Dark History - 163: Mobsters, Britney Spears, and the Raiders?! The TWISTED Identity of Las Vegas

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I was invited to a bachelorette party. And it wasn’t one of those simple, one day parties. NO. This was going to be an all-out, wild, expensive bachelorette weekend in… the city of Las Vegas. And I knew exactly what was going to happen. The shots. Thunder from Down Under. $300 dinners. No sleep. And I’m like… why is everyone obsessed with going to this random, expensive city in the middle of the desert?  Don’t get me wrong… I love Vegas. But it’s kind of surprising that it’s still around. I mean, if you think about it, Vegas has almost been canceled over and over and over again.  I mean there was the mob, the recession, covid, inflation… but Vegas *always* seems to find a way to survive. And I had to get to the bottom of why. So join me on this journey as we discuss The Dark History of… Las Vegas.   I appreciate you for coming by, and tune in next week for more Dark History. I sometimes talk about my Good Reads in the show. So here's the link if you want to check it out. IDK. lol: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/139701263-bailey FOLLOW ME AROUND Tik Tok: https://bit.ly/3e3jL9v Instagram: http://bit.ly/2nbO4PR Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdZtK6 Twitter: http://bit.ly/2yT4BLV Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2mVpXnY Youtube: http://bit.ly/1HGw3Og Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3cC0V9d Discord: https://discord.gg/BaileySarian* RECOMMEND A STORY HERE: [e-mail] Business Related Emails: [e-mail] Business Related Mail: Bailey Sarian 4400 W. Riverside Dr., Ste 110-300 Burbank, CA 91505  ________ Credits: This podcast is Executive Produced by: Bailey Sarian & Kevin Grosch and Joey Scavuzzo from Made In Network Head Writer: Allyson Philobos Writer: Katie Burris Additional Writing: Emma Lehman and Jessica Charles Research provided by: Coleen Smith and Alexander Elmore Special thank you to our Historical Consultant: Larry Gragg, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of History and author of Bugsy’s Shadow: Moe Sedway, “Bugsy” Siegel, and the Birth of Organized Crime in Las Vegas  Director: Brian Jaggers Additional Editing: Julien Perez and Maria Norris Post Supervisor: Kelly Hardin  Production Management: Ross Woodruff Hair: Angel Gonzalez Makeup: Roni Herrera ________ Style that makes you feel as good as you look—get started today at https://www.stitchfix.com/darkhistory. Visit https://www.audible.com/darkhistory or text DARKHISTORY to 500-500. New users can try Audible premium plus for free for 30 days. Head to https://www.factormeals.com/darkhistory50 to get 50% off. `

The other day I was invited to a bachelorette party. Oh Joan, ah. And it wasn't one of those like simple one day parties. No, no. This was going to be an all out, wild, expensive bachelorette weekend in the city of sin, Las Vegas. And you know, I knew exactly what was gonna happen, okay?

The shots, thunder from down under, $300 dinners, no sleep, bus, no sleep, another bus, you know? And I get it, like you're getting married, but why, why, why do we have to go to this expensive city in the middle of the desert to celebrate you getting married? Don't get me wrong, I love Vegas, but it's kind of surprising when you think about it

that it's still around. I mean, real talk, Vegas has almost been canceled over and over and over again. There was the mob, the recession, COVID, inflation, but Vegas always seems to find a way to survive, right? And I had to like get to the bottom of why. So join me on this journey as we discuss the dark history of Las Vegas. Hi friends, I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History.

Here, we believe history does not have to be boring. It might be tragic, sometimes it's happy, but either way, it's our dark history. Now, before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe, because I'm always posting new content for you. And also, let me know what you think down in the comment section below,

because I read comments at the end, did you know that? But now, let's get into today's story, huh? So I know when we think about Vegas our minds, I don't know about you, but my mind goes to like drunken bachelorette parties, male strippers, alcohol, gambling, you know? But for a very long time Vegas was like this weird empty little town in the desert. Back in the early 1900s, America was very religious and things like gambling and drinking were illegal in most of the country. And look, we all know just because the government says something is illegal that that doesn't mean people just like stick to it.

