Casino Once Run By Bugsy Siegel And 'Ice Pick Willie' Seeking U.S. 'Historic' Honor

A Las Vegas casino wants the United States government to consider it a “historic place,” among more than 80,000 other locations scattered throughout the country.

The El Cortez, located on Fremont Street off the Strip, is pushing to get the distinction that is awarded by the National Park Service, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported this month. The property opened in the 1940s and aesthetically hasn’t changed much.

According to the 2001 book The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America, the El Cortez was once owned by mob businessman and murderer Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, before he sold it in 1946. Siegel himself received a bullet to the head in 1947. The property was later largely controlled by William Israel Alderman, known as “Ice Pick Willie” for his habit of lodging one into a guy’s ear during an argument.

Other criminals who ran the carpet joint through the years include “ruthless dwarf” Moe Sedway and Gus Greenbaum, both who were associates of mob boss Meyer Lanksy.

Jackie Gaughan, 91, acquired the property from a man named John Kell Houssels in 1963. Gaughan is the father of South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa owner Michael Gaughan. South Point is looking to be the first real-money online poker site in Nevada’s history.

A 2009 column by the Review-Journal’s John L. Smith called the elder Gaughan “the last king left in the old Vegas deck.” He reportedly still hangs out on the property’s gambling floor.

The El Cortez is currently under the ownership of Ike Gaming, Inc.

Nevada’s Clark County has 58 places on the “historic” list, but currently no casinos.

The nationwide list already includes some “casinos,” but those don’t have Las Vegas-style gambling. The 133-year-old Newport Casino in Rhode Island is one example.

Photo of the El Cortez, via Wikipedia

Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus

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