The gambling industry is an incredibly profitable business, which in terms of income can be compared to the drug or arms trade. It is quite natural that in it, as in any other business, there are its own laws and recognized "authorities". It is not surprising that earlier most of the famous gambling businessmen were somehow connected with crime. Surely you will be interested to learn about the most famous, who can be called the "founding fathers" of the two capitals of the gambling business - Reno and Las Vegas.
Jim McKay
Jim Mackay was born in the late 19th century in Nevada. It was here that the famous casino cities of Reno and Las Vegas would appear a few decades later. The future "godfather" of the gambling business did not live poorly, as his parents owned a coal mining and sales business, which was the main source of fuel and energy at the time. Since his youth, Mackay had an explosive and impudent character, which ultimately determined his future destiny. As a very young man, he became a partner of Nick Abelman, who owned one of the first casinos in the United States - Big Casino.
According to Mackay's acquaintances, he was never a model of honesty and integrity. The future "authority" could pull off a dirty deal behind the backs of his partners, beat up a casino client who behaved inappropriately, or embezzle other people's money through fraud. In 1920, he ended up in Reno, where he gradually headed a criminal empire. His interests included illegal alcohol trade (bootlegging), bookmaking, prostitution, and underground gambling establishments.
Soon Mackay and his friends decided to "whitewash" their business by opening a legal casino, The Willows. It immediately became popular, as you could always buy alcohol and find girls of easy virtue there. And this was at a time when the United States was under prohibition! As you can imagine, without corruption and connections with local officials, this would have been simply impossible.
Since the business was developing very quickly, Mackay and his guys soon opened several more casinos and entertainment establishments in Reno. Including the Bank Palace Club, a casino that became the largest gambling establishment of that time. Movie stars, major political figures and other famous people became visitors to the casinos owned by Mackay. It was through the efforts of Jim Mackay that Reno turned into the capital of the gambling business in the 40s of the last century. By the beginning of the 50s, Mackay's business gradually "deflates". This happened due to several factors: the emergence of strong competitors in the form of large gambling monopolies, Mackay's age, etc. He spent the last 10 years of his life in wealth, peace and quiet among his family. The first recognized "godfather" of the gambling business died in 1962.
Bugsy Siegel
The future crime boss, who became one of the most brutal and influential gangsters of the last century, was born in Brooklyn (New York) in 1906 to a poor Jewish family. Bugsy's parents moved here from the Russian Empire. To be precise, from the city of Letychev in the Khmelnytsky region (the territory of modern Ukraine). At birth, Bugsy Siegel received the name Benjamin Siegelbaum.
As a teenager, Bugsy did whatever he wanted, since his parents did not have time to raise him. They worked most of the time, trying to earn a living and feed six children. As a result, the future gangster, at the age of 13-14, became a member of one of the Manhattan gangs that was engaged in theft, including burglary. Having grown up a little, Bugsy and his friend put together their own team and engaged in racketeering street vendors. Those who refused to pay were brutally beaten, and their goods were burned.
Having finally found his feet in the criminal world and having gained a certain authority, Siegel took up more profitable criminal business: stealing expensive cars, providing protection for prostitutes and big businessmen, and organizing underground gambling. Together with his new friend Meyer Lansky, he organized a large gang that operated in the state of New Jersey and in New York City. It robbed banks, engaged in bootlegging, and committed contract killings.
In the early 40s, Bugsy Siegel found himself in Las Vegas. At that time, the city already had casinos, but it was still a real "hole" in the Mojave Desert. Reno was considered more promising in terms of developing the gambling business. Nevertheless, Bugsy decided to make Las Vegas a model city of gambling establishments. Having become the right hand of the local mafia bosses, he built the Flamingo Hotel with a luxurious casino using their money ($6 million). At that time, this was simply colossal money.
However, Siegel, out of habit, could not resist and "cheated" his new partners for a large sum. The bosses were never able to prove that Bugsy had deceived them, so he was not eliminated immediately. The fraud was revealed many years later, after the death of the project participants. Bugsy Siegel raised the bar of the gambling industry in Las Vegas so high that in a few years the city "overtook" Reno and is still the informal capital of the gambling world. In 1947, Siegel was killed in his own home. The murder was never solved, so it is not known who did it: the deceived partners or one of the many competitors.
