Inspiration For Movie 'Casino', Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Dead

Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal was the inspiration behind the movie "Casino" from Nick Pileggi, the author and screenwriter of the movie. On Monday, Rosenthal died in his Miami Beach condo. The cause of death was a heart attack, according to a fire-rescue spokeswoman.

Rosenthal was an expert sports handicapper and that led him to Las Vegas, where he ran the Stardust, Hacienda, Freemont, and Marina casinos. The casinos were owned by Chicago mobsters.

The movie 'Casino' portrayed Rosenthal as an extraordinary sports handicapper, but also showed that many people were out to get him. He never was given a Nevada gaming license, and eventually left the town in the early eighties.

The late seventies and early eighties were the time that Las Vegas began being run by corporations, instead of mobsters. "Lefty's era was the Las Vegas of the bloated Elvis and polyester suits," said History Professor Michael Green, from the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.

Pileggi believes that when Rosenthal was placed in the famous Las Vegas Black Book, it signaled the end of the old Las Vegas. "He's one of the originals. When Lefty went down, the new Las Vegas emerged. The corporate Las Vegas," said Pileggi.

Rosenthal was 79 years old at the time of his death earlier this week.

October 16, 2008
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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