Frank Rosenthal
Childhood
Frank Lawrence Rosenthal was born on June 12, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois. His father was engaged in wholesale trade and owned several racehorses, which sparked young Frank's interest in horses and betting. His father was also proficient in mathematics and instilled these skills in his son, along with an appreciation for probability and statistics.
As a youth, Rosenthal frequently skipped school to attend horse races and sporting events where he could place bets. Instead of formal education, he learned from underground bookmakers and professional gamblers who served as his mentors. By age 13, Rosenthal was already showing remarkable aptitude for information processing, studying 30-40 newspapers daily to calculate odds and probabilities more accurately.
Career
Early Betting Career (1950s)
Frank Rosenthal honed his sports betting skills at Chicago's Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park. By his early twenties, he had earned a reputation as one of America's top experts on sports betting and gambling. Chicago
Outfit Association (1955-1961)
At age 26, Rosenthal was introduced to the Chicago gangsters. The Chicago Outfit crime syndicate recognized his talents and helped him establish an illegal bookmaking operation in Cicero, a Chicago suburb, under the front of the "Cicero Home Improvement Company." During this period, Rosenthal worked with the syndicate on match-fixing operations, leveraging insider information to determine optimal betting strategies.
Miami Period (1961-1968)
Seeking to escape his growing notoriety in Chicago, Rosenthal relocated to Miami in 1961. However, his reputation followed him, and he soon attracted the attention of the Senate Committee on Gambling and Organized Crime. During a Senate hearing, Rosenthal famously invoked the Fifth Amendment 37 times, earning him the nickname "Lefty" after refusing to answer whether he was right or left-handed.
In 1963, Rosenthal was found guilty of bribing a basketball player from New York College. His legal troubles continued, and after his associate Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilorno arrived in 1964, FBI scrutiny intensified.
Las Vegas Career (1968-1982)
Tired of legal harassment in Miami, Rosenthal moved to Las Vegas in 1968, initially settling at the Tropicana Hotel. His career progressed rapidly:
- He first purchased shares in the Rose Bowl betting office
- Began working as a dealer at Stardust Casino
- By 1974, rose to become the manager of Stardust Casino
- Eventually became the first manager in Las Vegas history to simultaneously oversee four casinos: Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda, and Marina
Under Rosenthal's management, these properties became the most profitable establishments on the Las Vegas Strip. His innovations revolutionized the casino industry:
- Integration of sports betting directly into casinos, creating comfortable, dedicated spaces with screens and plush seating
- Hiring women as dealers, which doubled Stardust's revenue within a year
- Discovering and promoting entertainers like Siegfried & Roy
- Creating the "Frank Rosenthal Show," a talk show filmed at the Stardust Casino featuring celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali
- Implementing exacting standards of customer service and operational excellence
In 1976, authorities discovered Rosenthal lacked a gambling license, leading to legal battles. By 1982, his Vegas career effectively ended after surviving an assassination attempt when his car was bombed.
Later Career (1987-2008)
After being added to Nevada's "Black Book" in 1987, Rosenthal was banned from entering any casino in the state. He relocated first to California and later to Miami Beach, where he ran the sports betting website frank777.com and worked as a consultant for offshore bookmakers.
Personal life
Frank Rosenthal married Geraldine "Geri" McGee, a former topless dancer who had moved to Las Vegas from California in the late 1950s. Their relationship began with an intense courtship, with Rosenthal reportedly falling in love at first sight and pursuing her persistently. Geri agreed to marry him after he opened a bank account for her containing several million dollars and provided her with valuable jewelry.
The couple had two children: a son named Steven and a daughter named Stephanie. However, their marriage deteriorated due to Geri's affairs, including relationships with gangster Tony Spilotro and a man named John Hicks. Her addiction to alcohol and drugs created an unstable home environment, with Rosenthal concerned about leaving the children in her care.
The relationship became increasingly volatile, with Geri reportedly pointing a gun at Frank on two occasions. They ultimately divorced in 1980. Two years later, Geri was found dead at age 46 in a roadside motel, the cause being an overdose of Valium, cocaine, and whiskey. Rosenthal had to prove his innocence in her death, spending $50,000 on expert testimony.
Interesting facts
Rosenthal was a perfectionist who once fired a chef for arguing about the exact number of raisins (12) that should be in each cake served at his casino.
He survived a car bombing in 1982 when his Cadillac Eldorado exploded after he turned the ignition. He was saved by a metal plate that General Motors had installed under the driver's seat to correct a balancing problem.
His decision not to close the door or fasten his seatbelt before starting the engine also contributed to his survival. Rosenthal was known for his immaculate appearance and owned over 200 pairs of trousers, with all his clothing custom-made.
Sports Illustrated called him "the greatest living expert on sports betting and gambling."
He used innovative marketing strategies, including advertising 49-cent breakfasts on an expensive neon billboard to lure customers into the casino.
Rosenthal employed professional criminals to deal with cheaters in his casinos.Those caught cheating might receive an invisible hit with a rubber mallet, resulting in a broken wrist.
Legacy
Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal's life story inspired Nicholas Pileggi's book Casino, which was adapted into the acclaimed 1995 Martin Scorsese film of the same name. Based on Rosenthal, Robert De Niro portrayed the character of Sam "Ace" Rothstein.
His innovations in the casino industry, particularly integrating sports betting into traditional casino operations, permanently changed Las Vegas gambling. The sports book at Stardust Casino became a model for other establishments and remains influential in modern casino design.
Rosenthal's management style, marked by attention to detail and customer service excellence, set standards that influenced the corporate casino era that followed.
Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal died of a heart attack at age 79 on October 13, 2008, in his Miami Beach apartment.
Frequently asked Questions
Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal was a professional gambler, sports handicapper, and casino executive who revolutionized Las Vegas casino operations in the 1970s. He managed four major Las Vegas casinos and pioneered the integration of sports betting into traditional casino environments.
Rosenthal earned the nickname "Lefty" after refusing to answer whether he was right or left-handed during a Senate hearing investigating organized crime and gambling. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 37 times during this testimony, including on this seemingly innocuous question.
Rosenthal introduced several key innovations, including incorporating sports betting directly into casinos, hiring female dealers, implementing exacting customer service standards, and creating entertainment attractions like his own talk show and discovering acts like Siegfried & Roy.
While Rosenthal consistently denied formal ties to organized crime, evidence suggests he had significant connections to the Chicago Outfit crime syndicate. He worked closely with known mobsters and managed casinos that were reportedly controlled by Midwest crime families.
In 1982, Rosenthal's Cadillac exploded when he turned the ignition. He survived primarily due to a metal plate General Motors had installed under the driver's seat to correct a balancing problem, which shielded him from the blast. Additionally, he had not closed his car door or fastened his seatbelt before starting the engine, which helped him escape the explosion with only minor burns.
