The bright lights of Las Vegas and its entertainment-related attractions make it one of the biggest tourist spots in America. People come from all across the nation to visit Las Vegas, and Las Vegas casinos make up one of the main attractions of the city. A lot of people go there to relax and have fun and maybe even make some money if they are lucky. However, many people are probably not aware of the city's shady past. Some people who are aware of the history of the city actually refer to the area as the "original gangster's paradise". This is because of its connection with the Mafia.

The aftermath of the Second World War is when it all began. This is when the Mafia began to realize the moneymaking potential of Las Vegas, even though gambling had been legal in Nevada since the 1930s. They are the ones who made the early casino businesses a success, making millions of dollars in gambling profits. They were the ones who funded most of the large casinos at the time. These casinos had even been managed under Mafia members such as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Meyer Lansky, and others. The millions of dollars they made had through gambling profits from Las Vegas casinos had been legitimate.

However, they also had an illegal financial operation going on called "the skim," making them millions of more dollars in profits. Skimming involved taking money from the counting rooms of Las Vegas casinos before they could be taxed. Since there was no record of this money, the Mafia was able to spend all of it without having anyone to answer to. Several of the most successful and famous casinos in Las Vegas now had been funded by the Mafia. Caesar's Palace was actually built with money supplied by the Mobster president, Jimmy Hoffa, which he had skimmed from his workers' pension funds.