We, the people, tend to just do things illegally in private. But in Vegas, doing something illegal was celebrated. In 1931, gambling officially became legal in Las Vegas. You see, the state was experiencing hard financial times because of the Great Depression, right? A lot of people were. So Nevada was like, hey, let's let people gamble. Legalizing gambling was also a huge deal

because no other state in the country would even think to do this. So, bold and brave. People were just like itching to get to the casino. And I think this is kind of where like Vegas found their identity. Because it's like when things in society were frowned upon, Vegas was like, you know what, let's lean into it. So the first was gambling and then next was like divorce, for example. So if you needed a divorce at this time, first of all, it was expensive and honestly nearly impossible in most places. But in Vegas, they were like, you know what,

we're going to look the other way. You could do whatever you want here. Divorce was totally normal. And the wait time to get one was around like six weeks, which was a lot shorter than other places in the country. So people were like, fuck yeah, I can get rid of this guy. Let's go. So Vegas at this time is essentially seen as a place where you go and you do naughty activities

that maybe you couldn't do anywhere else. Also in 1931, Vegas was experiencing a ton of foot traffic because of the Hoover Dam. Did you see that one coming? I know, me neither. I forget about the Hoover Dam. I just think like honestly, Hoover, vacuole, I know. Anyway, but Hoover Dam, it's a big dam.

It's big and it's Hoover. And it took thousands of workers to build it. These guys would work long hours building a giant fricking dam, right? And by the end of the week, they were ready to do anything else but work, right? So after their shifts, these workers would make their way over to a place

just outside of the Las Vegas strip called Fremont Street. If you've been to Vegas, maybe you've heard or been to Fremont Street. But Fremont Street was kind of the best part of Vegas at this point. I mean, it was the only place that had a paved road. Okay, wow. Plus the first hotel in Vegas,

it was called the Hotel Nevada, was built there, and it was pretty sick. So on Fremont Street, this is where all, like a bunch of sexy dancers, sex workers, they would just be all out there kind of just entertaining the construction workers a little bit. And Fremont Street was just where you can go

and have as much fun as you wanted, legal or not. And people just kinda, they were like, they didn't see it. You know what I'm saying? So the workers would spend their free time with like maybe a liggity of the night, eat a big fat steak at like the casino.

They could gamble, drink whiskey, get a divorce and then pass out. Like it just sounded like a blast. Well then in 1936 the Hoover Dam was finished and this is what really gave Vegas its signature aesthetic. I guess the dam pumped cheap hydroelectricity, aka water-powered electricity, right into Vegas. So on Fremont Street they installed a bunch of these huge flashing neon signs all over town and it really like brought in more people. Tourists from all over the place wanted to see these Vegas lights. It was like the shining lighthouse in the middle of the desert

just calling people to come party. Come party. Come on Barbie. Let's go party. Honestly, neon signs are really cool. I tried to take a neon sign class to learn how to like make neon signs, but I decided that wasn't my passion in life. Anyways, but they're cool, right? And everyone wanted to see them. And like this to a lot of people was like the height of technology, neon lights. Holy shit, people are like, what? They didn't know light could be blue. It was just like mind blowing.

At this time, I mean, people were still slowly getting access to electricity in their homes. I mean, their grandparents grew up using candles for lights, and now they could see, like, lights on the street? I mean, come on, this is the future. So Fremont Street became so covered in neon lights that it earned a new nickname. The Glitter Gulch. What's a gulch?

Yeah, that's what I call my pussy, the Glitter Gulch. What's a Gulch? Yeah that's what I call my pussy the glitter Gulch. You want some of the glitter Gulch? Yeah. I'm just kidding okay but the glitter Gulch had signs that advertised restaurants, casinos, and even department stores and this plan to bring in more tourists with the neon lights really seemed to be working. I mean, Vegas at this point is kind of doing everything right. People from all over the country were coming to Fremont Street to experience booze, titties, lights, gambling.

America, you know? So now there was all this money flowing in Vegas, which naturally means that people are taking notice. I mean, cash is just flowing at these casinos faster than the country has ever seen before. And anytime that much money is flowing, it's going to attract some dark characters with even darker connections. The sun is coming out. And now I can like, you know, put away my sweaters and start not wearing them. There's just one problem.

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A big thank you to Apostrophe for sponsoring today's episode. Now let's get back to the story. So Vegas is taking off, drinking, sex work, gambling, divorces, whatever. And mobsters are hearing this and seeing a moment of opportunity. It's a huge moment of opportunity for them.

By the early 1940s, there was already some mob presence in Vegas. I mean, they usually worked out of hotels, but it wasn't something that dominated society. But all that changed with the arrival of a man named Benjamin Segal, but he went by the name Bugsy. Now Bugsy I guess was known for stealing cars, bootlegging liquor, and being involved in gambling schemes in big cities like

Philadelphia and New York. So he goes to Vegas and decides that he's gonna mainly focus on like the big money makers there, which are the casinos. Meyer Lansky, another notorious mobster, gave Bugsy the job of overseeing the construction of a new hotel on the strip. They were going to call this hotel the Flamingo. Cause when you think of like the desert, you think of flamingos.

