“The mob had been, of course, heavily integrated in the casino industry here from day one.”

To understand the city of Las Vegas as it existed in the 1970s, we have to back up to Dec. 26, 1946: opening night at the Flamingo Hotel on what we know today as the Las Vegas Strip. The project, started by Hollywood Reporter founder Billy Wilkerson before being taken over by notorious mob figure Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, would set a new standard for hotel-casinos in Las Vegas.

For more information on this episode, visit www.reviewjournal.com/mobbedup. To learn about The Mob Museum, visit www.themobmuseum.org.