The Mob Never Ran Vegas

The Mob Never Ran Vegas

Abstract

GAMING LAW REVIEW AND ECONOMICS Volume 13, Number 1, 2009 ©Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/glre.2008.13104 The Mob Never Ran Vegas Leslie Niño Fidance A with organized crime for generations. Movies, such as The Godfather and Goodfellas, along with television shows, like The Sopranos, have perpetuated the public’s curiosity with the “mob.” Tall tales about mob-affiliated casino executives coupled with the glitz and glamour of the Strip bolster the pop culture belief that the mob once dominated Las Vegas. The movie Casino and the book When the Mob Ran Vegas1 do little to disparage this idea. However, the public officials, gaming industry regulators, investigators, and attorneys who lived through the era of supposed mob influence tell a less conclusory story. The truth about Las Vegas’ colorful history is much more complex. While it is true that mob affiliates exerted influence within the small spheres of their respective casinos, they never controlled the institutions that comprise the gaming regulatory system or the local community; thus, the mob never ran Vegas. MERICANS HAVE BEEN FASCINATED HISTORY OF GAMING CONTROL IN NEVADA In the days of prohibition, illegal gambling operations and bootlegging activities cultivated an environment of political corruption.2 Bribes to