Yeah, right? No? Okay. I know, I was like, why'd they flamingos. Yeah, right? No? Okay. I know, I was like, why'd they name it the flamingo? So there was a rumor going around that the hotel was named the flamingo after Bugsy's girlfriend, because Bugsy's girlfriend had like long legs and she was known to get flushed after she drank alcohol.

I guess like a flamingo, they must get flushed when they drink alcohol. I don't know, that's just like the rumor. I could see that though. I would be kind of offended. Like, first of all, I'm what? Skinny ass legs, big ass beak, okay, whatever. Sure honey, name it the flamingo.

I'd be like, babe, what about the swan? Yeah, swan babe? Shouldn't you, don't you wanna name it the swan? Because I look like a Swan Bay? He's like, no, I'm thinking Flamingo. Flamingo? Are you sure, babe? Okay. The Flamingo would be a new casino that doubled as a fancy resort and like this was new. It was exciting. It was like something you would find in Hollywood and you know they were like, hey let's like try to redefine this high end hotel experience,

which is pretty cool thought. Now even though Bugsy was a golden boy when it came to other mob related projects, construction at the Flamingo was a disaster. I guess construction was supposed to cost like $1 million at the time, but it ended up taking way longer than expected. And in the end, I think it costs like $6 million to make. So Bugsy had no experience with hotels. Therefore, this doesn't end well

because just a few months after the Flamingo splashy opening, it closed. So the mob blamed Bugsy for the whole thing. And even though the Flamingo did eventually reopen, it really didn't matter. I mean, the whole thing was mishandled. And when you mishandle the mafia's money, what do you think's gonna happen?

They're gonna be like, no problem. You know, no, no, no. In 1947, Bugsy was found dead in his home in Beverly Hills. Now listen to this, listen, because the case remains unsolved, but many believe like, who's responsible for it? Okay so Bugsy gone dead, and the flamingo was under new mob management and it actually became a huge money maker. They were getting a cut of all the money coming into the casino by skimming from the top. Skimming comes from gambling, the money goes into the back rooms of the casino, and before

it's officially counted, the mob pockets a cut of the profits for themselves. I mean, no one was stopping them, so why not? After the flamingo, almost every hotel and casino in Las Vegas in some way became associated with organized crime. Because casinos were bringing in so much money, more mobsters backed more casinos. As casinos were taking off, so did the amount of tourists. And by 1950, a million people came to Las Vegas.

Only 10 years later in 1960, that number increased to 10 million. People are happier than ever to head to a city that lets you indulge in some adult activities. Without any judgement too, you know? Be sloppy. Fall into a bush. No one will know when you go back home. Also, the country had just been through World War II. Many men had experienced some serious shell shock from trauma, right? And they were having a hard time adjusting to society.

So naturally they went to Vegas to escape everything, right? Numb it all out. And the women, you know, women can't be forgotten in all this either, because while their men were at war, many women joined the workforce for the first time. And yes, it was empowering. We can do it, you know?

Before that, many women were just housewives. So it's safe to say everyone just wanted a moment to like have some fun. Everything was so serious all of the time, right? And it was like, can we have some freaking fun? With Vegas, it was kind of perfect timing because after the war, there was a boost to the economy. So like more Americans had some extra money

lying around for vacations. I mean, it's just kind of like, perfect little combination going on here, right? So mom and dad, you know, would head to Vegas. They wanted to let loose and get a little freaky. And Vegas like starts to evolve to accommodate lots of different types of people, not just gamblers.

Vegas introduces a new kind of entertainment. I'm talking showgirls, singers, and standup comedians. And when you look at pictures of like the classic Vegas showgirls, you know, they have Joan here, perfect example, but they had the uh the feather headpiece, the bedazzled bra, the flowing skirt that swishes as they dance, you know? It was just like ooh ah! People like shiny pretty things. That's exactly what it was, huh Joan? Very shiny and pretty.

Look, I'm not trying to judge Joan, but you're wearing feathers that came from another animal when you yourself have feathers. That's like me as a human wearing something made out of skin. Do you know what I'm saying? But I'm not judging. Flamingo! Yeah? Okay. My first thought was that, okay, if the mob is running everything, I bet you the working conditions sucked. But actually, allegedly, what we read was that like, it was the exact opposite. Musicians and performers from Los Angeles started to move to Las Vegas, specifically

because of how great the wages were. There's this famous comedian, his name was Red Buttons. He once said, quote, "'Four weeks in Las Vegas could buy you a third world country.'" Okay. In 1953, one of the biggest actresses at the time, Marlene Dietrich, debuted her act in Vegas.

