The Green Felt Jungle: The Truth About Las Vegas

by Ed Reid, Ovid Demaris

The Green Felt Jungle is the first book that dares to penetrate the mirage of Las Vegas, the respectable, fun-loving resort where carefree tourists may innocently and legally indulge in gambling. In a carefully documented expose (which includes some astounding, secretly taped confidential conversations), the authors explore the real Las Vegas-a clever (and profitable) front for organized crime. Everything is legal, of course-everything except mysterious, unreported murders, systematic tax evasion, widespread prostitution, tacit segregation, and the graft that greases the entire system. Why was Bugsy Siegel, the founder of modern Las Vegas, liquidated? Who are some of Frank Sinatra's sinister partners in the Sands Hotel? How large is Jimmy Hoffa's interest in the glittering hotels along the Strip? Guess who some of Senator Barry Goldwater's companions have been on his numerous gambling junkets. And why was the body of a United States Senator who died just before election day preserved in a bathtub full of ice until all the returns were in? Citing irrefutable evidence, the authors expose the ways in which some of the nation's top criminals, under the pretense of operating "legitimate" businesses, are actually pouring millions of tourist-trade dollars into the coffers of the Mafia. They name the hidden interests who really control the casinos and disclose the hypocrisy and corruption that surround public officials on virtually every level of government. Also explained in detail are the tourist's actual chances of coming away a winner, the various "house percentages," the subtle devices used to lure players to the tables-and keep them there. Ironically, the gambling equipment is possibly the only thing in Las Vegas that is really on the level.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Crime, Historical

242 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a challenge, I'm supposed to read a book set in my hometown. I've read a few of those, and they're always horrible and gross or way, way off base from the truth. So I decided a book about my hometown would suffice.



I first became aware of this book thanks to an art installation by a former instructor of mine, which was inspired by this book and turned out to be really underwhelming. It was called "Green Felt Jungle Gym" and it reimagined different casinos as metal playground structures.

Except for a few irascible natives, no on takes the state of Nevada seriously.

This book is about how the Mob came to Las Vegas in the 30s, took it over, and made it what it is today—a hotbed of CORRUPTION. There were so many mobster names I couldn't keep them all straight, and so half the time I had no idea who the author was talking about. But basically they all had creative ways of evading taxes, buying part ownerships, doing funny things with the stock market in order to start a casino, and obtaining gaming licenses in shady ways that eventually necessitated legislature. Oh, and they killed people and owned local politicians.

Basically every movie you've ever seen about the Mob is true, if this book is to be believed. They are SCARY.

And the politicians (after which our airport, roads, and even a neighborhood in Henderson were named) were hardly any better. There was one instance where a running mate died a few days before an election. So the Repubican candidate wouldn't automatically be elected, the Democrats put the body on ice and announced his death a few days after the election. That's how we roll.

I found the writing to be a bit sensational, except for in the first chapter, with its amazing descriptions of Las Vegas. All the Mob activity became tedious and repetitive. I GET IT. THEY'RE BAD AND DO BAD THINGS. THEY ARE ITALIAN AND HAVE FUNNY NICKNAMES.

[Glitter Gulch] is where most Nevadans gamble: cowboys, sheepherders, miners, store clerks, factory workers, cab drivers, brassy show girls, pensioners, and little old ladies who play four machines at once for hours on end, wear a workman's glove, and look like they have just eaten their young."

That last line, especially, is kind of horrifyingly accurate. Except Fremont Street isn't like that anymore. It's covered so the city can put on a shitty light show, there's a freaking zip line going down it, and you can't even get insanely strong $0.99 margaritas at Mermaids anymore. THE DEATH OF LAS VEGAS, I TELL YOU.



Seeing as this book was published in 1963, it's rampant with political incorrectness. It says Paiutes are lazy and ignorant, gays "indulge their perversion," and lesbians are only lesbians because "they have tried literally everything else." At least it talks about the city's disturbing history of racism without being offensive (did you know Nevada was once called the "Mississippi of the West"?).

Of course, this book also addresses prostitution. Showgirls were expected to entertain guests after their show or quit their job, basically. There was a huge brothel just four miles from the Strip that got busted up. Prostitution is illegal in Clark County now, but of course that doesn't mean no one does it. Why else would COPS ever film an episode here?

So, does the Mob still run Las Vegas? NOBODY KNOWS (at least, I don't know). Former mayor Oscar Goodman says not, but he was an attorney for them, so can we really trust him? Plus he's a politician. And although he is no longer our mayor, his wife is. Like I said, that's how we roll (like the dice on a craps table—hahaha).

