Part V: Regional & Cultural · Casino Slang & Historical Terms

Bugsy Siegel (Benjamin Siegel)

Historical — Mob EraREPORTED

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (1906-1947) was an American mobster who played a pivotal role in the development of Las Vegas. Siegel, representing East Coast mob interests (Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky), oversaw the construction and opening of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino on December 26, 1946: one of the first resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and the first built as a luxury resort. Siegel’s management of the Flamingo was disastrous: construction costs ballooned from $1 million to $6 million, his girlfriend Virginia Hill was suspected of skimming funds, and the opening was plagued by problems. On June 20, 1947, Siegel was shot dead at a house in Beverly Hills; the killing was never solved and is widely attributed to his mob associates.

In practice

Despite his failures as a manager, Siegel’s vision of a luxury resort casino in the desert transformed Las Vegas from a gambling outpost into a world-class destination. The term “Bugsy” was reportedly a nickname he hated, derived from “crazy as a bedbug.”

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary, 1,090 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.