Mob In Las Vegas Today

Video compliments of the Travel Channel

Walking the streets of Las Vegas, it's easy to forget that this town was built with mob money and mob motivations. But though some shady character helped make and controlled this town for decades, Sin City is no longer a hot spot for mob activity.

Organized crime was driven out during the 1970s and 1980s by the one-two punch of crackdowns (from the FBI and local police) and changes in real estate laws. The mob's defeat began when eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes snapped up a slew of casinos in the late 1960s, first moving from top-floor penthouse to top-floor penthouse before settling on the Desert Inn. But when profits failed to roll in as he'd hoped, he pushed to have local laws changed, allowing corporations to own casinos in Las Vegas. Those mobsters that weren't included in the first wave of casino buyouts were included in the second wave in the early 1970s.

But with the mob driven out, Las Vegas was in need of some sprucing. American casino and real estate developer Steve Wynn took that challenge head-on in the 1990s, when he spearheaded a dramatic expansion of Sin City, as well as its resurgence. (His company now owns the Mirage, the Golden Nugget, Treasure Island, Bellagio and, of course, the Wynn.)

But just because the mob was long ago whisked away doesn't mean you can't relive a bit of its bloody past. If you want a good laugh in while reveling in the mob vibe, head to The Soprano's Last Supper (www.rivierahotel.com/entertainment_last_supper.asp) at the Riviera. Inspired by the hit TV show The Sopranos, the dinner theater combines plenty of spaghetti with an energetic, interactive show featuring fictional crime boss Tony Soprano. Recently indicted, he's been hiding out in Las Vegas under the name Tony Baritone—and you've been invited to the going-away party. Cast members mix and mingle with guests, for 90 minutes of singing, dancing and hearty Italian food.

Less laughter-inducing, but just as popular, is the Vegas Mob Tour (www.vegasmobtour.com), based at the Greek Isles Hotel & Casino. Guides sporting pinstriped suits and fedoras lead bussed-in groups around Vegas, pointing out historic sights like the Flamingo Hotel, opened by Bugsy Siegel in 1946, as well as more modern mob spots, like where the 1995 Martin Scorsese film Casino was filmed, and the spot on which Tupac Shakur was gunned down in 1996. And while some of the spots may not scream "mafia," the guides have been known to induce a few spine tingles, with their extensive knowledge of the history and liberal use of gory details.

And though it's not slated to open until 2010, a mob museum is currently in the works for Last Vegas. Curated by a former FBI agent and several historians, the project has already attracted architect Dennis Barrie, who designed D.C.'s International Spy Museum and Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Thought Vegas' present-day mob scene was boring? Fuggedaboutit—it's alive and kicking.