That is life in the green felt jungle.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. I didn't realize it was such a staple when it came out, both my parents remember reading it in High School. Yet it still remains interesting. I have always been in love with Las Vegas, I have even contemplated moving there from time to time, but when I spend more than 2 days there I want to leave :( It's weird, I always end up having the desire to return shortly-after. The allure for me is the lights, the glamour, the sleeze, and most of all the entertainment. It seems so easy to be able to get lost and forgotten there, which is something I like.
The book details the filth that made up Vegas back in the 50's and 60's. Everybody sorta knows the mob ran Vegas, but this book tells the real story, and removes the "dazzle" or organized crime and shows you what it truly is. When Vegas really started to grow it was because of legalized gambling and the Nevada government's relaxed feelings towards many things as there would be no other reason to go to Nevada. Obviously Las Vegas attracted the ruthless, those who were in hot water in other states for illegal gambling and running numbers were recieved in Vegas with open arms. The state overlooked white a lot when granting a gambling license and the crooks remained crooked. You need to realize that gambling is a cash business and "skimming off the top" was inevitable. Tax Free dollars go straight into the funds of the mob and only makes them more powerful. Of course you have tons of corruption in Vegas from the local sheriff to county comissioners to even higher. This book reveals the ruthless crimes that were committed daily in Vegas and at the time this was published it was all unknown to the tourists. It was a joke at the time about how many bodies you would find in the desert if you looked.

This book remains relevant, you know the names, Bugsy Siegel, Mayer Lansky, Moe Greenbaum, etc. Movies like The Godfather and Casino pull from the facts, all revealed in this book. What i really loved is that lots of names of places in Vegas like Binion's Casino and McCaren airport are named after criminals! The stories are there and its a great read. I was worried at first that the book wouldn't hold water in this day and age but I was wrong, its great journalism. Def worth a read if you are into Vegas, I am...I am going this weekend.

[Ben Coyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

GFJ is surely a fun close-up of the origins of Las Vegas, but reader be warned this reads as a case-study and not a narrative. Chock-full of names, dates, figures, and places that tell the organized crime background of Las Vegas, there are all kinds of interesting tidbits of history. But having finished it, I simply feel more secure in my understanding that the mafia is bad guys, and Las Vegas is a shady place.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a long time this was the book about Las Vegas and the mobsters behind the neon lights. Reid was a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, so he tends to minimize the influential role of his boss, Hank Greenspun, in the development of the city. Greenspun's dubious business partners also have an easy place in the book, which focuses more on Moe Dalitz and the Chicago hoodlums.

Reid is a little sympathetic to most of the racketeers-turned-gamblers, even though it is clear he is not in favor of gambling in general. His criticism appears to focus on the Chicago group, and a little racist towards Italians/ Sicilians. He certainly ignores the role of the lawyers who advised the hoodlums, the politicians who catered to the hoodlums, and the businessmen who profited from the hoodlums. Without these groups, Las Vegas would not have existed, so his selective discussion of these groups weakens the value of the book.

As far as books about Las Vegas and the mob are concerned, Reid appears to be accurate. He is not as accurate as Black Book and the Mob, but more accurate than Money and Power. Ultimately, Green Felt Jungle is intended to be easy and quick to read rather than thought-provoking. Most readers would not benefit from this book due to its age. However, those readers who are familiar with the hoodlums, could learn some new names, rackets, and history through this book.

[Derek · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a sprawling work, not aided by the deeply interconnected web of investors, thugs, investing thugs, and thuggish investors. The reader is immediately whacked with a wall of data, with every topic spawning a virtual tree of side anecdotes about the various shady characters involved in all this.

I just couldn't hold my attention on it. It sometimes reads like a reference work, with all the detail, and I wondered if a high level plan would ever form.

It was real work, and I would need to build a conspiracy-class wall of interconnected pictures and documents and red strings in order to understand all of it. Which, my wife informs me, I am never allowed to do ever again.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very interesting and detailed treatise on pre-corporate, mafia Vegas. this opus of investigative journalism discusses the barry Goldwater links to gus greenbaum etc. as well as Sinatra's links to giancana etc. from casino ownership from Siegel to the Syndicate 60s this study reaches out from the hidden interests to discuss the hits and hierarchy in Chicago, Detroit, etc. specific syndicate meetings such as the Apalachin are discussed as well as the historical meet with luciano in Havana. this is all augmented with wiretap transcripts, photos and in this edition an addendum from 1963 or so.

[Garrett Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I've read to prep for an upcoming Las Vegas trip. This is one of the earliest books written on Vegas and is still insightful to this day. There's a lot of journalistic prattle that can be skimmed, but when Reid/Demaris really write it's always illuminating and thought-provoking.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was in high school in the 60s, there was a copy of this book in our school library. It was often paged through by the boys in the school because of its lurid descriptions of Las Vegas as well as a section of photos that included mob killings, show girls, and prostitution. I admit that I was drawn to the book as well and read parts of it but not the entire book. Since then, I have wanted to obtain a copy and read it to see just how lurid it actually was. Well, I found a used copy online a couple of years ago and have had it on my shelves since then. Finally got around to attempting to read it.