She made $30,000 per week, per week. Yeah, if you do the math, beep, bop, boop, boop, that's like $354,000 today. She made that per week. Honey, if I did that, bye, you would never see me again. Goodbye, make my money, bye. Actress Debbie Reynolds used to talk about her love for the Vegas hotel management despite the fact that they were connected to the mob.

She said quote, you were like their family. It was a wonderful time and they were great bosses. I miss that loyalty, that respect. I don't say I respect how they got the money. It's none of my business anyway. And that's kind of the right mindset I think. I mean, maybe not. I don't say I respect how they got the money. It's none of my business anyway. And that's kind of the right mindset, I think. I mean, maybe not, I don't know. Cause she's essentially like,

hey, my checks are clearing, the rest is not my business, you know? This era is considered to be the golden age of Las Vegas. It was more than just a tourist trap. I mean, it was an escape from people's everyday life. And all this success in entertainment paved the way for groundbreaking shows. For example, Harold Minsky's shows. I know I was like, who? What? Huh? Harold was a show producer working in New York,

but his shows were like not doing well there. People just didn't get it. A lot of people were calling his productions indecent because they were a little risque. But that wasn't a problem for the great city of Vegas, right? So when executives heard that this man was available, they were like, hey, you should come to Vegas because that shit will work over here. Yeah. So in 1956, he staged the first show to feature topless showgirls called Minsky's Follies. And apparently he had very specific characteristics he looked for in a topless showgirl. Step one, she must have titties.

Step two, she must be topless. But apparently he required the women to be five'8". They had to have small breasts and their breasts had to be firm. So he would go up and be like, no, that's not right. Next. No. Net, you know, he was really putting in the work. But Harold's topler show represented a whole new form of risqué entertainment and people loved it.

He would get tens of thousands of people watching his show every week. And by the late 1960s, things started to take a very, very bad turn for Las Vegas. So a whole new villain was about to take over. And these guys made the mobsters look like angels. Joan and I are pissed. Well first of all I'm in a robe. Second of all, Paul stood us up for dinner. Again.

I know we were out we were like oh my god dinner yay and then Paul was like sorry I can't come I'm sick and I was like Paul first of all you're a skeleton what do you mean I think you're faking it. And so does Joan. But I can't blame him. When it comes to keeping my doctor's appointments and actually showing up, I'm not much better than Paul. I've always got an excuse. I have something else to do.

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Once you find the right doctor, you can choose an appointment time slot that works for you, and then you can click to instantly book and visit. So you don't have to make any awkward phone calls like, hi, I don't know what I'm doing. You know, you just do it all through the app. I love it. It's too easy. I start making appointments for no damn reason. The best part and my personal favorite feature, appointments made through ZocDoc happen pretty fast. I'm talking

within just 24 to 72 hours of booking. You can even score same day appointments. Paul? So stop putting off those doctor appointments and go to ZocDoc.com slash dark history to find and instantly book a top rated doctor today. That's ZocDoc, Z-O-C-D-O-C.com slash dark history. ZocDoc.com slash dark history. So even though like the mobsters essentially

runned all of Vegas, the average tourist genuinely like had a great time. Okay, you'd hear like, oh my God, Vegas amazing. But then all this changed in 1969. Nevada passed something called the Corporate Gaming Act. Now this meant that executives and investors would own casinos now. Up until this point, they had to be owned by a person,

not a corporation. So famous billionaires like Howard Hughes swooped in and spent hundreds of millions of dollars to buy a bunch of hotels and casinos that had been owned by the mob. And the mob, they couldn't compete with billionaire type of money, you know? So they slowly started moving out. And big business started moving in. And this is when Vegas starts to look a little different.

A little more corporate. A little more sanitized. Remember the neon signs everyone loved? Well, allegedly they were like too expensive to keep on constantly. So the new business owners replaced these signs with cheaper plastic ones. Now that big businesses were involved in these casinos,

law enforcement wanted to crack down on the remaining mob activity happening around town. Law enforcement discovered that the mob's method of skimming from the top brought in over $7 million just between 1974 and 1976. And you know, at this point, like they had been doing this for decades. So probably a lot more than that.

And once the skimming story hit the news, people began to lose faith in Vegas. Like people didn't want to gamble somewhere if they were just gonna rip you off, you know? Well, the mob gets in trouble a lot. Mind you, this is a side note. We're kind of like glossing over the mob, the mob of it all with Vegas.

