Newsman Gets Burned for Reporting on Illegal Gambling

1935-1936 In about mid-December 1935, New York newspaper reporter Martin Mooney (1896-1967) faced serving his jail sentence during the upcoming holidays. His offense? Contempt of court for refusing to reveal to the local grand jurors…

Casino (Reno, NV) Casino History Cincinnati--Ohio Columbus--Ohio Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing: Misspoted Dice Europe Gambler (Operators/Players): Cheater: Harmony Kid (Lawrence Varner) Gambler (Operators/Players): Cheater: Jim Pents Gambling Gambling History Games / Races: Craps Games / Races: Faro Games / Races: Horse Racing Games / Races: Roulette Gaming History Hot Springs--Arkansas It Really Happened New York--New York Pekin--Illinois Reno--Nevada United States Washington--Indiana

Extreme and Dangerous: One Gambling Cheat and His Career

1886-1910 The Harmony Kid made his living as a traveling gambling cheat in the U.S. and was known from coast to coast. While primarily a card and dice sharp, Lawrence Varner (1865-1933) also perpetrated swindles…

Alphonse "Al/Scarface" Capone Atlanta Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel California Casino History Charles "Lucky" Luciano Charles Carrollo Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Drugs / Narcotics: Sales Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Drugs / Narcotics: Trafficking Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Tax Evasion Ellsworth "Bumpy" Raymond Johnson Gambling History Gambling: Bookmaking Gambling: Dice Gaming History Harlem--New York Inc. It Really Happened James "Whitey" Joseph Bulger Jr. John Lazia Kansas City Combine Kansas City--Missouri Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary (Leavenworth, KS) Los Angeles-California Louis "Lou" Rothkopf Lucchese Crime Family Massachusetts McNeil Island Corrections Center (WA) Meyer Lansky Mickey Cohen Missouri Murder National Crime Syndicate New York New York--New York Paul "Frankie" James Carbo Somerville--Massachusetts U.S. Federal Penitentiary U.S. Federal Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island (CA) United States Winter Hill Gang

5 Mobster-Gamblers Do Time in Alcatraz Prison

In addition to Alphonse (“Al”/”Scarface”) Capone, a handful of men separately involved in illegal gambling in the States wound up confined in the United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island for another crime. The maximum security, federal…

Casino History Florida Gambling History Games / Races: Policy / Numbers Gaming History It Really Happened New York--New York United States Washington

Wacky Gambling News From the 1930s, 1940s

“Pigeon Jailed for Gambling” New York, May 29, 1941 Two New York Police Department plainclothesmen arrested a pigeon that then was forced to spend the night in the Bronx police station. Five other such birds,…

Bank Club (Reno, NV) Cal-Neva Lodge (Lake Tahoe, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing: Rigged Roulette Wheel Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Robbery / Theft / Embezzling Elmer "Bones" F. Remmer Frank "Frankie" Frost Gambling History Gaming History George Wingfield Golden Hotel (Reno, NV) It Really Happened Jack Sullivan / John D. Scarlett James "Jim/Cinch" C. McKay Nevada New York--New York Reno--Nevada Riverside Hotel (Reno, NV) United States William "Bill/Curly" J. Graham

Reno Mobsters Aid Gangster From Chicago, Raising Suspicions

1936 A man walked into the Greenleaf & Crosby jewelry store in New York’s Rockefeller Center at about 11 a.m. on Monday, January 6. Two others followed through the other entrance. “This is a stickup,”…

Caesars Palace (Las Vegas, NV) Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Gambling Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Wiretapping Defense Attorneys Defense Attorneys: Harry Claiborne Defense Attorneys: Oscar Goodman Detroit--Michigan Elliot Paul Price Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal Gambling History Gambling: Bookmaking Gambling: Raids Gaming History Georgia Governing / Regulatory Bodies: Internal Revenue Service It Really Happened Jerome Zarowitz Las Vegas--Nevada Law Enforcement / Judicial System: Lawsuit Law Enforcement / Judicial System: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles-California Miami Beach--Florida Nevada New York--New York Ohio Palm Springs--California Rose Bowl Sports Book (Las Vegas, NV) Sanford Waterman United States

Feds Pounce on Vegas Racketeers

1970-1975 In a massive, coordinated effort, federal agents raided illegal bookmaking operations throughout the U.S. with ties to organized crime. On December 12, 1970, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents…

New York–New York