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The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. The Mob
From the 1970s through the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit dominated organized crime in Las Vegas. Federal and local law enforcement, recognizing the need to rid the casinos of the mob and shut down Spilotro's rackets, declared war on organized crime. The Battle for Las Vegas relates the story of the fight between the tough guys on both sides, told in large part by the agents and detectives who knew they had to win
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2006
70 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Griffin
14 books18 followersI moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1994, after a 20-year career in investigations and law enforcement in New York State. I began writing my first novel, The Morgue, in 1996. In 2000, I started work on a Las Vegas-based trilogy of mystery/thrillers. Killer In Pair-A-Dice was followed by One—Armed Bandit. The third book, Vegas Vixen, was published in November 2008.
In 2001 I turned my attention to non-fiction, and began writing Policing Las Vegas – A History of Law Enforcement in Southern Nevada. This book follows the evolution of law enforcement in Las Vegas and Clark County, from the establishment of Las Vegas in 1905 thru 2005. It was released in April 2005 through Huntington Press.
My second non-fiction, The Battle for Las Vegas – The Law vs. the Mob, is the story of the Tony Spilotro era in Las Vegas, and was released through Huntington Press in 2006. CULLOTTA – The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness was published by Huntington Press in 2007. My most recent Mob book is Surviving The Mob - A Street Soldier's Life Inside The Gambino Crime Family, and was published by Huntington Press in January 2011.
In October 2012, House Party Tonight, the story of legendary saxophonist Don Hill, was published by Houdini Media. That book was followed three months later by Rogue Town, the true story of crime and corruption in Stamford, Connecticut, also by Houdini Media.
I am co-host of the popular Blog Talk Radio show Crime Wire, and serve as a consultant to the Vegas Mob Tour. I recently opened BEAR Media Consultants, which helps match true crime movie and documentary producers, writers and event coordinators, with potential technical consultants and speakers for their projects or events.
In 2001 I turned my attention to non-fiction, and began writing Policing Las Vegas – A History of Law Enforcement in Southern Nevada. This book follows the evolution of law enforcement in Las Vegas and Clark County, from the establishment of Las Vegas in 1905 thru 2005. It was released in April 2005 through Huntington Press.
My second non-fiction, The Battle for Las Vegas – The Law vs. the Mob, is the story of the Tony Spilotro era in Las Vegas, and was released through Huntington Press in 2006. CULLOTTA – The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness was published by Huntington Press in 2007. My most recent Mob book is Surviving The Mob - A Street Soldier's Life Inside The Gambino Crime Family, and was published by Huntington Press in January 2011.
In October 2012, House Party Tonight, the story of legendary saxophonist Don Hill, was published by Houdini Media. That book was followed three months later by Rogue Town, the true story of crime and corruption in Stamford, Connecticut, also by Houdini Media.
I am co-host of the popular Blog Talk Radio show Crime Wire, and serve as a consultant to the Vegas Mob Tour. I recently opened BEAR Media Consultants, which helps match true crime movie and documentary producers, writers and event coordinators, with potential technical consultants and speakers for their projects or events.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 23, 2016
A good Docu book about an interesting subject.
Just as the title states this Book chronicles the history of the battle between the the police and the Chicago Mob over the control of the Las Vegas casinos from roughly 1940 until the end of the 1970s. Expect lots and lots of names, places and bad guys slipping bye.
The book is well compiled, well ordered and covers a variety of subjects from the personal lives, political views and their exploits of those involved.
In short a good read for anyone interested the history of Las Vegas and her Mob connections.
Just as the title states this Book chronicles the history of the battle between the the police and the Chicago Mob over the control of the Las Vegas casinos from roughly 1940 until the end of the 1970s. Expect lots and lots of names, places and bad guys slipping bye.
The book is well compiled, well ordered and covers a variety of subjects from the personal lives, political views and their exploits of those involved.
In short a good read for anyone interested the history of Las Vegas and her Mob connections.
