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

7.1 Bugsy Siegel (Benjamin Siegel)

Historical — Mob Era

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (1906-1947) was a 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 — the first luxury resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel’s management of the Flamingo was disastrous: construction costs ballooned from $1 million to $6 million, his girlfriend Virginia Hill skimmed funds, and the opening was plagued by problems. On June 20, 1947, Siegel was assassinated in Beverly Hills on the orders of his mob partners.

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 — 1,157 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.