Do the Las Vegas casinos still fund the Italian mafia & related organised crime?

Question

I LOVE CSI: Las Vegas, but are the casinos out there still funding the mafia, organised crime,.. and, ultmately who funds the production of CSI: Las Vegas? Am I unwittingly endorsing indirect funding of the Italian/Sicilan Mafia?

Answer 1

I am not sure if you are kidding ... but assuming that the question is honest ....

Having grown up in Las Vegas (since the early ‘70s), I have witnessed a remarkable change in the way Las Vegas casinos are funded. Interestingly enough, the movie “Casino” with Joe Pesci, Robert DeNiro and Sharon Stone was fairly accurate. Originally, casinos were generally (not in all cases) funded by organized crime. The concept of Las Vegas, with legalized gambling and prostitution, was wonderful for the “Boys” (as mobsters were then known), as it was essentially a city with legalized crime (gambling and prostitution remain criminal activities in most parts of the country to this day). Las Vegas was fiercely protected by the Boys. Until recent times, all of the murders and headline-grabbing atrocities occurred elsewhere (such as New York and Chicago), as the families had an unspoken agreement that no adverse attention would be brought to Vegas (and the profits it brings). They did not want to ruin a good thing.

Enter Steve Wynn in the ‘80s, who came up with a plan to fund a big Vegas Strip hotel on junk bonds. This was a radical departure, and was very risky both financially and physically to Wynn. Nevertheless, his plan succeeded and changed the way hotels are developed in Las Vegas to this day. Today, it is highly unlikely that organized crime controls even a minor stake in any of the large hotels. Corporate conglomerates have taken over, and the landscape has radically changed. The fact that some of the corporations trace their origins to individuals with organized crime affiliation is a topic for another discussion.

Funding for television shows (such as CSI) generally comes from the studio that produces the series. Sometimes, the producer and/or and investment group affiliated with the producer funds the pilot, and has participation in the series. I really do not know which applies to CSI, but organized crime certainly has little to do with it.

So enjoy your television shows without "mafia" guilt. :-)

Answer 2

CSI is a TV show. It is NOT real life by any stretch of the imagination. The only reality is some of the backdrops used in the filming, which sometimes are real Las Vegas settings. Funding comes from advertising, like all televison shows, including the so-called "reality" shows. Those portaying the investigators are *actors*, not cops in real life. Otherwise,, there would be NO unsolved crimes in Las Vegas and it would only take an hour to solve them.

As to the Mafia being financed by the casinos, the official word is "no". In reality however, the answer is "probably", even though the major casinos are publicly held. It is just that the Mafia has become more legitimate in it's dealings, for instance the fact that gambling is legal was based on the Mob, getting it legalized in the first place. If any doubt it, why would they give up such a lucrative, legal business? In short, they wouldn't.

Consider this: a group forces legitimate business and indivduals to fork over a percentage of their income and use threats to acheive their monetary rewards that is divided to the whole organization. Is that the Mafia?
No, it's the IRS. The US government is based on exactly the same tactics and methods as the Mob, ie, force (occasionally to death) to achieve money and power from people who earned it taken by those who don't deserve it but have bigger guns.

Answer 3

as quickly as I heard Billy Graham say there have been greater church homes in Las Vegas than Casinos....Its basically that greater human beings flow to the Casinos then the church homes... although, Las Vegas may well be a intense-high quality place to stay. Who is familiar with of, you're able to get employed to be a Chip Monk!!