Debunking the ‘good old days’

January 29, 2009 by Jorge Labrador 

UNLV law student presents an alternative take on the common outlook of Old Vegas

 

Movies and shows may paint a seedy picture of of Las Vegas’ history, but the old adage of “don’t believe everything you see on TV” applies to Sin City’s storied past according to one UNLV Boyd School of Law student.

Leslie Niño Fidance, a Juris Doctor candidate for spring 2009, argues that the Las Vegas was never really under the thumb of organized crime in a discussion titled “The Mob Never Ran Vegas.”

The talk is part of the UNLV Center for Gaming Research’s Gaming Research Colloquium Series and takes place today at 12:15 p.m. in the Special Collections Reading Room of the Lied Library.

Fidance, whose concentration lies in gaming law and intellectual property, has lived in Las Vegas most of her life and said she has frequently heard that life in Las Vegas was better “when the mob ran the town.” Fidance always asked herself why people felt that way. 

“You hear a lot about this in pop culture,” she said. “It’s a sexy thing to say.”

The inspiration for her research came about as a result of a required research paper and a challenging proposition from a law professor. 

“There’s a book by Steve Fischer called ‘When the Mob Ran Vegas’ and our professor suggested someone take the opposite stance.”

Did organized crime ever run Vegas? According to Fidance, there’s an entirely different reason for the oft-repeated nostalgia for the mob days.

“There’s too much regulation,” she said. “No one syndicate, no one family had a hold on town. They didn’t have the politicians in their back pocket.”

Instead, she said that Las Vegas was simply a much smaller town in the time most people associate with the glamorous golden age of organized crime.

“Huge corporate giants run the casinos now, so the little guys don’t get the comps. That’s my conclusion as to why people are so attached to the idea of a mob-run town,” she said, reminiscing of her own days in Vegas.

“We just don’t have the small town feel anymore. You don’t know the valet anymore. You don’t have those family deals when you go out for dinner anymore.”

Fidance used the prominent example of Frank Rosenthal, whose alleged ties to organized crime put him on the Nevada Gaming Commission and State Gaming Control Board’s “Black Book.” In 1976, Rosenthal was accused of illegally running casinos without the necessary license and was the basis for Robert De Niro’s Sam “Ace” Rothstein character in the film “Casino.”

“If the mob ran Vegas, he could have easily gotten [a license].”

Fidance spoke to the prosecutor in the Rosenthal case and Mayor Oscar Goodman, both of whom confirmed her thoughts on organized crime.

“People are attracted to the idea of gangsters running the show.”

Fidance explained that laws such as the Gaming Act of 1959 and institutions like the Gaming Control Board are far too strict and regulated and even serve as examples for gaming systems worldwide. 

That isn’t to say that organized crime has never existed in Las Vegas, however.

“They might have had the occasional politician on their side, but even those politicians weren’t acting out of the total mob control of the town.”

Fidance is also quick to point out that “control” of a city  is a much larger operation than what many assume.

“They didn’t control the churches, the schools or the trash service, did they? Of course not,” she said.

“A city is more than just it’s primary industry. They never had control over those operations.”

Despite her research however, Fidance insists that a Vegas mobster movie can still make for a good time.

“It’s actually made it more fun to go back and watch ‘Casino,’” she said. “I see it with a whole different eye. I know all the players, I know all the background. Hollywood knows it too and they wanted to make a good story out of it.”

The full story, however, is told in Fidance’s presentation.

Fidance’s research will appear in the February edition of the Gaming Law Review.