February 5, 2022
Dennis Griffin's The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. the Mob covers much of the same ground as Nicholas Pileggi's Casino, but more from the point of view of law enforcement. It is fascinating to read about how casino boss Lefty Rosenthal and especially mob assassin Tony "The Ant" Spilotro were finally forced out of Vegas. It took a concerted effort lasting several years, but finally Spilotro's Chicago bosses had him and his brother beaten to death in an Indiana cornfield. Rosenthal died of natural causes in 2008, but far from Vegas.
Any book that concentrates as much on the interaction of different law enforcement agencies as this one does risks losing its audience. Fortunately, Griffin did a good job of sketching in the characters of the forces arrayed on the side of the law against the mob.
Any book that concentrates as much on the interaction of different law enforcement agencies as this one does risks losing its audience. Fortunately, Griffin did a good job of sketching in the characters of the forces arrayed on the side of the law against the mob.
May 8, 2020
The mob's role in Las Vegas is well-known, so I went into this without high expectations. I am pleasantly surprised at how much new information Griffin has found on the subject. Having read organized crime books for many years, I consider myself to be knowledgeable on the subject. And yet, I learned some new things from this book. The style and presentation have an amateurish feel to them; but the information appears to be solid.
Griffin focuses on the 1970s and 1980s. He glosses over previous decades with the comment that the material has been covered elsewhere. His focus is squarely on Tony Spilotro and the cops who chased him. The events correspond to Nicholas Pileggi's Casino; but Griffin's point of view is unique. Whereas Pileggi writes almost as a first-person novel (or film), Griffin writes as an outsider looking in. From this vantage point, he is able to focus on both the cops and the robbers.
Early in the book, Griffin debunks the notion that the mob prevented murders in Las Vegas. Other books and movies claim that the mob did not want bodies in the street that may attract attention to their casino skimming racket. Griffin makes a solid argument that Spilotro was killing people - peoples connected to the casinos. Furthermore, he makes a clear case that Spilotro was in Las Vegas to be an enforcement arm, someone who would leave bodies in the street if necessary. And yet, he had no clear connection to the skim. Griffin makes it clear that skimming was separate from Spilotro's duties.
Spilotro's bosses may have wanted to keep a low profile; but that will never be known. Spilotro engaged in various low level crime - burglary, fencing, loan-sharking, possibly more. He may have expanded beyond Vegas into California. Griffin makes the argument; but without sufficient evidence. It is clear that Spilotro preyed upon tourists, something mythology would have readers believe the mob did not sanction. If Spilotro was pilfering hotel rooms, the tourists were not losing at the craps tables. But....Spilotro was very good at his job. People were afraid of him. And yet Griffin went out of his way to present a humane image of the gangster. He received some cooperation from Spilotro's widow and son. Even news personalities of the era shared their (frequently) positive memories of Spilotro.
Griffin spends a lot of time focusing on the Metro Police. He largely dismisses the pre-Metro law enforcement era as a time when organized crime had the run of the city. Then the heavy underdog John McCarthy steps into the race to head the agency. McCarthy's four years' administration is the subject of nearly a third of the book. Griffin is overly sympathetic with McCarthy and McCarthy's team. McCarthy clearly shook the status quo and that caused constant headaches and scandals. But it is clear that his term in office began a much stronger push against Spilotro.
It is difficult to cull fact from fiction. The officers sharing their memories with Griffin were clearly biased and proud of their actions. Both the cops and robbers were tough guys and unsympathetic. I actually finished the book with an appreciation for Frank Rosenthal when every other portrayal of the man is odious. I did not have sympathy for McCarthy or his team. Much of the book reminds me of Bill Roemer's books battling the Chicago Mob where Roemer and fellow FBI agents were just as vile as the gangsters. Griffin covers a lot of ground when discussing McCarthy. A lot of it goes on tangents as he discusses the controversies and scandals in the admin. Nevertheless, he makes a good case that McCarthy directed Metro's efforts against Spilotro.
