Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal - Where it all Began

Before Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal came to Las Vegas there were no sports books.  Rosenthal was a sports gambling pioneer who had inside information to just about anything in the sports world.  He learned his trade in the bleachers of Wrigley Field and soon had a reputation as a leading sports bettor and handicapper.  He was arrested several times for illegal gambling and bookmaking which led to his departure to Las Vegas.  He was the first to operate a sports book in a casino and secretly ran the Stardust, Freemont, Marina and Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas.  Rosenthal was eventually denied a gaming license due to his connections to the Chicago Outfit and subsequently forced out of Las Vegas when he was added to the notorious Black Book.  He later ran a sports betting website and was a consultant to offshore sports betting companies.  If you're reading this blog you have probably already seen the blockbuster Martin Scorsese film based on Rosenthal named Casino.  This is a great movie and does a good job capturing the rise and fall of Rosenthal, played by Robert De Niro.