Gambling and Casinos Chronology

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1907-After the silver strike in 1907, Bill Graham at the age of 18 came to Tonopah (Las Vegas) and opened the Big Casino.

1920s-Bill Graham, who was born in San Francisco, operated the Willows in Reno with his partner James McKay.

1933-(September) Lansky gets permission from Batista to open up casinos in Cuba. Also getting permission to run the already operational Hotel Nacional.

1933-(November) Lansky gets the Molaska Corporation up and running.

1933-(December) Prohibition ends in America, making bootlegging an almost obsolete business venture.

1930s-Costello and Kastel open the firm Alliance Distributors, monopolizing the “legal” whisky market.

1935-Davie Berman gets arrested for kidnapping Abe Scharlin. Sharlin was a known bootlegger and Berman gets a twelve-year sentence of which he would serve seven years in Sing Sing penitentiary. Later Berman would become the gambling king of Minneapolis.

1935-The Cleveland mob would open The Plantation in Miami.

1937-Siegel and his crew go to Las Vegas and start new ventures.

1943-Siegel’s “hit squad” goes to the Bahamas to murder Sir Harry Oakes for botching a casino deal.

1943-The Wofford Hotel opens in Miami, where Frank Costello and Lansky often meet. Al Polizzi (mob boss of Cleveland) and Tatum Wofford are the owners.

1944-Siegel starts to build The Flamingo in Las Vegas; Lansky, Luciano and others gave money.

1945-Santos Trafficante buys the The Capri Hotel and Casino in Cuba.

1945-(December) The Beverly County Club opens in New Orleans. The owners are Costello, Lansky, Coppola, and Tanico.

1946-The Flamingo opens under heavy expectations by the mob investors.

1946-El Cortez in Las Vegas is purchased by Charles Berman and his partners are Siegel, Moe Sedway, Gus Greenbaum, and Lansky.

1946-(February) Charlie Luciano gets released from prison and is deported to Italy.

1946-(September) Charlie Luciano goes to Cuba and stays at the Hotel Nacional. He is there for an important meeting with all the major mob members to discuss Siegel’s future.

1947-(June) Siegel gets shot nine times while sitting on his couch in his Beverly Hills mansion. Moe Sedway, Gus Greenbaum, and Morris Rosen quickly declare themselves the new owners.

1948-The Thunderbird casino opens in Las Vegas, Jake Lansky would run this casino under his brother’s watch.

1950-Kefauver Committee first hearing conducted, publicly closes Florida Casinos.

1950-The Dessert Inn casino was opened in Las Vegas and Wilbur Clark was the owner.

1952-(March) Fulgencio Batista, who was financed by Lansky, took over Cuba’s government with a coup.

1952-The casinos The Strip and Sands open up in Las Vegas.

1955-The casinos Riviera and Dunes open in Las Vegas

1957-The Tropicana casino opens in Las Vegas.

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