Overall, it is a good book. It is rough around the edges. Griffin writes with good sentence structure. The overall narrative just feels unpolished. Casino is much more thrilling even considering the discrepancies between the book and the movie. The reality is just as engaging. i recommend the book to anyone interested in the mob in Las Vegas.
Griffin focuses on the 1970s and 1980s. He glosses over previous decades with the comment that the material has been covered elsewhere. His focus is squarely on Tony Spilotro and the cops who chased him. The events correspond to Nicholas Pileggi's Casino; but Griffin's point of view is unique. Whereas Pileggi writes almost as a first-person novel (or film), Griffin writes as an outsider looking in. From this vantage point, he is able to focus on both the cops and the robbers.
Early in the book, Griffin debunks the notion that the mob prevented murders in Las Vegas. Other books and movies claim that the mob did not want bodies in the street that may attract attention to their casino skimming racket. Griffin makes a solid argument that Spilotro was killing people - peoples connected to the casinos. Furthermore, he makes a clear case that Spilotro was in Las Vegas to be an enforcement arm, someone who would leave bodies in the street if necessary. And yet, he had no clear connection to the skim. Griffin makes it clear that skimming was separate from Spilotro's duties.
Spilotro's bosses may have wanted to keep a low profile; but that will never be known. Spilotro engaged in various low level crime - burglary, fencing, loan-sharking, possibly more. He may have expanded beyond Vegas into California. Griffin makes the argument; but without sufficient evidence. It is clear that Spilotro preyed upon tourists, something mythology would have readers believe the mob did not sanction. If Spilotro was pilfering hotel rooms, the tourists were not losing at the craps tables. But....Spilotro was very good at his job. People were afraid of him. And yet Griffin went out of his way to present a humane image of the gangster. He received some cooperation from Spilotro's widow and son. Even news personalities of the era shared their (frequently) positive memories of Spilotro.
Griffin spends a lot of time focusing on the Metro Police. He largely dismisses the pre-Metro law enforcement era as a time when organized crime had the run of the city. Then the heavy underdog John McCarthy steps into the race to head the agency. McCarthy's four years' administration is the subject of nearly a third of the book. Griffin is overly sympathetic with McCarthy and McCarthy's team. McCarthy clearly shook the status quo and that caused constant headaches and scandals. But it is clear that his term in office began a much stronger push against Spilotro.
It is difficult to cull fact from fiction. The officers sharing their memories with Griffin were clearly biased and proud of their actions. Both the cops and robbers were tough guys and unsympathetic. I actually finished the book with an appreciation for Frank Rosenthal when every other portrayal of the man is odious. I did not have sympathy for McCarthy or his team. Much of the book reminds me of Bill Roemer's books battling the Chicago Mob where Roemer and fellow FBI agents were just as vile as the gangsters. Griffin covers a lot of ground when discussing McCarthy. A lot of it goes on tangents as he discusses the controversies and scandals in the admin. Nevertheless, he makes a good case that McCarthy directed Metro's efforts against Spilotro.
Overall, it is a good book. It is rough around the edges. Griffin writes with good sentence structure. The overall narrative just feels unpolished. Casino is much more thrilling even considering the discrepancies between the book and the movie. The reality is just as engaging. i recommend the book to anyone interested in the mob in Las Vegas.
March 1, 2023
I really liked the movie Casino and this book was just as much fun. Some crazy history out there in Vegas.
January 22, 2024
Either the writing was monotonous or the narrator’s voice was dull. I fell asleep twice listening to this audiobook.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2023
This is an easy-to-approach book for fans of true crime, who want to skim through the history of organized crime in Las Vegas. Many events involving Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal will be familiar to those who have seen or read "Casino," making me feel like I was already aware of many of the crimes within. However, lots of interview with people who worked in Las Vegas at the time make this violent saga of crime and corruption feel unique and compelling.