First of all, this book was originally published in 1963 so it is definitely dated. It was written by Ed Reid and Ovid Demaris who were newspaper journalists and investigative reporters. It is pretty much an exposé on the origins of Las Vegas and how the mob was prevalent in its origins from the 1940s to the 1960s. The book gives detail after detail of the various casinos in Las Vegas and the mob connections of the owners. This starts out with Bugsy Siegal and his Flamingo Hotel that he built way over budget and subsequently was unable to make a profit on it after its opening in 1946. The mob did not take kindly to this and Siegal was murdered on June 20, 1947. The book goes on to describe other Las Vegas casinos and their owners, mob connections, and related murders. Politicians and celebrities were also connected to these nefarious operations including Barry Goldwater and Frank Sinatra. Goldwater was associated with Gus Greenbaum who took over running the Flamingo after Siegal's death. And then there was Jimmy Hoffa who was involved in payoffs and schemes related to real estate transactions. Also included in the book was a chapter on prostitution and its prevalence in the casinos as well as chapters that included information about paid-off politicians, tax evasion, and extortion.

This book provides the early history of the Las Vegas and documents the time prior to the transition from gangster control of the city to its clean-up and purchase of the casinos by legitimate companies. I actually ended up skimming a lot of the book which told of the various members of the mob and their cohorts. There were some paragraphs that went on and on listing the names of these people who I will never remember. I would only recommend this to someone interested in the seedy side of Las Vegas history.

[Erik Surewaard · Rating 2 out of 5]

In case you like reading books about casinos, this is a classic "have-to" read. But it is unfortunately not an easy read. It describes the mob influence on the early casino yeas. Since the mob is a large organisation, the are a lot a names involved. And the latter makes it a difficult read and for me the reason I give it two stars.

The author really knows what he is talking about. In one instance he even advises the poli e / FBI to look into a murder. Some important mobster guy is killed by two hit men. Author gives the advise to look into the fact that one the particular day of the murder, a plane flew in from miami containig two people. And later on the day, these two people flew back. The murder took place in the time window these two persons were in Vegas.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This very detailed expose of Las Vegas and Nevada was published in 1963 so, it's historical rather than current. It's quite damming.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so wildly sexist, but does have some juicy gossip about the building of Las Vegas as a city.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3.5 star read. Very informative. A character index would've been useful to keep track of the many mobsters/politicians/and starlets in the book.

[Karl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worse free book. I ever read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was referenced in more than one book I have read, Barbara Sinatra’s & Alan King’s book, maybe Kay Thompson’s and Winchell’s…anyway,I’ve always been interested in Vegas!

Reading the author’s note, he seriously has an issue with gambling & “organized crime”. Gee what would he think of today’s big corporations & Wall Street take over’s? In the back book leaf, the author’s (in the 1950’s) journalistic efforts led to destroying a major bookmaking syndicate. SHAME ON HIM!

It seemed comical at times to read…and a bit strange. To think when I was born 1956 this was the beginning of Las Vegas and now all those hotels are gone or reincarnated.

What is definite is how I think the so called “mob” has or had way more scruples than the current corporate world and government has!

[Sheehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reid has beef with mafioso...

Reid writes a 1960's investigative expose of a mobbed-up Vegas, and tries to dress his agenda up in some morality and do-goodishness.

The book is a great snapshot of the operators in Vegas from its transition from cowtown to gambler's oasis; if you want to know who owned what interests, at least tangentially how they were tied to the mobbed up metropolitan areas around the country, and like any older books with cool cop vernacular, this piece is right on target.

If you want the dressed up fun Scorsese'd version of Vegas, you might look elsewhere.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this old book; it was written in 1963; it's about Las Vegas and the Mob. I happen to be at a used book store during the Christmas holidays and it got my attention, since I now live in Las Vegas. It's a non-fiction. It's a very interesting book; some of the old time names have street names and businesses.....

[Yonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for the reading experience - I'm sure the reporting was groundbreaking, but for someone with little to no background in either Las Vegas or the mob, it provides some interest and knowledge but is a dry read.

[Lorene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun reading about names and places that were familiar to me in the 70s.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic about Vegas when it was just becoming Vegas

[Fatbaldguy60 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out interestingly, but the tedious condemnations of gambling and Las Veags turned me off.

[Frank Palardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the early books on Las Vegas and the mob.

[Seán · Rating 4 out of 5]

SORRY GUYS! I gave this to Cousin Andrew.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts are interesting,
but there's a lot of junk to wade through too.