Las Vegas Legend Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal Dies

Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, a well-known gambler and associate of the Las Vegas mafia, died Tuesday at his home in Boca Raton, Florida.

Rosenthal was a Chicago native. He first got involved with the Chicago mob when he became friends with Anthony Spilotro, a mobster nicknamed “Tony the Ant” by the media. He was sent to Las Vegas in the early 60s to run the new Stardust casino. He was almost immediately arrested upon arriving at the Tropicana hotel because of his connections with Chicago’s mafia.

He earned the nickname “Lefty” when he pleaded the Fifth Amendment 37 times in one court hearing, refusing even to answer the question of whether he was left- or right-handed.

At one point, Rosenthal was the official CEO of the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda, and Marina casinos simultaneously when they were run by the mob. He was the first person to put a race and sports betting parlor inside a Las Vegas casino, setting a precedent for others in the business. He also had a talk show in the 70s that included visits from celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope.

He survived an attempt on his life when, in 1982, someone placed a bomb in his car’s engine. A metal plate underneath the driver’s seat saved his life.

Six years later, the Nevada Gaming Commission placed Rosenthal in the Black Book because of his suspected involvement in organized crime and money skimming. He was denied a license to operate a casino in Nevada. He appealed the court’s decision, but the verdict was upheld. He was forced out of Las Vegas and eventually retired to Boca Raton, Florida to handicap sports events through his website, frankrosenthal.com.

He died of a heart attack on Tuesday, October 14th at 79 years old.

Sources
Free Info Society
Wikipedia: Frank Rosenthal
Wikipedia: Anthony Spilotro