"Razzle Dazzle: The Elaine Townsend Story"
Casino History
Casino: Financings
Connie Immerman
Cuba
Elaine Townsend
Gambling History
Gambling: Concessions
Games / Races: Chemin de Fer
Games / Races: Craps
Gaming History
Gran Casino Nacional (Havana, Cuba)
Havana--Cuba
It Really Happened
Mobsters / Gangsters / Syndicate Members (Alleged) / Organizations
Woman Usurps Mobsters' Gaming Action
1947-1952 Despite New York mobsters trying to scare her off, an ambitious woman — Elaine Townsend (née Margaret Helgeson) — held her own as a gambling operator in the late 1940s. Bright, young and gorgeous, she…