January 28, 2016
Informative and entertaining, though a little slight. Best used as a supplement to the Rosenthal/Spilotro story from CASINO.
May 30, 2019
Interesting, but the reader sounds as though he's reading a high school history text ... this could have been much better with a livlier reader.
July 3, 2021
The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. the Mob
The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. the Mob
by Dennis N. Griffin,
Michael Taylor (Narrator)
3.60 ·
Rating details · 388 ratings · 43 reviews
In the 1970s and thru the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit was the dominant organized crime family in Las Vegas, with business interests in several casinos. During those years the Outfit and its colleagues in Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Cleveland were using Sin City as a cash cow. Commonly referred to as the “skim,” unreported revenue from Outfit-controlled casinos was making its way out of Vegas by the bag full and ending up in the coffers of the crime bosses in those four locations.
The skim involved large amounts of money. The operation had to be properly set up and well managed to ensure a smooth cash flow. To accomplish that goal, the gangsters brought in a front man with no criminal record to purchase several casinos. Allen R. Glick, doing business as the Argent Corporation (Allen R. Glick Enterprises) purchased the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda, and Marina. They next installed Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal as their inside man, and the real boss of the casino operations. Rosenthal was a Chicago native and considered to be a genius when it came to odds-making and sports betting. Under Lefty’s supervision the casino count rooms were accessible to mob.
January 23, 2024
It's always fascinating to read about something that happened. That is true. Such is the case with this read.
It was a battle between good (lawman John McCarthy) and evil (Anthony "The Ant" Spiroltro) and his other mob friends. What a life to lead as a mafia operative. While the short-term gains are huge with all the perks that are obtained illegally. The long game must be nerve-wracking with always looking over your shoulders for the long arm of the law.
The story of the two main protagonists (the ant & Lefty Rosenthal) is captured pretty well in the movie "Casino". Even Lefty's wife as portrayed by Sharon Stone in the movie is developed pretty well.
I think the book would be more effective if the style of writing offered more development and detail. But all in all, the reader gets a pretty good idea of how the mob was making their unreported income and fleecing many a casino from their profits. What a life!
Now, of course, the corporations have taken over the casinos. And while they may not be skimming from the top they most certainly don't pay too much in taxes. As they are protected by the powers that be.
It was a battle between good (lawman John McCarthy) and evil (Anthony "The Ant" Spiroltro) and his other mob friends. What a life to lead as a mafia operative. While the short-term gains are huge with all the perks that are obtained illegally. The long game must be nerve-wracking with always looking over your shoulders for the long arm of the law.
The story of the two main protagonists (the ant & Lefty Rosenthal) is captured pretty well in the movie "Casino". Even Lefty's wife as portrayed by Sharon Stone in the movie is developed pretty well.
I think the book would be more effective if the style of writing offered more development and detail. But all in all, the reader gets a pretty good idea of how the mob was making their unreported income and fleecing many a casino from their profits. What a life!
Now, of course, the corporations have taken over the casinos. And while they may not be skimming from the top they most certainly don't pay too much in taxes. As they are protected by the powers that be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2023
An interesting take on the history of the mob written by someone who was able to speak to most of the surviving participants. Griffin doesn't take sides and tells the entire story from both perspectives, which is rare. He does an excellent job sticking to the facts and using those facts to supplement or counter a first-hand account. The story isn't as action-packed as a fictional story would go, but real life is rarely that interesting. There are a lot of players in this book so you'll have to keep up with two dozen names, but Griffin does a fairly good job reminding readers of who a person was if they hadn't been names in a while. A nice compliment to Pileggi's Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.
September 2, 2021
I got about 100 pages in before giving up on this one. It’s written from the perspective of law enforcement at the time of mob run casinos instead of the typical books by or about the criminals. However, a lot of it was just So and So began with the Las Vegas Police Department in such and such year and served for 21 years before retirement. You would think the tales of the early days of Las Vegas with the gangsters, gambling, prostitution, murder, etc. would have to be interesting but alas, it’s not.
