Vegas Post-Spilotro

[Rat]

I've been doing a bit of research but haven't found much information on Las Vegas after Spilotro. What was the situation afterward? Did Chicago and KC send more guys back out West? Was there any control of the casinos afterward? Any attempts to reassert themselves with the casinos?

[falco]

think there was a gambino connection

https://lasvegassun.com/news/1999/jul/0 ... over-case/

[falco]

The trial centered on promotional blurbs written by Stuart to hype an unauthorized biography of Wynn to the media and booksellers. One blurb, based on a discredited Scotland Yard report, suggested Wynn might be a "front man for the Genovese crime family."

https://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/aug/1 ... ourt-case/

http://www.newsnet1.com/electricnevada. ... 6/wynn.htm

https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-09-11/ ... ncis-girls

[Wiseguy]

I've been doing a bit of research but haven't found much information on Las Vegas after Spilotro. What was the situation afterward? Did Chicago and KC send more guys back out West? Was there any control of the casinos afterward? Any attempts to reassert themselves with the casinos?

The mob would hover around the fringes of things in Vegas for another 10-15 years but after the Midwest families were kicked out by the mid-1980s, that was pretty much the end as far as internal control of the casinos. The only exception that I'm aware of was a short-lived scam described below.



New York mob linked to $100,000 casino skim
UPI ARCHIVES
December 22, 1987


LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Associates of the New York Gambino crime family received as much as $100,000 over a five-month period from a slot machine skimming operation at the Continental Hotel-Casino, the FBI charged.

FBI agent Geir Magnessen, in an affidavit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, charged that Michael Di Bari, the assistant casino manager at the resort, and Alphonse Cuozzo, a friend of Di Bari, systematically took funds from slot and poker machines at the resort and the money was tranported to New York by associates of the Gambino mob.

James P. Weller, special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office, said the hotel management was not involved in the theft.

On Friday, FBI agents executed search warrants on the homes of Di Bari and Cuozzo, but authorities did not reveal what, if anything, was seized.

According to the affidavit, Di Bari was paying out slot machine winnings to others involved in the scheme when no jackpots were hit.

The illegal payouts averaged about $1,000 per day, five days per week for a five-month period for a total of about $100,000, he said.

The government charged that Di Bari had frequent contacts with Gambino crime family associates traveling to New York.

The FBI said agents received information that the reputed head of the Gambino organization was controlling the theft of money from at least one Las Vegas casino.

There have been no arrests.

Weller said evidence seized Friday will be reviewed and turned over to a federal grand jury.

Weller said the Continental management cooperated fully in the probe conducted by the FBI, the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/12/22 ... 567147600/

[Ivan]

Fat Herbie Blitzstein took over street rackets like loansharking from Spilotro. He was murdered in 1997 by people from the Buffalo and LA families who wanted to take over his rackets. 7 guys were arrested for this; 4 pled out, 1 died, and 2 were acquitted. There's basically nothing left now AFAIK. I've heard that there are still Cosa Nostra affiliated loansharks floating around out here, but I've never seen any real evidence for this. It's over.

[falco]

literally every casino (even off the strip) is controlled by a public traded company like mgm, las vegas sands, caesars, boyd or red rock. wynn/encore was a 5 billion project, cosmopolitan 3.9 billion and the new resorts world is costing 4.3 billion (most expensive resort/casino ever). a loan from the teamsters pension fund wont cover that.

some operators (wynn, adelson) were in trouble for money laundering and junkets tied to organized crime (14k triad) in macau. wynn also bought the land for the encore boston harbor from a associate of new england soldier darin bufalino (charles lightbody was his name). thats pretty much it

[Grouchy Sinatra]

literally every casino (even off the strip) is controlled by a public traded company like mgm, las vegas sands, caesars, boyd or red rock. wynn/encore was a 5 billion project, cosmopolitan 3.9 billion and the new resorts world is costing 4.3 billion (most expensive resort/casino ever). a loan from the teamsters pension fund wont cover that.

some operators (wynn, adelson) were in trouble for money laundering and junkets tied to organized crime (14k triad) in macau. wynn also bought the land for the encore boston harbor from a associate of new england soldier darin bufalino (charles lightbody was his name). thats pretty much it

A few are still privately owned. The El Cortez, The Golden Gate and The D, all on Fremont Street, were privately owned at least pre Covid. Haven't really followed the Vegas business transactions since.

A lot of people still think the Cortez is mobbed up. I doubt there's anything like a skim going on but possibly a silent stake in ownership.

[falco]

el cortez was owned by jackie gaughan. his son michael owns south point in henderson and sold coast casinos to boyd for $1.2 billion. he also is the operator of 1300 slots at mccarran airport, which is a 40 million a year business. highly doubt the son is mobbed up, but the father put up a bodyguard of bugsy siegel for life at el cortez.

pre-covid the most profitable casinos were wynn, bellagio, venetian/palazzo and mgm grand (all generated over a billion revenue). caesars doesnt disclose resort-level numbers, but caesars palace was probably also up there.

wynn and sands earned most of their money in asia, mgm only turned a profit by selling and leasing back their properties from blackstone. boyd and penn national are doing fine because of sports betting, red rock also because they always focused on the locals market.

sports betting is getting a huge business for them - a possible 40 billion market - eldorado/caesars merged with william hill (biggest uk bookmaker) and mgm is trying to buy entain (owner of partypoker/major online bookmaker).

[falco]

A few are still privately owned. The El Cortez, The Golden Gate and The D, all on Fremont Street, were privately owned at least pre Covid. Haven't really followed the Vegas business transactions since.

the d, the golden gate and the new circa all are owned by derek and greg stevens.

[Pogo The Clown]

Joseph Cusamano was one of the Outfit's top guys in Vegas in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Here is a news clip from when he was put in the Black Book.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVkEy3LuzQ


Wasn't Donald Angelina also Xhicagos rep in Vegas post Spilotro until he was indicted?


Pogo

[falco]

Joseph Cusamano was one of the Outfit's top guys in Vegas in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Here is a news clip from when he was put in the Black Book.

cusamano was convicted in 1987 for trying to divert several hundred thousand dollar from the culinary union insurance fund. he was also close to rick rizzolo

[SolarSolano]

Once Spilotro was killed, the Outfit actually had Chris Petti come in from the west coast to take over Spilotro's loanshark book. Petti hired two guys out of Boston- including the Carmen D'Nunzio - to collect for them.

[Frank]

Joseph Cusamano was one of the Outfit's top guys in Vegas in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Here is a news clip from when he was put in the Black Book.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVkEy3LuzQ


Wasn't Donald Angelina also Xhicagos rep in Vegas post Spilotro until he was indicted?


Pogo

Yes thats my understanding too.

[Ryan98366]

Joseph Cusamano was one of the Outfit's top guys in Vegas in the late 1980s and the 1990s. Here is a news clip from when he was put in the Black Book.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVkEy3LuzQ


Wasn't Donald Angelina also Xhicagos rep in Vegas post Spilotro until he was indicted?


Pogo

Yes thats my understanding too.

I have always read Donald “The Wizard of Odds” Angelina to run Vegas after Spilotro was murdered. However, never read what he actually did in Vegas or with the skimming of casinos. It’s very vague.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chicag ... y,amp.html

[Snakes]

They were purged from most of the casinos by the time he was over there. He was mainly there to collect debts and take over what Spilitro left. "No dollar left behind."