.
The coolest intersection (incognito cool) is at Sahara and Maryland Parkway... Hole in the Wall Gang meets an Antique/Consignment store and a major setup takes place! Unfortunately, the store is no longer there at that intersection...
thanks for bringing more attention to estes kefauver's investigation on the mob throughout the US! as his great great nephew, i always enjoyed spending time learning and researching him and nobody ever really seems to care too much about that period of our history
"The mob doesn't own Las Vegas anymore, corperations do!"
Me: "A distinction without a difference"
The “Corporation” is the mobb!
Las Vegas is one of those cities that I am constantly fascinated by people actually LIVING in. It is so wild to me to imagine people getting up, getting the kids to school, going to work and coming home in a city that's been advertised to me my entire life as one big theme park for people with no financial responsibility.
I can only imagine the amount of oddities and idiosyncrasies that come with living in a city like that.
I have a friend who lives in the suburbs & it's pretty much like everywhere else, just w/slot machines in Walgreens, etc. My friend rarely goes to The Strip , which is v. crowded & touristy & u can't win at their casinos( But she knows some places off-strip where your chances are better 😉👍)
@@ROBYNMARKOW Oh I'm sure, life goes on and all that. I'm not amazed by people living there, even thriving there just the...mundane realities of that sort of thing you know? Just going to the grocery store, dropping kids off at regular, everyday public schools save that there's in friggin Vegas!
@@samwill7259 Lol-True, it's not like living in most American cities in many ways but they have suburbs that go on forever & other than the fact that your living minutes away from all these enormous hotels , they have things u can find in anywhere, USA; just slightly off-kilter such as slot machines in grocery stores & pharmacies ( that & your nextdoor neighbor could be a blackjack dealer or showgirl.) My parents lived there in early 1960's( yep, the "Rat Pack" era) my dad was working as a puppeteer then at one of hotels that has long been imploded. It featured puppets of celebs that were headlining at the time & was quite popular; many of the performers who were in puppet form went to see it as well 👍
That's had a big effect on the raiders who moved to vegas, which is a move that dumbfounded me. So many arrested players this season for them.
To me it's normal. I'm a journeyman lineman here. Basically without people like me modern society can't function. Especially in a city like Las Vegas.
Wait wait wait. Your dad is the guy Pawn Stars would call when they called an expert?!?
Yeah ...I Saw the picture and my eyes went wide
His dad actually narrated one of his previous Las Vegas videos: ua-cam.com/video/AyQtQogodYw/v-deo.html
I think the proper term is “a buddy”
THE BEARD OF KNOWLEDGE! He's addressed it in various videos, and has had photos of his father in previous ones as well.
And is also related to General Patton on his mother's side as well.
Wait until you find out he is related to George S. Patton, the WW2 general
I love how your dad was just the coolest guy ever to have been a regular on pawn stars. I hope that doesn't really impact his day to day line of work I just think that's cool
My first time in las Vegas was this year. What I understood las Vegas to be was not what I experienced. Everything and everyone was trying to just extract every little bit of money I had in my pocket. Want a beer worth a dollar at the liquor store? $10 bucks my man. Want to check out of your hotel that you have already paid for ? $75 bucks a day resort fee first fella. I will never be back. The whole experience was a grift!
*_"Do you know who I am? I'm Moe Green! I made my bones when you were going out with cheerleaders."_*
I only offhandedly mention him in this, as one of the 3 who took over the Flamingo after Bugsy's assassination. He played a prominent role in Green Felt Jungle, but not in reality
@@CynicalHistorian I know it's just a movie quote, but it had to be done. ♥️
@@Falcrist what movie?
@@CynicalHistorian Godfather Part II
/watch?v=wH6cLeCxxrQ
@@CynicalHistorian Godfather. Thats the Bugsy Siegal stand in character
"Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter"
- Mobsters in Vegas
"Truth is, the game was rigged from the start." - The Expert, from Pawn Stars
My father played about 5 minutes of touch football with Bobby Kennedy. We always thought he was making it up - the story went that there was footage of it his father had filmed on a very new and fancy home camera, but his mother had burned it in a drunken rage during the divorce. But then his mother (God rest her soul) brought it up unprompted one day, verifying the existence of that mythic piece of footage, forever lost.
