The man behind “The Strip” in Las Vegas

The first casino built on dusty Highway 91 which connected Los Angeles and Las Vegas was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931

Did Benjamin Seigel Start Vegas Or Was It, Guy McAfee?

Who first referenced Las Vegas Blvd as ”The Strip?”

Believe it or not, the strip in Las Vegas has a name, Las Vegas Boulevard. When it comes to how “The Strip” was built and eventually given the nickname there’s a twist. After doing a little research here is who I found was responsible for them both.

How does the history of the Las Vegas Strip relate to fantasy football? In order to know where we’re headed next February we must first know where we came from. What initially started out as one state in the USA that legalized sports betting has now turned into over thirty.

Guy McAfee breaks ground on the 91 Club in Las Vegas. He was a law enforcement officer and a businessman.

Let us not forget to thank the late Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal who created the first sports book in 1976 at the Stardust casino in Nevada. In those thirty legal states, football fans can now bet on the “Big Game” on their phones.

But what if I told you Las Vegas Boulevard got its nickname from a crooked cop? One who traveled back and forth on it so often his influence helped it latch on with other influential visitors. His name was Guy McAfee.

He began his career as a firefighter in California before moving on to become head of the vice squad of the Los Angeles Police Department, where he became known as the “Al Capone of L.A.” ~ Las Vegas Advisor

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (February 28, 1906 — June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was influential within the Jewish Mob, along with his childhood friend and fellow gangster Meyer Lansky, and he also held significant influence within the Italian-American Mafia and the largely Italian-Jewish National Crime Syndicate. Described as handsome and charismatic, he became one of the first front-page celebrity gangsters.

The Other Side of The Law

This NFL season I’m using the 1995 movie Casino as a theme for “The Count Room” fantasy football publication on Medium. One of Martin Scorsese's best films features members of the mob running legal casinos in the 1970s. The difference now is that all 32 NFL owners are in on the play.

This is about when Bugsy Siegel enters the chat. Despite popular belief, he is not the “Father of Las Vegas” and has nothing to do with its nickname. He was instrumental in the development of building casinos on the strip. Thanks to some mob muscle of course.

In reality, Siegel and his literal partner in crime, Moe Sedway, didn’t move to Las Vegas until 1945 to take over operations at the mob’s newly acquired El Cortez casino downtown. By that time, the Strip was well underway, with Western-themed hotels the Last Frontier and El Rancho Vegas operating for several years along what was then known as Highway 91. ~ Casino.org

Fifty-two years after the first casino, Pair-o-Dice was built, Las Vegas Boulevard will be packed with NFL fans next February for the big game. It’s amazing. Thanks to technology you don't have to physically travel to “Sin City” any longer to place your NFL bets legally.

The Pair-0dice Night Club was the first nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip. Its main attraction was gambling before gambling was even legal in Nevada. The property was bought and turned into the 91 Club in 1939, which itself was rebuilt as the Last Frontier in 1942.

Get Your Las Vegas History Degree On Medium

Fast forward to 2023 and it’s unbelievable how much sports gambling has crossed state lines in this country both legally and not. Next February will be historical for the game, the state, and sports betting nationally. Special thanks to Guy and Bugsy for making this all possible.

Now that the NFL has set up its own “Count Room” in Paradise Nevada one has to wonder. History has taught us much over the big screen since 1995. The World Wide Web was barely created in 1993 by Tim Berners-Lee. Now look at us. Imagine where the game will be headed in the future.

Sports and betting now go hand in hand together thanks to DraftKings. An official sports betting partner of the NFL. I know Lefty is rolling over in his grave right about now. Do you think the mob is getting any rake currently from the NFL? Can we trust these 32 NFL owners with the “Big Game” now?

Follow me on Medium for more articles like this when it comes to sports betting and “The Strip” which started it all. Our road together will lead me to take you vicariously to pair-o-dice next February. Now that we really know who the man behind “The Strip” really is. The foundation is now set for us to continue to build upon this season. Follow me for more!