There's so much more. We could do like just a mob focused Vegas story if you wanted to. So that's probably why if you're familiar you're like why aren't you getting into it? Because there's so much more. But essentially what you need to know is that the mob eventually like they went through a bunch of court trials and cases and then they were officially like chased out of Las Vegas. So at this point in the 1970s, you know, Vegas takes a turn. The town has a bad reputation. It's no longer about luxury and neon signs.

Now it was sad. It was crime-ridden. It felt like a desert hole that like just stole your money. Plus, it wasn't just the casinos that were like getting a bad rap. The big Vegas stars were mostly gone. In fact, big stars actively avoided doing shows in Vegas because there was now like the stigma that only washed up celebs performed there. People felt like Vegas is where their act went to die. But there was one act that quite literally saved the day. Not only did it keep Vegas

relevant, it returned the city to the glorious tourist destination it once was. Who is this mystical creature that saved Vegas? Well, technically, I mean, this creature was at the end of his career. But it didn't feel that way because he was packing the house every night. Did you guess who I'm talking about? Paul? Paul? Did you guess?

Paul came dressed up, if you're listening to this on the podcast. Paul is dressed up as the one, the only Elvis Presley. You look just like him. It's crazy. I was like, what? That's crazy. You look just like him, it's crazy. I was like, what? That's crazy. You look just like him. Elvis decides to take a chance on the city. You know Elvis, huge, massive superstar.

Wow, crazy. So when Elvis, you know, he's at the top of his career or whatever, he definitely did perform in Vegas at some point. But when he originally performed there, it hadn't been a good fit because at this time the crowds were older. They were there to see Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. And to them, Elvis wasn't that, you know? Elvis was like this rock and roll sex symbol. So it was like the wrong audience.

So the first time that he, Elvis, had performed in Vegas, it was like 1956, and he's up there being all hot, like swinging his hips, singing in that sexy voice. I mean, have you seen the man? He was truly a very handsome man, right? So he's up there doing that, and instead of like screaming, crying teenage girls that he was used to performing for, in Vegas at this time in the 50s,

he was performing for like their parents. It just didn't click, okay? That was the 50s. Elvis was still a young rock star and a lot of the older generation at the time really didn't like the guy because he was like swiveling his hips. Could you imagine?

I know, oh my god. He's moving his hips. Oh fuck. But by the end of the 60s, he was just a different performer. I mean his music career was in a major decline. His albums were not selling well. Not as well as they used to. He had spent like the last decade acting in a bunch of movies that turned out to be not so great but he was majorly in need of a comeback just like Vegas idea so ring ring someone calls up Elvis Elvis look baby listen what if we got you a headlining gig at the International Hotel in Vegas? Thoughts? They obviously offered him like a lot of money, right?

Elvis agrees. He's like, I'll do it. And the response blew everyone away, honestly, because the tickets sold out right away. Even though the people were like super excited about the show right? It's been it had been a while since Elvis performed live on stage so it was kind of like a comeback tour but no one was sure that he still had what it took

to play to like a packed house. Still the show producers in Vegas were so desperate for a win they decided to put in a ton of resources behind his act. Elvis was put in a theater which sat 2000 people and it was like the largest theater on the strip at the time. On August 10th, 1970, the audience was packed with a ton of celebrities and important names in the entertainment industry. Half of them were there to support Elvis

and the other half honestly wanted to see like if he would flop. They're like let's see how bad this show is yeah okay. Elvis was feeling the pressure. Some of his friends and bandmates talked about how nervous he was before going on stage. He just really wanted to be liked, loved, something. There's actual footage of like this first show online. He walks onto the stage in this signature white frilly outfit and it looks like he's nervous. He's dripping with sweat.

He's out of breath. He seems to be freaking out. He takes a sip from like a glass of water. Then he dumps the water glass out onto the stage. But as soon as he started to sing, it was clear he did not need to be nervous. The magic was back, baby. Elvis absolutely crushed the show. This was a groundbreaking moment in Vegas. Let me tell you this. Elvis saved Vegas. You have no idea. Elvis went on to play for sold out crowds for his entire

four week run. Over 101,000 people would see him in just that opening month between August and September. And that's how we end up with the connection between Elvis and Las Vegas. Elvis knew he needed Vegas and Vegas knew they needed Elvis. So I feel like this Elvis collaboration really just changed Vegas forever, right? Well, not forever, but like it had a huge impact. Because after this, I mean, everything was like Elvis themed. I mean, that's why we have like Elvis impersonators marrying drunk people on like the strip. And we can't forget the iconic Elvis wedding chapel.

