BONUS EPISODE: Benjamin Siegel and the Opening Night at the "Fabulous" Flamingo, December 26, 1946

This BONUS EPISODE of An Offer You Can't Refuse is part of a Las Vegas miniseries that explores the connections between organized crime and the making of modern Las Vegas. In this episode, Pettengill examines the opening of the "Fabulous" Flamingo Casino. The Flamingo as well as its CEO, Benjamin Siegel, are Vegas institutions. But, as Pettengill notes, there is a lot of folklore and mythology that surround the event. Pettengill points out that the opening - actually a three-night affair - was relatively successful when it comes to underscoring the potential Las Vegas had for the mob. Siegel's downfall, it turns out, was grounded in the fact that he was not an experienced builder and the accompanying hotel was not finished by the time the event took place. Either way, the modern history of Las Vegas cannot be understood without a thorough overview of the opening of Flamingo. Be sure to check out the podcast on social media: https://www.facebook.com/An-Offer-You-Cant-Refuse-with-RS-Pettengill-106984195503985 and https://twitter.com/Consigliere_PhD