Gambling position requires review
The National Football League again has fumbled on the question of whether a proposed 60,000-seat Las Vegas stadium might one day land an exhibition game or the Pro Bowl.
According to a Review-Journal story this week, here's the official reason for the league's defensive position: Las Vegas has legalized sports betting, and the mighty NFL flat refuses to be associated with heathen gambling.
That must come as a real shock to the officials who run London's Wembley Stadium, where NFL teams meet annually for a regular-season game in an attempt to spread the sport's popularity in Europe.
Wembley has its own in-house betting franchisee, Betfred, touted as the world's largest independent bookmaker.
From the stadium website: "Betfred is the official bookmaker for Wembley Stadium. This deal gives Betfred exclusive rights of association with Wembley Stadium in the betting sector as well as a permanent presence in the stadium itself through their operation of betting facilities at the venue."
But I guess that's different. That's in England.
UNSTYLISH OUTFIT: The eclectic crowd that gathered Tuesday night for a panel discussion on the IRS Criminal Investigation's war against the Chicago Outfit was treated to the reminiscences of legendary agent Tom Moriarty, who has helped put a generation of mobsters in prison by relentlessly following the flow of their illicit earnings.
Moriarty was accompanied by Las Vegas IRS Special Agent in Charge Paul Camacho, a 26-year veteran with four years in Southern Nevada.
On the other side was former Outfit man Frank Cullotta, Chicago mob associate Tony Montana and writer Dennis Griffin.
The program was sponsored by the Las Vegas Clark County Library District and was part of its popular Mob Month series. The librarians let me referee.
In the audience I noticed a couple casino Black Book members and some retired mob-fighting cops. And there was Michael Mastro, who has some firsthand experience in the ways of organized crime.
"This whole organization does two things," Moriarty said Tuesday afternoon after a Mob Museum tour. "It provides money, and it provides self-esteem, there's no doubt about it. If you're in the life in Chicago, you've got respect. A lot of these people are smart. They could have made it on the outside, but for whatever reason, they didn't."
BREAKFAST CLUB: Omelet House owner Kevin Mills is an unabashed fan of Las Vegas history. Now he has combined his love of history with his restaurant by inviting some genuine Las Vegas characters for breakfast.
Among those in the crowd at this past week's omelet oratory: former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, entertainer Steve Rossi, former Sheriff Bill Young and current Sheriff Doug Gillespie, County Commissioner Tom Collins, City Councilman Bob Coffin, former Mayor Oscar Goodman and former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian.
Perhaps less well-known was 90-year-old Bill Barnett, who founded Sterling Plumbing and helped keep the water flowing up and down the Strip.
Mills says, "I just want to get them together and have them tell me stories."
GIVING BACK: The Silver State has a horrible track record of volunteerism; but that could be changing, thanks in part to the influence of the Nevada Volunteers, the Governor's Commission on Service.
In an effort to increase community volunteerism, MGM Resorts International, NV Energy and other companies are conducting a Volunteer and Corporate Engagement Summit today at the Bellagio.
ON THE BOULEVARD: The recent exodus of Strip casino executives has some of us wondering just how many corporate gaming presidents and vice presidents will fit into a limousine these days. Pegg Wallace reports that the annual reunion of former Dunes casino employees is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday at the New York City Bar & Grill at Jones and Spring Mountain Road. The Dunes remains one of the most colorful joints from Las Vegas' past.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/Smith