August 17, 2018
This book was packed with facts and good stories about the mob in Las Vegas. It was crazy how much I remembered from growing up during the 70s and 80s.
I’m a huge mob history enthusiast, former Ned Day fan, and loved the movie “Casino” for its portrayals and for my memory of when it was filming.
Finally, my uncle was a small part of the story on the “law” side of things- and it was really cool to read about his role.
I’m a huge mob history enthusiast, former Ned Day fan, and loved the movie “Casino” for its portrayals and for my memory of when it was filming.
Finally, my uncle was a small part of the story on the “law” side of things- and it was really cool to read about his role.
March 4, 2019
Tons of interesting information contained within about the mob's struggle to retain control of Las Vegas in the 70s and 80s amidst increase FBI and Metro Police pressure. The writing style is more textbook than story-telling and it can feel very dry for entire chapters, however, the anecdotes contained within are priceless and it's worth the read if you're a true fan of Vegas or interested in the real-life story behind Casino.
December 20, 2019
Interesting and easy to see where the Casino script cam to be
Read much like the movie Casino. I was interested to see Morris Schenker’s name mention more prominently in this book. Morris was an attorney in St Louis Mo when I was a kid and was a purported mod attorney. If you are interested in old LasVegas you’ll enjoy the book.
Read much like the movie Casino. I was interested to see Morris Schenker’s name mention more prominently in this book. Morris was an attorney in St Louis Mo when I was a kid and was a purported mod attorney. If you are interested in old LasVegas you’ll enjoy the book.
December 26, 2019
This book mostly covers the law enforcement side of era. It's nice to read but I was hoping to have a really detailed side of Anthony's crew. Dennis isn't my favorite author but still it is worth reading.
July 14, 2021
Informative and well written
As a more recent arrival in Las Vegas, Griffin's recitation of the alleged "good old days" is still pertinent because some of the characters from that period are still affecting policy in the city.
As a more recent arrival in Las Vegas, Griffin's recitation of the alleged "good old days" is still pertinent because some of the characters from that period are still affecting policy in the city.
December 3, 2021
Learning about the founding of the city and the ties to the mob was great, however when reading about how the Feds came in and changed the game, well there were too many names to keep with and I lost interest.
November 1, 2017
The book is ok, it is mildly entertaining and gives a view of organised crime in Las Vegas (around mainly 1950-1980). It goes through a long list of names which are soon forgotten.
April 5, 2018
Fascinating mob story.
May 6, 2019
I was too young in the seventies to be aware of what was going on in Las Vegas but am amazed that this took place in my lifetime. Held my interest every step of the way.
July 23, 2019
More of a statement of facts than riveting story telling.
Akin to listening to a monotone discussion hours on end, this one is sleep inducing.
Akin to listening to a monotone discussion hours on end, this one is sleep inducing.
August 30, 2019
Fun read when you live in LV, but I wouldn't call it great literature.
November 27, 2019
Good history
I enjoyed this one, and it was a good read that didn’t get bogged down in minutiae. Well-structured, going chronologically but explaining background along the way.
I enjoyed this one, and it was a good read that didn’t get bogged down in minutiae. Well-structured, going chronologically but explaining background along the way.
August 10, 2021
Okay book
After a while the information in these books begins to be repeated. Other authors gather Similar story lines. Still, this was a pretty decent book.
After a while the information in these books begins to be repeated. Other authors gather Similar story lines. Still, this was a pretty decent book.
January 21, 2022
Workmanlike but mundane.
August 14, 2023
Interesting read, but less narrative than author's notes.
February 5, 2024
I lived in Vegas during some of these years and knew the places and knew of some of the characters. I really liked the book.
Very well researched, well-written, and entertaining.
Very well researched, well-written, and entertaining.
May 2, 2024
Great book, crazy how the mob had such a control over the law in the most discreet way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews