The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law Vs. the Mob (Paperback)

~ Dennis Griffin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A solid, well-researched account of the years Anthony Spilotro was the Chicago Outfit's enforcer in Las Vegas. -- Sunrise View, May 16, 2006

A solid, well-researched account of the years Anthony Spilotro was the Chicago Outfit's enforcer in Las Vegas. -- Sunrise View, May 16, 2006<br /><br />Dennis N. Griffin uses all of his investigative and interviewing skills to bring this fascinating story to his readers. -- Rome Sentinel, July 22, 2006<br /><br />If you want to know about Las Vegas in the mob days, this book says it all. A great read. -- Tru Hawkins, KDWN Radio, April 2, 2006<br /><br />No punches are pulled in this hard-hitting account of some of the most vicious men to ever walk the earth. --Salem-News.com, August 13, 2006

Dennis N. Griffin uses all of his investigative and interviewing skills to bring this fascinating story to his readers. -- Rome Sentinel, July 22, 2006

If you want to know about Las Vegas in the mob days, this book says it all. A great read. -- Tru Hawkins, KDWN Radio, April 2, 2006

No punches are pulled in this hard-hitting account of some of the most vicious men to ever walk the earth. -- Salem-News.com, August 13, 2006

Product Description

From the 1970s through the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit dominated organized crime in Las Vegas. Unreported revenue, known as the "skim," from Outfit-controlled casinos made its way out of Vegas by the bagful, ending up in the coffers of the Windy City crime bosses and their confederates around the Midwest. To ensure the smooth flow of cash, the gangsters installed a front man with no criminal background, Allen R. Glick, as the casino owner of record, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthaal as the real boss of casino operations, and Tony Spilotro as the ultimate enforcer, who'd do whatever it took to protect their interests. It wasn't long before Spilotoro, also in charge of Vegas street crime, was known as the "King of the Strip." Federal and local law enforcement, recognizing the need to rid the casinos of the mob and shut down Spilotro's rackets, declared war on organized crime. The Battle for Las Vegas relates the story of the fight between the tough buys on both sides, told in large part by the agents and detectives who knew they had to win.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Huntington Press (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929712374
• ISBN-13: 978-0929712376
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About the Book, August 7, 2006

By	Dennis N. Griffin "Denny Griffin, author" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"King of the Strip"

In the 1970s and thru the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit was the dominant organized crime family in Las Vegas, with business interests in several casinos. During those years the Outfit and its colleagues in Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Cleveland were using Sin City as a cash cow. Commonly referred to as the "skim," unreported revenue from Outfit-controlled casinos was making its way out of Vegas by the bag full and ending up in the coffers of the crime bosses in those four locations.

The skim involved large amounts of money. The operation had to be properly set up and well managed to ensure a smooth cash flow. To accomplish that goal, the gangsters brought in a front man with no criminal record to purchase several casinos. Allen R. Glick, doing business as the Argent Corporation (Allen R. Glick Enterprises) purchased the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda, and Marina. They next installed Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal as their inside man, and the real boss of the casino operations. Rosenthal was a Chicago native and considered to be a genius when it came to oddsmaking and sports betting. Under Lefty's supervision the casino count rooms were accessible to mob couriers.

But even with the competent Rosenthal in charge, there remained room for problems. What if an outsider tried to muscle in on the operation? Or just as bad, suppose one of their own decided to skim the skim? To guard against such possibilities the Chicago bosses decided to send someone to Vegas to give Rosenthal a hand should trouble arise. The successful applicant had to be a person with the kind of reputation that would deter interlopers from horning in, and make internal theft too risky to try. But the mob's outside man had to be capable of action as well as threats. In other words, he had to be a man who would do whatever it took to protect the Outfit's interests. So, in 1971, 33-year-old Tony Spilotro, considered by many to be the "ultimate enforcer," was sent to the burgeoning gambling and entertainment oasis in the desert. Spilotro, sometimes called "tough Tony," or "the Ant," was a made man of the Outfit and a childhood friend of Rosenthal. He was known as a man who could be counted on to get the job done.

Being an ambitious sort, Tony quickly recognized that there were other criminal opportunities in his new hometown besides skimming from the casinos. Street crimes ranging from loan sharking to burglary, robbery, and fencing stolen property were all in play. It wasn't very long before Tony had his hands into every one of these areas. As the scope of his criminal endeavors grew, Tony brought in other heavies from Chicago to fill out his gang. The five-foot-six-inch gangster was soon being called the "King of the Strip."

Federal and local law enforcement recognized the need to rid the casinos of the hidden ownership and control of the mob, and shut down Spilotro's street rackets. They declared war on organized crime and the battle was on. It was a hard fight, with plenty of tough guys on both sides. But it was a confrontation the law knew it had to win.

The Battle for Las Vegas relates the story of that conflict, told in large part by the agents and detectives who lived it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business end of the dog, July 1, 2007

By	Vinegar Jim (Cuyahoga County - West) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Excellent, well-written and well-researched book. The book outlines the mobs' local crew under Tony Spilotro efforts to squeeze Las Vegas dry for their own purposes as well as the skim for their handlers in the midwest. The movie CASINO parallels this story. The movie presented law enforcement as country-bumpkins that, when unable to use effective law enforcement tactics, resorted to politics to interdict the mob. Griffin does a yeoman's job in showing that police/FBI were NOT ineffective and DID prevail. They prevailed, with hands tied in some cases, because they were intelligent and brave men that never gave up.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, informative!, June 12, 2007

By	Mauibluecat (California) - See all my reviews

This is a great book! It's informative, well-written, and exciting! Sometimes the truth is much more exciting than fiction. My family and I would go to Vegas in the 70's, and after reading this book, I couldn't believe what was going on behind the scenes during that time. This book gives you factual information, and keeps your attention throughout the entire book!