Mob Was Driven Out of Las Vegas Casinos in 1960s

Published on April 23rd, 2023 2:38 am EST


It's not secret that the mob used to control various Las Vegas casinos, including some of the most popular older casinos on the Strip.

Take a movie like "Casino", which was largely fact-based - the mob would control a casino from a safe distance, "skimming" money from the casino for their own pockets while thumbing their noses at the "regulators" in the state.

Back in those days, if you were doing something shady at a casino like counting cards, you were likely to find yourself with a bloodied face (or worse) if you were caught.

The mob didn't mess around.

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In the 1960s, control of the casinos in Las Vegas was wrested away from the mob and into the hands of giant corporations.

The mob is still in Las Vegas, though they were driven out of casinos.

There are two ways that Nevada drove the mob out of the casinos in the state:

1. The Excluded Person List.

Nevada gaming regulators created their "Black Book".

If you are in it, you are NOT allowed to enter casinos in the state.

If you are caught entering a casino, you will be tossed out immediately, and possibly arrested.

The Excluded Person List contains a list of cheaters, people prone to violent outbursts and mobsters.

2. The Nevada Corporate Gaming Act.

This Act was truly the end of mobsters in Nevada casinos, as it made it much easier for corporations to own casinos.

No longer did all of the shareholders of a corporation need to be licensed in order for the corporation to buy a casino.

This opened up the floodgates for corporations to buy their way into Las Vegas, and the fastest way to get rid of the mob in Las Vegas was to put them up against corporations with nearly unlimited money.

The squeeze was on, and the mob could not win this battle.

Corporations slowly took over in Las Vegas, and they continue to dominate to this day.

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The mob was certainly in control of some of the biggest casinos at one point, though those days are long over now.