Elvis is very ingrained in the Vegas culture, I guess. And thanks to Elvis, other celebrities and performers were actually excited and wanted to perform on the Vegas strip again, because they saw like, him pop off. They're like, okay, maybe I should try. After this, there was like a big boom in iconic shows, like Siegfried and Roy, remember? Their magic show?

Pa! Ooh, magic! We actually covered Siegfried and Roy in our, we did an episode, it's called Creators Ruined by Their Creations. It's dark history episode, and it's so interesting, you should check it out. Just saying.

So, more people are coming to Vegas now, right? Because they saw that Elvis is doing well, money's being made. I mean, this is, it's looking good. But if you know anything about Elvis, you know being around unlimited alcohol, fame, gambling, drugs, blah, blah. It was not looking good for Elvis. I mean just like

any trip to Vegas, it went on for a little too long. If you've never been to Vegas, let me tell you a hot tip. I would say two, max three days in Vegas is it. Okay, you don't need to be there for five days. You don't need to be there for a week two two Maybe three. Okay, nothing good happens after day three. I got some stories if you want to know Okay, one time me my friend Lauren Love Lauren. Uh, she we went to Vegas and we stayed there for five days and was such a big mistake. We didn't sleep And that's what happened. But let me tell you on day five I was dusty and I needed to get the hell out

of there. Just nothing good happens but it makes for good stories when you're not on a public platform. Anywho, what I'm saying is Elvis was you know he struggled with addiction and all that stuff. And by 1976, like his health and his marriage were just a complete disaster. He was putting on a good show, but it was clear to everybody that he was like physically and mentally struggling.

He put on a lot of weight because he wasn't taking care of himself. Plus he was reportedly using a lot of drugs. And it was clear that it was time to leave Vegas. Finally, on December 12th, 1976, Elvis played his final Vegas show and just like every other show he performed, he sold out the place. Less than a year later, Elvis would sadly die of a heart attack. When Vegas lost Elvis, not to death, but like the partnership or whatever,

they realized like, oh shit, Elvis was really keeping us afloat, you know? They were in trouble once again. So the city was like desperate to pivot to a new chapter that didn't have anything to do with mobs, gambling or Elvis, right? They're like, we need a rebrand. So by the early 1990s, after struggling for a while,

Vegas executives looked around and realized, hey, there is an entire demographic we are just ignoring. Families. Listen, listen, stop talking. I'm always down to try new things. You know, especially when it comes to different kinds of foods.

But you know, as a kid, like some foods were just ruined for me, like vegetarian food. I remember once trying to go vegetarian and only being served broccoli for dinner. I was like, cool. I mean, I know there's more than that, right? And people swear by vegetarian diets. Paul over here says it's what

keeps him so young. And he recommended that I give vegetarian food another try with Hungry Root. Hungry Root is the easiest way to eat healthy. They take care of the meal planning each week by recommending delicious recipes tailored to your tastes, nutrition preferences, and your health goals. And each of the meals are designed to have high quality, nutritious food that supports whatever diet you follow. So whether you're vegetarian, like Paul, or just trying to eat healthy, like me. And I know what you're thinking when you hear the words meal planning. Another thing I have to plan.

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a free item of your choice for life. Hungryroot.com slash dark history code dark history. Well, this is the nineties too. So you gotta think like this was prime, like Disney world, Disneyland, other things like that, you know, family. So Vegas, they're thinking, how can we kind of be like a Disneyland?

Come on guys, think let's think here. How can we get the kids, the families? So in less than 10 years, Vegas demolishes or rebuilds almost like every hotel on the strip. According to the Center for Gaming Research, it costs $12 billion for Vegas to get this upgrade. It's funny, because like throughout the story you learn like Vegas has no money Vegas has no money 12 billion dollars to

get a facelift like what okay it's like when your parents would tell you they had no money they had no money but then they would go and like buy themselves stuff and you're like so there there was only a few like iconic neon signs left in the city they They tore those down. They dumped them all in this place called the Neon Museum. Have you gone? It's still open. I guess you can go to the museum today.

