Lefty Rosenthal, a mob associate, will be inducted into the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame.
One of the initial honorees celebrated by the new Sport Gambling Hall of Fame wouldn't have been able to attend the event if he was still alive.
The inaugural induction ceremony takes place tonight, Friday, Aug. 11, at downtown Las Vegas' Circa Resort and Casino. However, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal was permanently banned from entering any Nevada casino back in 1987.
Rosenthal found himself in Nevada's infamous "Black Book," created in 1967 after the Nevada Legislature decided to bar specific individuals from ever entering any licensed Nevada casinos. Rosenthal, represented by his attorney, future Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, fought his ban in 1990 and won. However, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned that decision in 1991 and reinstated the ban.
Rosenthal passed away from a heart attack in October 2008 in Miami, where he operated a sports betting website.
Reasons for His Induction
Rosenthal was the first to introduce a race and sportsbook within a Las Vegas Strip casino - although fellow inductee Jackie Gaughan preceded him by opening one downtown a year earlier.
When the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame's Twitter account announced Rosenthal's induction in May, it made these arguments:
- "When Frank bets, the betting establishment salutes." - Sports Illustrated
- He blended charisma with exemplary customer service to casino patrons
- Portrayed Robert De Niro in the movie Casino.
Possible Reasons for His Exclusion
Rosenthal managed the Stardust from 1974 to 1978, as well as the Fremont, Marina, and Hacienda Casinos in Las Vegas, without possessing a gaming license. This was because its true owner was the Chicago branch of the mafia. The mob installed Rosenthal due to his role in the illegal skim operation that netted the mob at least $1.6 million - and likely much more.
In the 50s, Rosenthal bought contracts to fix sporting events, leading to multiple sports-bribery indictments. In 1963, he pleaded no contest to bribing a New York University basketball player to shave points. Additionally, he was a prime suspect in multiple business and car bombings in Miami during the 60s, allegedly prompting his move to Las Vegas in 1968.
@clambeaufo questioned Rosenthal's induction on Twitter, saying, "‘Lefty’ Rosenthal? Wasn't he a (whispers ... mafia guy)?"
@TimSullivan714 added, "What, no Arnold Rothstein?" referring to the organized-crime boss reputed to have conspired to fix the 1919 World Series.
The Remaining Nine
The other nine honorees are listed below. It's noteworthy that three of them have spent time in prison, which Rosenthal never had to endure - although this may be merely because, as revealed by Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Jane Ann Morrison shortly after Rosenthal's death, he had been an FBI informant for at least several decades.
Intriguingly, inductees Billy Baxter and Roxy Roxborough both sit on the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame's 16-person voting committee.
Billy Baxter
William E. "Billy" Baxter, Jr. is an American poker pro and sports bettor who has won seven World Series of Poker bracelets and a spot in the Poker Hall of Fame. He is famous for staking Stu Ungar's $10K buy-in for the 1997 WSOP main event, which Ungar won for a record-tying third time. In the 70s, Baxter owned a Georgia casino called the Paisley Club, some of whose table games were illegal. After agreeing to shut it down, he reopened it just for a weekend. This earned him a nine-month prison sentence for felony bookmaking.
Jack Franzi
An influential oddsmaker from 1979 to 1997 at the Barbary Coast and Gold Coast, Franzi (who died in 2019 at 91) served as a frequent advisor to TV analyst Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder.
Jackie Gaughan
Known for owning the El Cortez and residing there until his death in 2014, Gaughan mentored Steve Wynn when he assumed control of the Golden Nugget in 1973. In 1975, Gaughan opened the first race and sportsbook to operate within a casino - at the Union Plaza.
Bob Martin
Regarded as America's top oddsmaker during the 60s through the 80s, Martin (who passed away in 2001 at 81) managed the Churchill Downs Sports Book and the Union Plaza sportsbook. His lines on sporting events were considered the most solid, followed by bookies nationwide. In 1983, Martin was convicted and served 13 months in federal prison on charges of interstate betting.
Charles McNeil
McNeil devised the first handicapping system for tracking college basketball and football, and his odds fueled the expansion of sports wagering across the US in the 1960s. However, he was convicted of four counts of mail fraud and served three and a half years in prison from 1975 to 1978.
Michael "Roxy" Roxborough, a renowned oddsmaker who passed away in 1981 at the age of 77, is credited with promoting the popularity of the point spread. He was also tapped as the personal bookie for mobster Frank Costello. Ed Curd, an oddsmaker, highlighted Roxborough in Dan Moldea's 1989 book, "Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football," as "the greatest handicapper who ever lived."
Roxy Roxborough
From 1982 to 1999, Roxborough ruled the roost as the most influential oddsmaker in America, overseeing the Las Vegas Sports Consultants, an international odds-setting company he created. Moreover, he co-established American Wagering Inc., the first publicly traded US bookmaking firm.
Scott Schettler
Exceptional among his peers, Schettler was trumpeted for booking bets from all corners. In his 2010 memoir, "We Were Wise Guys and Didn't Know It," Schettler describes his experiences working at the Stardust's sportsbook. He also pioneered a lottery at the casino that presented a fair chance to everyone keen on wagering on opening lines.
Jimmy Vaccaro
Notable for being the only bookmaker to accept wagers on Mike Tyson's landmark loss to Buster Douglas in boxing history, Vaccaro's career in Vegas' world of oddsmaking has spanned well over four decades. Vaccaro opened the sportsbook at the Barbary Coast casino for owner Michael Gaughan in 1979. In the '80s, he managed sportsbooks at the MGM and Golden Nugget and helped Steve Wynn launch The Mirage's sportsbook in 1989. Presently, he's reconnected with Gaughan at the South Point.
Billy Walters
Considered one of the most successful sports bettors in history, Walters maintained a winning streak that persisted for three decades. In the '80s, he affiliated with the Computer Group, a team employing computer analysis to forecast sports outcomes. In April 2017, Walters was convicted of insider trading, fined $10 million, and sentenced to prison. He served three out of his five-year term before being moved to home confinement due to COVID-19 and having his remaining sentence commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021.
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Source: www.casino.org
