when did the mafia lose control of las vegas
History of Las Vegas The "Mafia/Rat Pack" Las Vegas of the mid-20th century came to a gradual end in the 1980s with the aging out of the World War II generation, the decline of organized crime elements, and the rise of baby boomer entrepreneurs who began a new chapter in the city's history, the so-called megaresort era. Las Vegas began to become a more commercialized, family-oriented place with large corporations coming to own the hotels, casinos, and nightclubs in place of Mafia bosses. The megaresort era kicked off in 1989 with the construction of The Mirage. Built by developer Steve Wynn, it was the first resort built with money from Wall Street, selling $630 million in junk bonds. Its 3,044 rooms, each with gold tinted windows, set a new standard for Vegas luxury and attracted tourists in droves, leading to additional financing and rapid growth on the Las Vegas Strip. Numerous landmark hotels and other structures were razed to make way for ever-larger and more opulent resorts including:
Mark E. Brown The company R&R Partners, is best known for creating the advertising campaign slogan "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" for the City of Las Vegas.[2][3] Its "What happens here" slogan is not new, see What happens on tour, stays on tour, yet the campaign brought Las Vegas a record-breaking 37.4 million visitors in 2004. Since then the phrase has been used by many celebrities. Gambling fan Ben Affleck used it on Saturday Night Live. Billy Crystal used it to close the 2004 Oscars. It has been a clue on Wheel of Fortune. In 2004 on The Tonight Show when Jay Leno asked Laura Bush whether she had gambled or had seen a Chippendales show while visiting the Las Vegas Strip, the then First Lady got a big hand by replying, "Jay, what happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas."[6] In later years the phrase was used as the title for a 2008 movie 'What Happens in Vegas' starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. It has also been used in the 2009 blockbuster hit The Hangover.