I haven't gone. I've only seen pictures. I would love to go. I love neon lights. I don't know what it is. So on the strip, they opened up a couple of family-friendly hotels, like the Excalibur. Huh? Have you been there? But it's fun. It's not fun but it's you can get a room

for like 20 bucks you know what I'm saying? And then MGM Hotel they opened up a small theme park. The Luxor Hotel. Now the Luxor is wild. It's an Egyptian themed hotel. It looks like a pyramid and the elevator system in the hotel is like... I've got questions but we... okay let me knock it off track because the elevators I could talk about all day. So they had these interactive Nile River tours. Okay, you get in the little boat and you'd be like whoo! And then Treasure Island, they would put on wild pirate shows right there on the strip for the kids. They're essentially trying to lure the families

into the hotel and the casino, you know? In the beginning, this did bring in money. But for like the real Vegas diehards, you go to Vegas to sin, you go to Vegas to have fun and let loose, they hated this idea. Frank Sinatra himself described how the city had turned into a quote, amusement park. Frank also said quote,

in my era, Las Vegas was rock solid and now it's paper mache. One time, hold on, let me tell you my paper mache story. One time in third grade, I made a paper mache stegosaurus. It was huge, it was like this big. And let me tell you, Mr. Frank, love your music, but that paper mache stegosaurus, you could not break that guy apart.

Like he was fucking like unbreakable. So what I'm getting at is I just don't think that was a good comparison. Cause paper mache is actually kind of the shit is what I'm saying. I guess at some point Vegas agreed with them. Vegas was in the middle of like an identity crisis. I mean, yes, now they're like appealing to kids,

but at the same time there were strippers and clubs on the same street where eight year olds are now watching grown men dressed as pirates fight one another. And it was just kind of like, you know, like, so people are kind of iffy about it. Vegas takes a hard left and starts advertising for the adults again. They realize children is not the way. And with this rebrand, they go all in.

This is the era of what happens here, stays here, except for chlamydia. So Vegas realizes, let's go back to focusing on adults. So they do. And with this comes a new era. The era of the celebrity chef. I know I was like what? I don't know. This was a big thing. It all started in 1992 when Wolfgang Puck, you know that famous chef,

decided to bring Spago, his super popular restaurant, to Vegas. And for people with money, this was a freaking game changer. That point, a lot of the casinos were kind of offering just basic buffets, which is fine, but it wasn't like, you know, made by a world renowned chef, right? But now they were starting to like bring people in and you could eat food from these amazing, amazing chefs.

This was a big deal. We love food, food, food,, amazing chefs. This was a big deal. We love food, food, food, yeah, uh. Vegas is now like, let's do fine dining. I like that Vegas keeps trying, you know? They didn't get stuck in one way and never change. They at least keep trying and evolving. So now they're in their fine dining era. And many people were willing to pay a lot of money.

And this was super important for those newly renovated hotels. They knew they had finally struck gold with these celebrity restaurants. Since then every new luxury hotel has included at least one restaurant belonging to a celebrity chef. See celebrity chefs are not my genre. I know nothing about celebrity chefs. I remember Emeril and like that's as much as I remember about celebrity chefs. Excuse my ignorance there. I just, I'm uneducated on celebrity chefs,

but people loved it. In the 2000s, Las Vegas still made most of its money with gambling and the casinos. But now people were traveling there specifically for the entertainment and now the food. This is when we start to see big stars like Celine Dion begin her residency at Caesar's Palace. She ended up doing a four year residency and during those four years over five million

people came to see her in concert. She performed over 700 shows, making over 385 million dollars. Good for her. Celine was bringing in as much revenue and more tourists than a small country, literally. In Vegas history, as of right now, it could change. Celine is actually the most profitable act to ever happen in Vegas. Celine's success was like permission for celebrities to come back. Celine's show proved that you could make money in Vegas

and not be considered a joke, you know? So the city seemed to have bounced back in a huge way, but then it fell apart again in 2008. Remember the 2008 financial crisis, AKA the recession? Nah, bummer. Everyday people suddenly losing their homes. People were losing their jobs. It was a very stressful, scary time.

So with that being said, vacation was completely off the table. People are not going to gamble the money they have left. During this crisis, business at the casinos took a hit and this affected all the staff that worked there. People were let go. I mean, think about it. All the people who work in a casino, car dealers, waitstaff, club promoters, so many people are employed by the hotels and casinos and everything.

And Vegas ended up having to close about 67,000 properties. So Vegas had the highest rate of home foreclosures in America. I mean it was bad. Even after the crisis ended, people were not about to blow their money on Vegas again. So at this time it was clear to people running Vegas that the only way they could save the city was to pivot away from old people gambling in casinos. They needed to make it exciting. Exciting to the young people again, okay? Not the eight-year-olds on family vacation. They're like, we need to target now the millennials. They were looking around trying to replicate what Elvis did back in the day.

And they landed on someone with Elvis level star power. But for the millennial generation, someone who the media just could not get enough of, and they turned their sights on one musical act who had the power to change and save Las Vegas once again. Do you know who it is? Ah!

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It's so good, yeah. Maybe you guessed it, maybe you didn't. Who saved Vegas? Britney Spears saved Vegas. On September 17, 2013, Britney Spears made an appearance on Good Morning America. She announces to the world that she'll be doing a two-year concert residency at Planet Hollywood.

