Bugsy Siegel was an American gangster who helped develop Las Vegas into a gambling Mecca. He was born in Brooklyn to Russian Jewish immigrants, formed the “Bug & Meyer Mob” with Meyer Lansky, and worked as a hitman for the mob. He built the Flamingo casino and hotel in 1946 but was killed in 1947. His cause of death was ruled a cerebral hemorrhage, and the details surrounding his death are still unresolved.
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was an American gangster who greatly contributed to the development of Las Vegas in the 1940s. He is best known for changing the image of Las Vegas from a mining town to a gambling Mecca.
Bugsy Siegel was born on February 28, 1906 in Brooklyn to Jewish Russian immigrants. Affiliating with street gangs as a child, Siegel met future gangster Meyer Lansky in his teens. The two eventually formed the “Bug & Meyer Mob” which was involved in bootlegging businesses in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Siegel married his childhood sweetheart, Esta Krakower, in 1929, although he would have several mistresses throughout his life. In 1930, Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky met and became intimate with Charles “Lucky” Luciano. It was around this time that Bugsy began working as a hitman for the mob. Between 1930 and 1931, during a war for control of the Mafia known as the Castellammarese War, Bugsy Siegel killed mobster Sal Maranzano, allowing Luciano to take control of the East Coast Mafia. His nickname, “Bugsy”, arose during this period, due to his erratic behavior and violent tendencies.
In 1937, the mob sent Bugsy Siegel to develop ties with Jack Dragna, the strongest California mob boss. At this time, he also became friends with actor George Raft. Siegel’s friendship with Raft brought him into the inner circle of Hollywood who opened up the movie studios to his extortion tactics.
Bugsy Siegel is known as the “Father of Las Vegas” due to his major involvement in the development of the gambling industry. After several failed attempts to purchase established casinos in the Las Vegas area, Siegel spent $5 million United States Dollars (USD) to build the Flamingo casino and hotel in 1946. The hotel opened on December 26, 1946 with a guest list that included several notable celebrities. Because the Flamingo lacked hotel rooms, it offered no incentive for gamblers to stay longer, and the casino closed in January 1947. Bugsy Siegel ordered the hotel renovated to include sleeping rooms and the Flamingo reopened in March 1947. Initial revenue of $250,000 USD proved the new Flamingo to be profitable.
On June 20, 1947, Bugsy Siegel was killed in Beverly Hills by an unknown hit man. The coroner ruled the cause of death a cerebral hemorrhage. The details surrounding the hit on Siegel are still unresolved, although many believe it was the work of the mob. Siegel is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
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