View a FREE sample

Prologue - Pirates in the Desert

• On October 27, 1993, more than 200,000 spectators crowded the Las Vegas Strip to watch the immolation of the famous Dunes Hotel and Casino.

• Las Vegas was attempting to re-brand itself as a more family-oriented destination as opposed to the infamous Mafia-run city of debauchery and sin.

• The destruction of the Dunes would make way for a new hotel called Treasure Island which would be located next to The Mirage Hotel.
• The destruction of the Dunes and the building of Treasure Island marked the official entry of Steve Wynn into the Las Vegas casino industry.

• Of all the landmarks in Las Vegas, the Dunes seemed to be the most representative of the presence of organized crime.

• Included in the evening's destruction filled with pyrotechnics, Wynn had also organized filming of the event to be included in an infomercial entitled "Treasure Island, The Adventure Begins."

•
• The...

(read more Chapter Abstracts)

This section contains 1,971 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample