Want to feel closer than ever to the past casino mob scene? Now you can. If you sport Lefty Rosenthal’s gold watch, you will definitely have the edge on other gamblers.
The subject of the film, Casino, Frank Lawrence “Lefty” Rosenthal was the infamous sports bettor and Las Vegas casino executive alleged to have had ties with the mob. During the old Vegas heyday, Rosenthal secretly ran the Stardust, Fremont, Marina and Hacienda when they were controlled by the mob.
If you enjoy sports betting, then you have Rosenthal to thank for that – since he’s the guy who created the first sports book that operated from within a casino, making the Stardust the world’s top sports betting hub. Rosenthal was also the first to allow female blackjack dealers, which in one year doubled the Stardust’s income. Rosenthal famously survived an assassination attempt in 1982 when his car was rigged with explosives. Rosenthal’s survival came courtesy of his 1981 Cadillac Eldorado, which had a metal plate under the driver’s seat that absorbed most of the force of the explosion.
The likely suspect for the attempt on Rosenthal’s life was Mob Boss Frank Balistrieri, known as the “Mad Bomber” who was overheard on wire tap blaming Rosenthal for the legal problems the mob controlled casinos were having. Want to wear the watch of a guy who almost blew up? The watch started at $1 and the current bid is up to $4,200.





