Beyond The Mafia: Italian Americans And The Development Of Las Vegas (Wilbur S. Shepperson Series in History and Humanities)

197 Pages·2006·7.67 MB·English

by  Alan Balboni

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K Y M C
Beyond the Mafia
Wilbur S. Shepperson Series
in History and Humanities
ALAN BALBONI
Beyond the Mafia
Italian Americans and the
Development of Las Vegas
--
FOREWORD BY JEROME E. EDWARDS
A,!
University of Nevada Press Reno Las Vegas London
Wilbur S. Shepperso~Si eries in History Library of Co~igress
and Humanities Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Series Editor: Jero~ncE . Edwards Balboni, Alan Richard
Uliiversity of Ncvada Prcss, Beyond thc Mafia : Italian Alncricalis
Rcno, Ncvada 89557 USA and the dcvelop~nelito f Las Vcgas 1 Alan
Copyright O 1996 by Balboni ; foreword by Jerome E. Edwards.
University of Ncvada Prcss p. cin. - (Wilbur S. Shepperson series
New inaterial copyright O 2006 in history and huinanities ; no. 37)
by University of Nevada Prcss I~icludcsb ibliographical rcfcrclices
and index.
All rights reserved ISBN 0-87417-240-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
Manufactured in the United Statcs ISBN lO. 0-87417-681-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
of America ISBN 10: 978-0-87417-681-0 (pbk. : alk. papcr)
1. Italian American-Nevada-Las Vcgas-
History. 2. Las Vegas (Nev.)-History.
I. Title. 11. Series.
F849.L3SB34 1996 95-51534
979.0'1030045l-dc20
CIP
The paper used in this book meets the require- This first edition pnperbnck book has been
rnents of Ainerican National Standard for reproduced ns n digital reprint.
I~iforinatioiiS ciences-Perrna~ieiice of Paper for University of Ncvada Prcss
Printed Library Materials, ANSI 2.48-1984. Paperback Edition, 2006
Binding ~natcrialsw ere selected for strength 15 14 10 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
and durability. 5 4 0 2 1
This book is dedicated to the memory
of my maternal grandfather,
John Scanga

Contents
Foreword by Jerome E. Edwards ix
Preface: The Interviewing Process xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction xvii
Chapter One
The Early Years: From Laborers to Successful Entrepreneurs
Chapter Two
The Rapid Growth Years: Italian Americans Come to Las Vegas
Chapter Three
The Corporate Era: Italian Americans Prosper
Chapter Four
Italian American Organizations: Preservering Ethnic Heritage
in a Time of Assimilation
Chapter Five
Conclusion: The Immigrant Upraised
Afterword
List of Interviewees
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Foreword
LasVegas is the largest city in the United States founded in the twentieth century.
For a quarter century after 1905, it remained a sleepy railroad town. But begin-
ning with the construction of Boulder Dam and continuing with the economic
opportunities provided by World War 11, and especially by the existence of legal-
ized gambling, its growth was striking-rising from 5,165 people in 1930 to 127,016
in the metropolitan area in 1960, to approximately a million in 1995. At the same
time LasVegas gave a flamboyant new culture to the American scene.
Within this context, Professor Alan Balboni of the Community College of South-
ern Nevada narrates the story of Italian assimilation.The spectacular, late growth
of LasVegas certainly affected the nature of this assimilation. Since the high tide
of Italian immigration to the United States had occurred many years before the
gambling mecca's rise, immigrants did not arrive in LasVegas directly from Italy;
they had already gone through some process of assimilation.Then, too, with such
instantaneous growth and the new housing splattered all over the landscape,
there could not develop any Italian neighborhoods to conserve traditional values.
As Balboni reminds us, LasVegas was an exceptionally open and mobile society,
and Italian Americans were important to its growth. Their assimilation was
rapid.
Particularly interesting is Balboni's demonstration of the indispensable Italian
contribution to the development of gambling in Nevada in the 1950s and 1960s
whenUTheB oysT'(hisp referred term for the Mafia or Mob) held sway. The Mob
provided much-needed construction and investment money for the capital-starved
gambling industry and expertise in running its casinos.
The Jews and Italians who made up"The Boys"were able to develop the bur-
geoning gaming industry to the point where it eventually became a significant
influence on the American scene. In turn, gambling rewarded Italian Americans
in LasVegas with quick upward mobility and hastened their assimilation into the
wider American culture.
At the heart of the book are Balboni's interviews with well over 150 Italian
Americans in the community conducted since 1988. Most of these individuals
have had successful careers, and many were important to the history of Las Ve-
gas. Their story is a positive one; their lives were filled with hard work, and they
contributed much to their city. Balboni relates their experience with sympathy