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Aug 2021
26m 12s

The Birth of Vegas | Sunrise on Sin City...

Wondery
About this episode
In 1931, the massive Hoover Dam project brings thousands of workers to Nevada. They have paychecks and nowhere to spend them. The state legalizes gambling, setting a small, dusty town called Las Vegas on its way to becoming an unsurpassed phenomenon. The mob realizes there are untold riches to be made in gaming, and by the late 1940s, gangsters Meyer Lansky ... Show More
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Aug 2021
The Birth of Vegas | The Feds Get Fed Up | 2
<p>Backing from a legitimate Mormon banker creates major funding for the Vegas mob infrastructure. The underworld is coming out on top in Sin City. But there’s a challenger out for blood: the United States government.</p><p>A U.S. senator launches an attack on mob-run gaming, and ... Show More
27m 15s
Aug 2021
The Birth of Vegas | Nevada Doubles Down | 3
<p>The mob faces its biggest threat yet when Nevada governor Grant Sawyer wants control of the state’s top-grossing industry—gambling. The attack includes a strictly-enforced gangster blacklist to keep hoods out of their own casinos. Things get worse when Attorney General Robert ... Show More
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Aug 2021
The Birth of Vegas | Casino Combat | 4
<p>Vegas is getting a bad rap in the press, thanks to the increasing spotlight on the mob’s control. The legitimate powers in the halls of Nevada government need something—or someone--to spread a veneer of respectability over Sin City.</p><p>That someone arrives. He’s one of the ... Show More
27m 20s
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