Frank lefty rosenthal

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Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who has died of a heart attack aged 79, was a Las Vegas legend, a pioneer who brought sports bookmaking into US casinos as a legitimate business, at least by Vegas standards, who introduced female blackjack dealers and immediately doubled business at the tables, and who was the inspiration for the "Ace Rothstein" character played by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's film Casino. But his greatest achievement may have been simply surviving into old age. Rosenthal owed that good fortune partly to his instincts and partly to a design flaw in the Cadillac Eldorado. On October 4 , a bomb exploded in his car as Rosenthal left Tony Roma's Las Vegas steakhouse with a bag of spare ribs for his children. Only a metal plate placed under the driver's seat to correct the car's imbalance saved his life. He soon took his children and left Las Vegas, first for California and then to Florida, where he managed his nephew's bar and grill and, later, ran a profitable internet betting site.

Frank lefty rosenthal

In , Martin Scorcese released a film called Casino. It was about a man from Chicago who runs a casino for the Chicago Outfit, also known as the Italian mob, in Las Vegas. Frank Rosenthal was born in Chicago in and learned about gambling from a young age. He attended the horse racing track with his father. He quickly learned the best gambling tricks. Soon, he branched out into other sports. His ability to set the odds perfectly for the house made him a useful handicapper for the Chicago Outfit, whom he began working for in the mids. Soon though, Rosenthal was beginning to get in trouble for fixing games. In , he was issued a subpoena and appeared before a Congressional committee to address accusations of fixing odds. Rosenthal invoked the Fifth Amendment over 30 times during the hearing, including when asked if he was left-handed. Although he was never charged with anything during the Congressional hearing, Rosenthal was indicted in on charges of paying off a North Carolina basketball player. In the next few years, Rosenthal would attract more attention. He was suspected of being involved with multiple mob-related activities such as car bombings in Miami. Therefore, he decided to move again to avoid the heat. In , Rosenthal moved to Las Vegas, a logical place for someone with his gambling skills.

Las Vegas Review-Journal Archive Spilotro had a falling out with Rosenthal a few years earlier over Spilotro frank lefty rosenthal money from the mob profits and his indictment by authorities. He is survived by Steven and Stephanie, the children of his marriage to McGee.

Frank Lawrence Rosenthal June 12, — October 13, , also known as " Lefty " Rosenthal , was an American professional sports gambler, Las Vegas casino executive, and organized crime associate. Rosenthal, who was once called "the greatest living expert on sports gambling" by Sports Illustrated , is credited with bringing increased exposure to sports betting to Las Vegas in the s. As a youth, he learned sports betting in the bleachers of Wrigley Field and would often skip classes to attend Chicago sporting events. By the mids, Rosenthal was working with the Chicago Outfit. Chosen for his expert odds-making ability, he ran the biggest illegal bookmaking office in the United States on behalf of the Mafia —specifically, the Outfit. Based in Cicero, Illinois , under the guise of a home improvement company, Rosenthal and the Outfit bought "contracts" to fix sporting events. By , Rosenthal had acquired a national reputation as a sports bettor, oddsmaker, and handicapper , and in Miami he was frequently seen in the company of prominent Outfit members Jackie Cerone and Fiore Buccieri.

In September , during an argument with her husband, Geri Rosenthal waved a gun around outside their house in the gated Las Vegas County Club Estates. The weapon was a chrome-plated,. Nancy Spilotro, the wife of mobster Tony Spilotro, had arrived in a blue Oldsmobile with Utah license plates. Nancy Spilotro ended up wrestling her friend Geri Rosenthal to the ground and, with police officers helping, retrieved the handgun. A version of the driveway incident is dramatized in the movie Casino , which Pileggi co-wrote with director Martin Scorsese. As a defense attorney, Goodman represented several figures from the Casino era, including Rosenthal and Spilotro. The people involved in that gun-waving incident would become known to a wide audience when the book and movie came out. Pileggi used the real names in the book, but the names were changed in the movie for legal reasons.

Frank lefty rosenthal

It was just about perfect. I imagined Rosenthal, a man possessed of a positively gigantic ego, almost allowing himself to be impressed. In other words, almost all the stuff that made his crazy life worth writing about was off-limits. Details of his death were sketchy, but a variety of sources said Rosenthal died of an apparent heart attack and was found at home by his daughter, Stephanie. Independent sources confirmed Rosenthal had placed his last wager and set his final line. Frank Rosenthal is one of those exceptions. He was an awful human being.

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As an informant, he could lead his life of betting luxury but remain out of jail and in the safety of the federal government. Collections Search Images, oral histories, newspapers, etc. Lefty Rosenthal was a complicated man, who left an even more complicated legacy, but he undeniably reshaped the face of Las Vegas forever. This article is more than 15 years old. Supporters Give Online » Because we are no longer actively fundraising for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project, we are directing all related donations to our Oral History Research Center for the pursuit of other meaningful oral history projects. He focused on raising his children, who were both accomplished youth swimmers. October 13, aged 79 Miami Beach , Florida , U. Goodman and Rosenthal lost, however, in the Nevada Supreme Court in , and Rosenthal's ban was reinstated. In , Martin Scorcese released a film called Casino. This was a simple yet effective change that kept gamblers at the tables. Article Talk. Redd, Wyatt. Rosenthal married Geri McGee on May 4,

Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal — sports handicapper extraordinaire, Las Vegas gaming executive and the inspiration for the blockbuster movie "Casino" — died Monday. He was

This has been corrected. Whoever planted the bomb and attempted to kill Rosenthal is still unknown. In , Martin Scorcese released a film called Casino. Las Vegas Review-Journal Archive Spilotro had a falling out with Rosenthal a few years earlier over Spilotro skimming money from the mob profits and his indictment by authorities. A big promoter of sports gambling, Rosenthal secretly ran the Stardust , Fremont , Marina , and Hacienda casinos when they were controlled by the Chicago Outfit. I raped the strip's casinos. A month later, McGee was found dead in a Los Angeles motel, of an overdose of alcohol and drugs. Minutes later, the car was being blown a few feet in the air as the gas tank caught fire. They were angry at Rosenthal for attracting federal attention to the casino operations. Myram Borders , who heard the explosion, said that after exiting the car Rosenthal shouted "They're trying to kill me, they're trying to kill me! Rosenthal, who was once called "the greatest living expert on sports gambling" by Sports Illustrated , is credited with bringing increased exposure to sports betting to Las Vegas in the s. One night in , as Rosenthal entered his car after dinner in Las Vegas, he noticed flames. Rosenthal later moved from Laguna Niguel to Boca Raton, Florida , where he ran a sports bar called "Croc's", and finally to Miami Beach , where he ran a sports betting website and worked as a consultant for several offshore sports betting companies. Marmor, from a previous marriage with ex-husband Lenny Marmor.