On This Day In History: Mobster Bugsy Siegel

On this day in History, Dec 26th, 1946 , my favorite Mobster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.
Why is this such an important moment for Siegel? Well because I believe it was what led to his death.

Siegel, as many other Mobsters were drawn to Vegas at this time because the lure of legal gambling had a very strong appeal. Siegel spent about $6million to open the Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino which would usher in the Golden Age of Vegas but in true Siegel fashion, the hotel wasn't ready for the grand opening. So his plan was an old school Go Fund Me to get the money to finish project. After the grand opening the Hotel shut down and wasn't complete until the following march.

The opening didn't go as planned. Weather kept the Hollywood Elite from making the trip and there were not enough rooms for the gamblers so they took their winnings and went to play and stay at other hotels. Instead of making the money to finish the hotel, Siegel lost $300,000 during the opening celebration. But, the golden age of Vegas had begun.

This wasn't Siegel's first trick in Vegas. He actually purchased the El Cortez Hotel from his Horse Racing profits and enticed partners to take a run at the Flamingo project. The El Cortez is still operating in Downtown Las Vegas today and is a real touch of old Vegas.

The problem for Siegel is that his partners didn't feel like the numbers penciled out on the project and the setbacks made them suspicious that Siegel was on the grift. This is what many believe was the moment in time that his gangster partners planned to have him whacked. This happened in 1947 in his Los Angeles mansion. While seemingly unrelated to many, there are a lot of rumors pointed to the Flamingo as the root cause of the decision.

While Siegel didn't survive, the Flamingo Hotel flourished and had a nice run as the glamour center of Vegas until the modern strip took over. But, if you want to experience the old flavor of the time, head downtown and step into the El Cortez. You'll feel like you've stepped back in time the moment you walk in.

Jimmy Durante at the Flamingo in 1950. Durante was the featured entertainment during the failed grand opening.

Bugsy Siegel in his 1928 Mugshot.

Bugsy Siegel dead at age 41