Behind the Glitz of the Las Vegas Mobsters

The city of Las Vegas has known for all the fun and cultivating activities it has to offer. Behind the lights and glamor is a dark history written by mobsters who played a giant role the development of this city. Power, crime and transformation, that is what was had and created. It shows how organized crime influenced the city's rise and left a print on its culture and economy.

inside the mob museum in Las Vegas

The Early Days

In the early 1930s, this city was small and truely just a desert, struggling to find an identity for itself. The Hoover Dam was a need for some money but not like the attraction that it is today. This is where organized crime stepped in, saw how gambling was legal in Nevada, thinking something lucrative can arise from it.

Chicago and New York mobsters started to invest in Vegas. Financing the casinos and new hotels, usually with the illegal funds they attained from their activities. This "Sin City" did not just come from the air, it was built by the early mobsters.

One of the most well known mobsters was "Bugsy" (Benjamin Siegal). It was him who opened the Flamingo in 1945, one of the high end casinos of the time. His vision was to bring in the wealthy into his glamourous resort. Despite being known for his violence, he put Las Vegas on the world map.

How The City was controlled

Owning casinos was not the main point. Police, city officials and judges were also influenced by them. This is how illegal activities like loan sharking, prostitution and drug trafficking took a blind. eye.

Casinos were commonly used as fronts for money laundering. The mobsters would have their illegal earnings go through the casinos, making it appear legit. Doing this, they became more powerful and built their wealth.

Unions were also controlled by the mob, as construction projects had to go through them. It was all about control, this was their "hush" money to the city.

The Drop in Power

By the 70s and 80s, their grip began to loosen on Las Vegas.

• The FBI and other agencies started investigations targeting their crimes

  
  

• Corporations started purchasing casinos, making legitimate business

  
  

• Laws and Regulations changed, sticter requirements on gaming

  
  

Even though these changes were made, their legacy remains visible til today. A few casinos continue to carry names linked to the mob history and stories, as many are interested in their history.

an image from inside the Mob museum

The Mob's Impact on the Las Vegas Economy

They helped turn a boring desert into the glamorous City of Las Vegas. Their investments not only created employment and tourist attractions, but fueled the economy. Each year, people were visting the casinos because the symbol it represented of luxury and entertainment.

Crime and corruption also were presented to the city by them. There was the hidden world full of violence and illegal activities. This gave the city a reputation of risk and rewards.

Today, Las Vegas enjoys showing others its distinct past through the Mob Museum, Mob Tours, and books that can be found anywhere. Their story reminds tourists and locals that the city's rise to fame didn't come without its hidden shadows.