Black Book (Gambling)

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Black Book (en: "Black Book") is a slang term for a list to be entered in the persons who de facto a casino ban , since they are considered undesirable there people or be excluded as a partner or operator. The term can refer to either a list on the Gaming Control Board or the Griffin Book .

Gaming control board

In 1960 , the Black Book was introduced by Grant Sawyer , the governor of Nevada , to curb the criminal influence on the Las Vegas Strip . Ordinarily, people whose names appeared in the Black Book of the Gaming Control Board had some connection with organized crime . Mainly these were members of the Cosa Nostra and the associated Kosher Nostra . With the entry of a person, the casinos are required to deny access. Violations are z. B. penalized by the Gaming Control Board.

When the list was first drawn up in 1960, it contained eleven names in alphabetical order: John Louis "Joe Batters" Battaglia , Marcello Giuseppe "Marshall" Caifano , Carl and Nick Civella , Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola , Louis Tom Dragna , Robert L. "Taco Bob" Garcia , Sam "Momo" Giancana , Max Jaben Grazebienacy, Murray "The Camel" Humphries and Joe Sica .

Marshall Caifano sued the entry in October 1960, which restricted his rights, but the 9th Chamber of the Civil Court dismissed his suit. Even Anthony Spilotro , to there in 1971 came to Las Vegas the vacant position of Caifano as enforcer (collectors, en: "enforcer") assume, was in the 1979 Black Book added.

The list could not prevent the "skimming" (en: "skim off") of the casinos by the Mafia in Las Vegas in the 1970s and 1980s. Frank Rosenthal, for example, was only entered into the Black Book of the Nevada Gaming Commission on November 30, 1988 . These circumstances became popular through the movie casino . Formally, Rosenthal was employed by the Argent Cooperation of the straw man Allen Glick . When the Nevada Gaming Control Board discovered irregularities in the books of the Argent Cooperation, Glick lost his license and in 1979 sold his casino shares to Allen D. Sachs , a long-time partner of Kosher Nostra member Moe Dalitz . Glick became a Pentito and submitted himself to the judiciary as a key witness .

Such a ban can also be imposed on business partners of undesired persons who do not perform any function within a casino themselves. For example, there is a ban on the US entrepreneur and lawyer Alvin Ira Malnik , a business partner of Meyer Lansky . Malnik was involved in the sale of casino shares in the Aladdin in 1977 . In this context, the FBI investigated against him and the "Detroit Department" of Kosher Nostra. In 1980, Malnik was banned from casinos by the responsible gaming commission in New Jersey because of his criminal contacts - in particular with Lansky and Sam Cohen.

That decision was renewed on September 8, 1993 when two casinos - Caesar's and Taj Mahal - in Atlantic City were disciplined for allowing Malnik entry.

"He is not welcome here."

"He's not welcome here."

- James Hurley, Chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

Griffin Book

The Griffin Book run by Griffin Investigations , on the other hand, lists particularly fraudulent or too “professional” players ( cheaters ) etc. The entry can also be made on suspicion if a player has won too often in a perhaps unusual way against all odds . This list is filled by the casinos themselves in order to protect themselves against loss of income. The players listed there are saved with a photo. The information is also available to European casinos.

literature

  • Ronald A. Farrell: The Black Book and the Mob: The Untold Story of the Control of Nevada's Casinos. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison 1995, ISBN 0-299-14750-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. Nevada's Black Book by James Barrow (English)
  2. Matt Potter: With Friends Like These. ( Memento of the original from April 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.sandiegoreader.com, March 22, 2001 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sandiegoreader.com
  3. Joe Weisenthal: Alleged Mobster May Control Michael Jackson's Estate. www.businessinsider.com, June 28, 2009 (English)
  4. Portland's Capital Consultants lent pension money to an auto lender associated with a man accused of organized crime ties. www.laborers.org (English)

Web links