Fantastical Destinations

11 April 2017

A Reflection of Las Vegas

Las Vegas

The city boomed in the 1970’s, but there was a dark reality cooked from crime and conflict laying beneath. All the casinos were run by the mob in some way. Tru Hawkins, a former casino host said, “the top guy in a casino in that era always was tied into the mob somewhere.” It’s scandalous and interesting to imagine these dark shadows working behind the scenes while their customers howl at the moon and throw their money away.

In the 1930’s Nevada became the first state to legalize gambling. This is what drew the mafia to Las Vegas. They had years of experience illegally gambling, so why wouldn’t they capitalize on that to make a hell of a lot more money? By the 1970’s casinos had become one of the mob’s biggest sources of cash. They used seemingly legitimate corporations to run the casinos, and would illegally siphon off millions every month in something called a skim. How fantastical.

Eventually the mafia decided that they needed an enforcer. Someone who wasn’t afraid to use violence on and against anyone who tried to steal from the mafia, or muscle in on their territory. In 1971 they put Tony “The Ant” Spilotro in charge of protecting the skim while not attracting the attention of the law. It sounds like something from a movie to me, something unreal and fabricated, that could not possibly happen. While the events were later made into the movie Casino, they were very much so real.

A former mobster, Frank Cullotta, who worked with Tony said, “And if you’d gotten on the wrong side of him (Tony), you may possibly get your head broke, your legs broke. Get killed.” In Tony’s first three years in Vegas there were more gangland killings than in the previous 25 years. He was clearly dangerous, a man with ambition to spare, but in need of borrowing some conscious.

This ambition and lack of conscious had him pursuing his desire to be a crime boss. He put together Vegas’ first burglary crew. They stole, committed arson, and killed. As I absorb this information I wonder what lead them to this point. What made them feel at peace stealing, burning people’s property, and taking their lives? Even the thought of doing these acts makes my chest tighten, a ball forming and growing heavier to settle in my gut until I feel ill.

Eventually the carelessness Tony had with his crimes made him a prime suspect in a number of murders, and drew in the authorities’ attention on the mob’s entire Vegas operation.

The crime syndicate running the casinos that both citizens and tourists so enjoyed began fighting a war with the law. It took years of work, but in the end Tony Spilotro’s sloppiness got him and his crew arrested, and the FBI was able to prove the existence of the skim. The mob was forced to sell the casinos, and now most visitors aren’t aware that organized crime ran Vegas for decades.

No matter what time of day or day of the week you’re arriving in Vegas it’s like walking into a party that’s already in full swing. Slot machines ding, beep, and sing, their signs flashing at you all around the airport. Alcohol is flowing, readily available at street bars, casino bars, and the CVS and Walgreens pharmacies that litter the strip. Women and men flounce down the streets in flashy costumes, bass bumps from packed clubs, escort cards are handed out as if paper is a never ending resource, and every casino offers a variety of entertainment shows from magic to music.

Las Vegas is an adults playground. Its true what they say, that the city never sleeps. There is always activity, always something going on, and the lights never dim or shut off. I can see how it was the perfect place for the mob. How they could commit and get away with their crimes while getting paid fat stacks from their casinos.

The most beautiful and enjoyable thing about Las Vegas is that there’s no need to plan what you’re going to do. In fact, it’s better not to. I recall when I returned from one trip and our ride asked us, “so what did you guys do? Did you go see any shows?” And we really didn’t know what to tell her. We hadn’t really done anything. We’d walked around the city and drank, adventuring and taking in all the culture, art, and dazzling attractions of every casino and establishment we could. We’d had a blast, the most fun I’d ever had in Vegas, and we hadn’t gone or done any of the traditional Vegas activities. Except for drink.

When I return home I think about the history of crime in Vegas, but while I was there it never crossed my mind how the city belonged to the mob all those years ago. I don’t think it crosses anybody’s. We wander and party, and none of us think of the dark past. It makes me wonder if people were aware of it when it was going on. If locals or tourists knew about it or thought about it. I have always imagined they did not. That the mob was covert enough that people were completely ignorant to the violence and theft happening all around them.