Mostly unrelated to your video, but it’s just giving me secondhand nostalgia for those halcyon days of violence and intrigue, when a Politician could still be afforded the same status as a Saint, whose blessing could be received by touching their cloak in a game of football. I think the millennials of my generation are far better informed than the boomers of my father’s, but also more “cynical.” Cheers, great video
Enjoy your time back here in Vegas.
I do know all of us in the service industry here agree that things here are dying, and that the changes mostly happened when the modern companies took over where the focus was more on nickel and diming things then making a more memorable experience.
Very very interesting. Especially the Ned day columns. You have shown how mob power, like all power, is subject to changing conditions. This also demonstrates how the US is a complex integrated political system that works well... over time.
Thanks for getting the story about the Flamingo right. So many times it is portrayed at Siegel's idea and vision, not even close.
Yes thankyou !!! It’s not Bugsy’s casino he just finished it with mob money
I love that in Las Vegas even demolitions have to be a big show :)
Bravo on an accurate account! Very informative. As a retired SNMH/UMC employee, I am more than casually acquainted with other elements of the local political/business power structure. I suspect the popular narrative shielded the public from a lot of local shenanigans. Whether this was done intentionally or occurred inadvertently can always be debated.
Great comment.
Had this on in the background while I showered and was very confused when the monologue stopped to be replaced by what sounded like the B-52 from Dr Strangelove mixed with muted cheering
This is a great video! The history of Las Vegas is super interesting! Love it!
Thank you for creating these videos. I love your videos, and the Vegas series means more as it is my hometown too.
Thanks for this videos.. rewatching the implosions made me a little sad (I miss small industry town Vegas where I grew up), but your video was very informative
Ur dad is the expert on pawn stars
won me over in the Misconceptions chapter, excellent work.
Great update! As always.
Love your videos man! I've been watching/listening for months but I guess I forgot that you mentioned that you grew up in Vegas. I did too. Born at Valley Hospital and went to the Clark County schools too.
Bro that's crazy at 7:41 it shows a Pic of Regulaters braking up a gambling house but he's smashing a pinball machine!! I didn't know they could gamble with thos back in the day
Sally Denton's book (my best friends in Vegas actually knew her) "The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America". Highly, highly recommended read. It came out almost 25 years ago.
I love this video! I grew up in Vegas, but didn't go to the Mob or Neon Museums until this last December. I love my city's history and telling others about it--there's so much more that meets the eye. Next on the list is the National Atomic Testing Museum next time I head home.
Also a tip for anyone 21+ who visits the Mob Museum: check out the underground speakeasy! The atmosphere is amazing and the drinks are not only really good, but the presentation is something you can't miss. They change the entry password on their website every week, so it's a really fun experience.
Don't forget about the Clark County Museum
Loved the implosion montage at the end
Last time I went to Vegas was in '83 and it was a dump at that time, but still one of the best memories of my life. I walked down the strip at night marveling at the vacant lots and trash juxtaposed against fancy hotels and exotic automobiles. Flew on an old propeller plane from Hughes airport to Reno that same week and drove a rental over to Lake Tahoe. Great memories of Nevada from the '80s.
Once I saw Glick's face I recalled my memories of the book AND movie Casino.
As a college kid from Nevada this is great content thank you!
UNLV?
I always enjoy a video about Las Vegas and the Mob. ;)
TRUTH IS, THIS VIDEO WAS GREAT FROM THE START
28:57
"All right, get ready for the implosion!"
"Implosion?"
Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better understand what the orator was describing while the old Mafia run casinos 🎰/hotels were imploded 💥
I keep forgetting that the spacey tower they blew up in "Mars Attacks!" was real hotel, the Landmark apparently.
The pint-size poobah I had never heard that one before. I might have to read some of those old newspaper articles LOL
The son of “The Beard of Knowledge?” Cool!
TIL you don’t mess with Wayne Newton, which is a sentence I didn’t think I’d type.
The Casino Video will be worth the wait
Perfect representation of Ca. Well done!
Harry Reid was a boxer???? Why did he never slug Mitch Mcconnel?
Even the movie Casino mentioned how service when down hill when the mob got pushed out by the corporations.
7:35 oh god, pinball prohibition. Now that's a story. That's a freaking weird story
I love the movie & history of the mob in Las Vegas and I'm a New Yorker that's never been to Las Vegas . And I'm not even Italian I'm Black.❤😮❤❤
You should do an episode on the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".
