bugsy siegel Archives

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Casino: Openings Did You Know? Flamingo (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling History Gaming History Jimmy Durante Las Vegas--Nevada Nevada Quick Facts United States

Quick Fact - Holiday Season Launch

1946 Which famous hotel-casino debuted in Las Vegas, Nevada the day after Christmas in this year? Hint: Jimmy Durante was the grand opening star; while on stage he destroyed a $1,600 piano (a $20,000 value…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Did You Know? Divorce / Annulment Gambling History Nevada Quick Facts Reno--Nevada United States

Quick Fact - So Done

1946 Mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel’s wife, Esta (née Esther Krakower) filed for divorce in Reno, Nevada after 17 years of marriage. The two had wed when she was 18 and he was 23. In the…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Casino History Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Tax Evasion Desert Inn (Las Vegas, NV) Flamingo (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling Gambling History Gambling Laws / Regulations: U.S. Revenue Act of 1951 Gambling License Gaming History Moe Dalitz Nevada Politicians / Politics: Kefauver Committee Politicians / Politics: Kefauver Committee: Contempt of Congress Politicians / Politics: U.S. Senator (NV) Patrick "Pat" A. McCarran Pro-Gambling Efforts Salvatore "Sam" Maceo United States

Despite Ridicule, Nevada Politician Protects Gambling

1933-1954 His unfavorable personal opinion about gambling notwithstanding, Patrick “Pat” A. McCarran (D-Nev.) — U.S. Senator between 1933 and 1954 — acted repeatedly on the industry’s behalf. Had he not, it’s likely gaming wouldn’t have…

Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Shooting Did You Know? Frank Bompensiero Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno Los Angeles-California Mickey Cohen Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Gangster's Obsession

1948 Mickey Cohen (né Meyer Harris Cohen) — violent Los Angeles, California mobster and gambling kingpin with ties to Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, Nevada — suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder that led…

Allen Smiley Club Savoy (Las Vegas, NV) Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Cheating / Fleecing Flamingo (Las Vegas, NV) Gambling Laws / Regulations Games / Races: Craps It Really Happened Jack Durant Las Vegas--Nevada Louis "Russian Louie" Strauss Norman Khoury

Dirty Dealings in Las Vegas

1949-1953 Only months after Cleveland bar owner, Norman Khoury’s 1949 acquisition of Club Savoy in Las Vegas, Nevada, California mobster/gambler Allen Smiley, an associate of the then-deceased Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, unexpectedly approached him. Smiley introduced…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel Did You Know? Flamingo (Las Vegas, NV) Gambler (Operators/Players): Estate Quick Facts

Quick Fact - Siegel's Estate

1955 When presumed-to-be-wealthy mobster, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, was slain at age 41, the estate he left was worth $35,609 (about $314,550 today). Before his murder, Siegel co-financed and oversaw completion of the Flamingo hotel-casino in…

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel California Crimes / Violence / Punishments: Murder / Killing Frank Nitti It Really Happened Meyer Lansky Mobsters / Gangsters / Syndicate Members (Alleged) / Organizations Movies / Movie Stars / Entertainers / Celebrities

Movie Starlet Murdered by Mobster?

1934-1935 Today, 80 years later, the circumstances of actress Thelma Todd’s death remain a mystery, and the case still is one of Hollywood’s infamous unsolveds. A deep cover-up precluded the truth about the incident from…