WI: Mob chooses different locations for their Vegas?

So, what if instead of building their new Havana in Vegas, the mob chose a different city for their Sin Capital?

Would New Orleans work?

Alternatively, what are some other places you think they might consider and what are the impacts of this?
 
I've always liked the idea of putting a Vegas-equivalent in one of Nevada's barely surviving former boomtowns like Goldfield or Virginia City. Not sure how plausible it is though.
 
The Mob would start in a state that allows gambling.

Then they chose an existing town with road, rail, air and maybe shipping connections. Railways are the least expensive way for the masses to reach casinos. Coastlines allow 'dirty money' drugs, prostitutes and wealthy gamblers to quietly sneak in aboard ships .... even from another country. Air offers most of the advantages of sea, plus the ability to cross borders without talking with pesky border guards.

Ideally that town is little more than a ghost town with property values approaching zero.
 
Galveston TX ? Once the richest city in Texas, then wiped out by the 1900 hurricane, and by the Depression survived on beach tourism plus (illegal liquor/gambling/prostitution).

Has rail and highway connections, a small airfield, and a port for cruise ships, so even if the Texas Rangers or the Feds crack down, you can take the sinning out into international waters.
 
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I think riggerrob has the right idea: start with legal gambling, since that makes entry that much easier. At the time, I believe Nevada was the only state with legal gambling and casinos (slots were available in a number of other locations but that's small potatoes). Seems to me that would outweigh any geographic disadvantages (although if somehow New Orleans could get legalized gambling, look out below: combine that with the free-wheeling attitudes already in place and the transportation options, the Big Easy could make present-day Las Vegas look small time).
 

Zachariah

Banned
How about Miami? It was Las Vegas' closest rival, and during the Great Depression, the State of Florida also took steps to try and legalize gambling, though they didn't go nearly as far as Nevada did. If Florida does legalize gambling to the same extent that Nevada does, then Miami probably wins out over Las Vegas.
 
Galveston TX ? Once the richest city in Texas, then wiped out by the 1900 hurricane, and by the Depression survived on beach tourism plus (illegal liquor/gambling/prostitution).

Has rail and highway connections, a small airfield, and a port for cruise ships, so even if the Texas Rangers or the Feds crack down, you can take the sinning out into international waters.


The time frame for Vegas already covers the Open Era in Galveston. If outside mobsters like Siegel wanted to muscle in on the Macero family business, it might make an interesting story. I suspect they'd want an easier target though.
 
Looking at the history again, I'd forgotten that the Macero brothers both passed in the early 50s. One might could do an interesting bit with that in mind.
 
Like Los Angeles and the movie business, Las Vegas is practically the best place for the mob to locate their gambling empires.
First it was legal to have casinos in Nevada.
Second with Hoover Dam and Lake Mead nearby, you have access to cheap electricity and water.
Third with the growth of the Interstate Highway System it put Las Vegas only a few hours away from Southern California that allowed for weekend getaways.
Fourth the advent of jet aircraft also allowed anybody who wanted to go to Las Vegas to just hop on a plane and be there in a few hours for the weekend.
Fifth once again the proximity to Southern California allowed entertainers to perform on the weekends and be back at their regular gigs on Monday.
Sixth there was lots and lots of cheap land to build on.
 
Like Los Angeles and the movie business, Las Vegas is practically the best place for the mob to locate their gambling empires.
First it was legal to have casinos in Nevada.
Second with Hoover Dam and Lake Mead nearby, you have access to cheap electricity and water.
Third with the growth of the Interstate Highway System it put Las Vegas only a few hours away from Southern California that allowed for weekend getaways.
Fourth the advent of jet aircraft also allowed anybody who wanted to go to Las Vegas to just hop on a plane and be there in a few hours for the weekend.
Fifth once again the proximity to Southern California allowed entertainers to perform on the weekends and be back at their regular gigs on Monday.
Sixth there was lots and lots of cheap land to build on.

This. Remember, too, that not only was land cheap, it was open and buildable. When the first Strip hotels went up, there was nothing around except the airport to the south. Far easier, then, to build what you want without having to worry about such things as zoning and existing buildings. Land was wide open and dirt-cheap and thus perfect for building large resort complexes on. And with the advent of air conditioning and cheap electric power, the hot summer climate was not an impediment. There was also little exposure to natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes and severe storms. It was about as perfect a place as one can imagine for the purpose intended.
 
I've always liked the idea of putting a Vegas-equivalent in one of Nevada's barely surviving former boomtowns like Goldfield or Virginia City. Not sure how plausible it is though.
What about Reno?
Gangsters had already established a foothold there and it was “the divorce capital”. They could branch out to control ski lodges as well. The mob could diversify it’s business outside of just gambling and prostitution. They take a cut of all the shipping of food and other supplies in the area. You need beer for your ski lodge? A mob-run distributor sells it to you. They could also take over Virginia City cashing in on the popularity of westerns in the movies and television. People take the kids to see an authentic western town. The Mob takes a cut of every coke and hamburger sold. Hollywood wants to film a western there? The mob supplies all the on-location infrastructure.
The only problem I see with Reno is the weather. A snow storm wipes out your business.
 
The way to get a different or no Las Vegas is to prevent the state of Nevada, which is not actually that difficult. Clark County remains part of Arizona, which does not legalize gambling. The cow counties go to Utah, with the Tahoe area going probably to Utah but maybe to California, again no legalized gambling.

Las Vegas is really the only non-Chinese city of its type (the Chinese like gambling) and the closest equivalents, Monaco and Sun City, where also built in geographical legal loopholes.

There two main alternatives for a sin city for Americans, and both towards the Southeast. The first is that the state of Florida legalizes gambling, at least in south Florida, in a bid to drive up real estate prices in Florida, which is pretty consistent with OTL Florida history. So Miami or some other south Florida site is the main alternative within the US. The second is that the British allow the operation to move to one of their Caribbean islands, the same way the Cayman Islands are an offshore tax haven, though it should be noted that the existence of the Cayman Islands benefits alot of British aristocratic families (for what it is worth, there are gambling casinos in London).
 
Those advocating Miami in particular / southern FL in general seem to be overlooking one thing: weather. In Las Vegas, it's fairly consistent; i.e., hot and dry, but typically without upheavals. Florida locations are, of course, susceptible to tropical storms of varying magnitudes. That means the entire operation is susceptible to getting curtailed or shut down entirely by the weather for weeks if not months at a time should a tropical system hit and cause a typical amount of damage. And no, it's not just to buildings; it's the infrastructure. Start with the water supply: flooding contaminates potable water supplies, which isn't exactly the best for tourism. Transportation is disrupted to a major extent also.

Thus, if you're going for some place on the Gulf Coast, New Orleans may be the best of a not-so-good lot. OK, when a hurricane hits, it's a zinger, but it's less likely than southern FL.
 
I'll be the odd man out here and vote for Newport Kentucky. Serious opposition from religious organisations, however Newport was quite the lively den of sin in its day despite that opposition. Enough palm greasing and it might be possible IMO.
 
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