I’ve just started reading “The Money and The Power” by Sally Denton and Roger Morris. It’s pretty good so far wondered if you’ve read it and how it’s thought of in Vegas?
It's one of the books i read for this, hence why it's in my bibliography. As far as I know, it's one of the best on the topic
Fantastic
¡Gracias!
Thank you..
Great, uncommon use of insinuated.
i read the thumbnail as "Morbed up Las Vegas" Omfg
Same
20:28 hahahahahaha!
"I'll fly ya to the moon alright!"- Sinatra
Great way to end the vid!
Love the Mob Museum in Las Vegas :) A relative was in a booth at Golden Steer next to the mayor and her husband, the past Mayor and big presence Oscar in the Mob Museum, a couple of years ago, history in your face there!
Hi Cypher, I just visited Vegas, it was my first time in the american West. I also visited the Mob Museum. They say that in the '40s/50's, the greatest american mobsters made an agreement to declare Vegas as an "open city", that meant that all criminal rackets were allowed to do business there. Was that important for Vegas' development?
If you drive thru Vegas today, you read often the name "Siegel", e.g. Siegel Apartments. I strongly believe that this has to do something with "Bugsy". Did he want to improve his image by building cheap apartments for the poor and something alike?
Your videos are a very good introduction in american history, thank you so much for that !!👏👏
Not really and those are just names not something he did (he hardly did anything)
So, you're saying King is a Royal nuisance?
Is it true there we’re gangs like The Kings, Great Khans, Powder Gangers, and Maud’s Muggers?
COOL!
I been to Las Vegas in 2012 going back there this December
I wasn't aware you could use insinuate like that
I gotta ask, is he dad one of the specialists from Pawn Stars?
Wait, your dad is the dude with the hat from Pawn Stars????
as a local, now I'm curious to know what high school you graduated from in the valley lol
Silverado
I have never been to Las Vegas, but would be interested going there some day. Who in this comments section has been there?
I have been to Vegas two times
@@theshenpartei Are there any particular sites/attractions you would recommend vs. those you wouldn't recommend?
@@HistoryandHeadlines titanic museum at Luxor, atomic test museum, the mob museum and red rock canyon those are my recommendations. As for not to recommend I’m not so sure. I have been there both pre and post pandemic.
If you're ever headed there, I recommend checking out the museums listed in the description
@@CynicalHistorian Some day perhaps, if/when I can ever afford it. I love going to museums and I also love amusement rides!
YEAH!!! And the BODIES being found in Lake Mead add emphasis, shall we say!
Not really
it's just a question of who become who....
did mob become more corporate...or did corporate become more mob...
or are the two of them just different sides of the same coin?
Did you ever meet Frank cullota? Also adorable cat 😺
Don't think i ever did, but given how many local history events i got dragged to, i wouldn't rule out the possibility
Did you bring this up because of the bodies found due to low lake Mead water levels?
This has been years in the making. Also those are probably from the Boulder City roommate murderer, not the mob
@@CynicalHistorian Curious about "the Boulder City roommate murderer." Just searched this term and didn't find anything. Do you have any other name to look up?
@@LordQuas I got that name from Mike Green. I don't know if there's anything more than looking it up in the RJ
Mafia 4 is going to be a great game.
How do I find yhem
Can you tell us the subject of the dissertation? Will you become Dr. Cynical historian?
It's working title is "Vestiges of Violence: Incorporating the American Southwest, 1848-1919"
Your dad is the Nevadan treasure
First live watch 😄
LOL i recognize your dad from pawn stars
Now wait a minute. Your dad is THAT GUY?
How come I didn’t see Joe Pesci on that black book list ?
Long live the king!
I get the impression that Las Vegas likes blowing things up.
(Also, good luck on your dissertation!)
thanks, and Las Vegans definitely like implosions - it's basically a cultural staple for locals
How did they know they were buried alive, they found the same dirt inside their lungs?
i love your content put your pro cat antics need to be addressed
Cynical Historian is gonna tell you a couple of three things...
HE DID 20 FUCKEN YEARS IN THE ARMY
20:00 then the real criminals showed up
Demolition people must have made a lot of money doing all that work.
I wonder what Micheal Franzese thinks about this?
It's bad enough to abandon your history. Blowing it up is even worse somehow.
My Heritage (not hate guys fr) seems like a good service. Will they find my Mennonite brethren??
If they show up on census, birth certificate, marriage license, and baptismal records - yes. It's quite robust