Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (no one
ever called him "Bugsy" to his face, especially if they valued their life) was the mobster who bankrolled the construction of the Flamingo (now the Flamingo Hilton). When it first opened in 1946 it didn't get very many customers; the action was a few miles north on Fremont Street downtown. Suspicion by "The Commission" of him pocketing some kickbacks from the construction got his ass whacked in Los Angeles the following year. For close to fifty years there was a rose garden in the Flamingo dedicated to his memory, planted there by persons unknown, but whose influence was derived from a certain organization with the initials M.A.F.I.A. Eventually, it was moved or demolished to make way for expansion.
The original MGM Grand (later Bally's) had adequate sprinkler systems in the hotel tower; the fire codes of the time did not require sprinklers in the casino area because it was considered constantly occupied 24/7. A small fire in a deli that was closed for the evening was left to rage unchecked and unseen until it was too late when it flashed over and engulfed the casino. An electrical problem caused the HVAC exhaust fans to fail. While there were a few casualties from the fire, many of the others died from smoke inhalation. To date, it is the second worst hotel fire in U.S. history.