Old School G: Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal Rest in Peace
Old School G: Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal Rest in Peace
Bookmaker and former casino boss Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal died in Florida on Monday at age 79, according to family members and a source at his high-rise condominium complex in Miami Beach, Fla.
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Rosenthal was a minor celebrity confined to the world of gambling, organized crime and Las Vegas society until the 1995 movie “Casino,” which was based on his life story, propelled him to a much higher level of fame — and notoriety.
Rosenthal’s passing marks the close of yet another chapter in the transformation of Las Vegas from a gambling destination of ill-repute to a global destination celebrated by everyday tourists, politicians and corporate leaders who invest billions of dollars in resorts.
“He was the innovator and creator of what we know today as the race and sports book in Las Vegas with all the modern accoutrements,” said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former attorney who represented Rosenthal in high-profile scrapes with Nevada regulators, including now-Sen. Harry Reid. “He was an uncanny bettor and won a lot more than he lost.”
The 1995 movie, “Casino,” directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Robert DeNiro as a Sam “Ace” Rothstein, was essentially an idealized version of Rosenthal and boosted Rosenthal’s fame later in life.
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He also maintained a Web site that offered gambling “tips and tricks.”
On Tuesday, Goodman said there was a side to Rosenthal that was largely unknown to moviegoers, gambling regulators and business associates.
“What I saw through representing him since 1972 until I was elected a mayor was a different side, a loyal friend and a loving parent who doted over his kids,” Goodman said.
Rosenthal himself told the Sun-Sentinel his Las Vegas story was poorly told, especially by those in law enforcement.
“Rumors and bull(expletive),” he told the paper. “That’s the No. 1 industry in Nevada.”
Here’s a sample of reactions from locals who knew Rosenthal at the height of his power.
“It’s been said you should never speak ill of the dead,” one former federal organized crime prosecutor said. “There are exceptions to the rule. Frank Rosenthal is one of those exceptions. He was an awful human being.”
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Upon hearing the rumors of Rosenthal’s demise, a longtime Spilotro friend said, “I hope it’s true.”
To settle such disputes, I like to turn to the irrepressible gambler Lem Banker, who knew Rosenthal well and respected his handicapping knowledge — as well as his game-fixing skill.
“He was an egomaniac,” Banker said. “But he was a smart sonofabitch .”
Right on both accounts. Rosenthal arrived in Las Vegas from Chicago via Florida in the early 1970s and handicapped out of the Rose Bowl sports book, where the action was surpassed only by the Runyonesque characters. Marty Kane and Joey Boston worked for Rosenthal and became two of the most successful sports bettors.
After “Casino,” you’d think Lefty’s ego would have finally been sated. Hardly.
Even 10 years after his inclusion on the “List of Excluded Persons,” Rosenthal audaciously told me, “You couldn’t put out a newspaper without Frank Rosenthal.” What he lacked in stature in the new Las Vegas Rosenthal more than made up for in unabashed self-confidence.
He would ask, “Who ‘invented’ the modern sports book?” Frank Rosenthal, of course. Who brought vision and innovation to the casino industry? Mr. Frank Rosenthal!
All true. But who fixed ballgames and cheated bookmakers from coast to coast? The right-handed guy nicknamed Lefty.
Who could justify a life underwritten by the Chicago Outfit and argue with a straight face that he wasn’t associated with gangsters?
Only Frank Rosenthal.
You remember him.
He was in all the papers.
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Frank’s take on The Miami Herald Article
Back in the 1970s, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal ordered his security crew to crush the right hand of a card cheat he caught at the now-defunct Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas — just as Robert DeNiro did in Casino, the 1995 film based on Rosenthal’s life.
“NOW-DEFUNCT” – THAT’S NEWS TO ME, AND THE STARDUST. THE RIGHT HAND CRUSH. THEY (THE BANDITO’S) GOT LUCKY. SO DID WE. HAD HE AND HIS GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL THIEF’S BEEN LESS GREEDY (THEY WERE UP 50K AND COULD HAVE CASHED IN) AND MORE SELECTIVE, THEY COULD HAVE “MILKED” US ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. THEY WERE LOOKING TO TURN OUR LIGHTS OFF, AND THAT, PLUS A BIT OF LUCK FROM OUR SIDE WAS THEIR DOWNFALL. ADDITIONALLY, THEY WERE MEMBERS OF A VERY SOPHISTICATED GANG THAT PREYED ON WEAK DEALERS, AND CLUELESS MANAGEMENT. HAD THEY BEEN ORDINARY SUCKERS LOOKING FOR AN ADVANTAGE, WE WOULD HAVE SIMPLY GIVEN THEM A WARNING NOTICE, AND AN 86. “ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR.”
“He was part of a crew of professional card cheats, and calling the cops would do nothing to stop them, so we used a rubber mallet — metal hammers leave marks, you know — and he became a lefty,” Rosenthal admitted to The Herald last week while dining at the Blue Point Ocean Grill restaurant adjacent to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. “I didn’t care if they tried to scam other houses, I just wanted to make it clear that they couldn’t do it at mine.”
THE MESSAGE THAT WE WERE SENDING WAS, DON’T COME BACK, AND CRIME DOESN’T PAY.
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The Rest is Up to You…
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http://www.thegmanifesto.com
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16/10/2008 at 4:52 pm Permalink
The town will never be the same. After the Starduust, the big corporations took it all over. Today it looks like Disneyland. And while the kids play cardboard pirates, Mommy and Daddy drop the house payments and Junior’s college money on the poker slots. In the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played. Today, it’s like checkin’ into an airport. And if you order room service, you’re lucky if you get it by Thursday. Today, it’s all gone. You get a whale show up with four million in a suitcase, and some twenty-five-year-old hotel school kid is gonna want his Social Security Number. After the Teamsters got knocked out of the box, the corporations tore down practically every one of the old casinos. And where did the money come from to rebuild the pyramids? Junk bonds. But in the end, I wound up right back where I started. I could still pick winners, and I could still make money for all kinds of people back home. And why mess up a good thing?
RIP LEFTY
16/10/2008 at 5:02 pm Permalink
not to detract, but who’s the babe pictured? One of the most beautiful I’ve seen, I’d love to have a poster of her on my wall.
16/10/2008 at 8:02 pm Permalink
Chris R,
You hit Ace’s rolled up with kings on that.
– MPM
16/10/2008 at 8:03 pm Permalink
basilransom,
monica bellucci. Italian Bellisima.
– MPM
25/10/2009 at 12:15 am Permalink
The days of dress for dinner and a crime free visit in Vegas died in the desert in 1979.
RIP Lefty.
CH
04/09/2012 at 1:28 pm Permalink
Miss the old days dressibg up for the shows
seeing the Chaiman and guys
the GOOD times
say hi to Frank Lefty R I P