Bendzhamen Sgelbaum The gangster whose name is associated with the birth of the gambling world - Las Vegas. Date of Birth: 28.02.1906 Country: USA

Biography of Benjamin Siegel

Benjamin Siegel, also known as Bugsy Siegel, was a gangster closely associated with the birth of the gambling world in Las Vegas. He was born on February 28, 1906, in Brooklyn to a poor family of Russian Jews. From a young age, Siegel formed a gang specializing in organizing illegal gambling and theft.

In the early 1930s, Siegel became a powerful and influential gangster, controlling the trade of alcoholic beverages during the Prohibition era in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. He established connections with mafia bosses, but his criminal exploits paled in comparison to the project he started in the late 1930s.

Siegel dreamed of creating his own casino. His friends and partners already owned several floating casinos located outside the territorial waters of the United States. Siegel decided to choose a small town - Las Vegas. Initially, Siegel did not see any value in Las Vegas, as it was a desert, located far from major cities. However, Las Vegas had one advantage - gambling was officially allowed in Nevada.

Siegel met a businessman from Los Angeles named Billy Wilkerson. Billy had a burning desire to build the most luxurious hotel in the world, while Siegel dreamed of creating an oasis between the western and eastern coasts where people could play casino games, live in luxurious apartments, and enjoy unimaginable entertainment. Together, they embarked on realizing their plans, naming the project "The Flamingo."

Siegel convinced the mafia bosses to invest money in this project. The initial plan was to spend 1 million dollars, but the expenses kept increasing. In December 1946, a year had passed since the project started, but it not only failed to bring in money but also demanded ever-increasing investments. The gangsters became extremely concerned when the investment reached 6 million dollars. At a meeting of mafia bosses held in Cuba, the key topic of discussion was the problems in Las Vegas. Siegel miraculously managed to survive, thanks to his longtime friend Lansky, who assured those present that "The Flamingo" would definitely open on Christmas.

"The Flamingo" did open, but it was a failure. By that time, Siegel had only managed to construct the casino, and the hotel was not yet ready, leaving guests with nowhere to stay. The bosses were furious, and Siegel's life hung by a thread. Once again, Lansky came to his aid, convincing the bosses to wait a little longer at the cost of tremendous efforts.

Siegel closed the casino and focused all his efforts on building the hotel. In March 1947, "The Flamingo" reopened, now as a fully-fledged entertainment complex and one of the largest in the world (the hotel had 3,500 rooms). Siegel's dream came true, and in just the first half of 1947, "The Flamingo" earned $250,000.

On the evening of June 20, 1947, 42-year-old Benjamin Siegel was killed in his own home. The masterminds behind his murder have never been identified. None of his "friends" attended Siegel's funeral. For many years, "The Flamingo" was indeed the best and largest entertainment complex not only in Las Vegas but perhaps in the world. In the 1980s, the Hilton Corporation demolished the old "Flamingo" to build a new one in its place.