Title of the show, Piece of Me. Now, when I heard this, I lost my shit. I did. I was like, Britney's going to Vegas, like I could finally see her. I had not seen Britney yet. And that was like the one thing on my bucket list. Like I want to see Britney Spears,

like prime Britney Spears perform. And I hadn't seen it yet. So when I saw this announcement, I was like, oh my God, I'm going to Vegas. Like, I don't, cause I mean, millions of us saw that and we were like, we're moving to Vegas now until Britney's done. Yes.

But Britney herself promised that this would be the show of a lifetime. She said, quote, the performances won't be simple. There'll be a massive party from start to finish. Britney's show was like, well, here's the part that disappoints me. I never got to see the show. I never made it.

I went, whatever. But I hear and what I've seen online, because you could watch the performances on YouTube, which I have. But Britney's show was like this, the feast, this feast for the eyes. I mean, she start the show like, you better work, bitch.

And then the audience would just like, we're gonna work, bitch, you know? Losing, losing their damn minds. The show was like modern Vegas, wrapped in Britney. You know? It wasn't even. The show was like modern Vegas wrapped in Britney. You know, it wasn't even Vegas, it was just Britney world. It was Britney world, okay? And I have to say though, knowing what we know now, because I read her book, maybe you did too,

she did mention in her book that the whole time she was miserable, she was in a conservatorship and how awful it was. Which knowing that now is sad because we all thought that she wanted to be there. Thought, idea. Let me know down below in the comment section if we should do an episode on conservatorships.

That could be interesting. Let me know, let me know if you wanna see that. Anywho, back to Brittany. So Brittany, poor Brittany, we love her. She did over 140 performances and she sold 900,000 tickets and the show made over $138 million. And that's just on the concert alone. All those Britney fans needed hotel rooms, meals,

gambling money, outfits, whatever. So that overall just helped Vegas' economy, right? So to Vegas executives, it was clear that a star like Brittany was a key turning point when it came to bringing young tourists to Vegas, which is what they needed. According to Forbes Magazine, quote, Spears' triumph in Las Vegas became a catalyst for a wave of A-list artists to consider Sin City for their own residencies." After Britney, the other poppies started.

The pop stars like Lady Gaga, they followed Katy Perry, Adele, they were all calling up their managers like, hey, get me on that Britney shit, you know? And Vegas had a wave of huge celebrity residencies. I think it's a great idea. I don't know why people are so against the whole celebrity residency thing. It's nice because if you were a celebrity you just it would be nice because you just stay put, you're in a room, you're set up, everything's taken care of, you show up, you perform, and then you're done, you go home. And like everybody comes to you and you don't have to go to them.

You know what I'm saying? So I think that's cool. But also as someone who wants to see them perform, knowing that they're there and they're staying put and not moving to different locations, I think it's nice. Vegas is on this high. They're like, yeah, bring in all these residencies and people are going, whatever, it's doing better. Wow, Vegas, ugh. But you know what happens. You know what happens. 2020? March?

Yeah. Guess who comes a-knockin'? Good ol' COVID. So Vegas, at this time, you know, they're like doing pretty good. And then March 2020 rolls around and COVID forced casinos and hotels to close. Even after the COVID restrictions were lifted, Vegas, they needed to shape-shift once again. I mean, they had to. They still kept the fancy restaurants. They kept the concerts and all that stuff going. But now they were like, we need to move away from gambling,

which I thought was an interesting take. According to Oliver Lovatt, a CEO who tracks Vegas tourist data, well, he said, quote, people aren't coming to Las Vegas to gamble anymore. That older generation above 65 that were coming to Las Vegas to gamble anymore. That older generation above 65 that were coming to Las Vegas to gamble are going somewhere else.

I will say as I've gotten older, and this is just one perspective, I've noticed definitely a decline in people who gamble. I don't know anyone who likes to gamble. All of us think it's just a fricking waste of money and I think that's the right mindset to have because you've seen those people who gamble like their whole house away or something and you're like what the fuck I don't want to be that guy

but a lot of us don't really care to gamble plus we only we it's like the money you do have I'm not gambling that shit I got two dollars and 45 cents in my account okay no Vegas is like, okay, now we have to rebrand again, right? So now their focus is on sports. They've tried it all, haven't they? They're really going, just check, I don't know. I admire that. Sports is now their focus. And in order to do this, the execs, they have to tear down what's left of the old Vegas.

For example, executives made the decision to tear down the iconic Vegas hotel, the Tropicana. Oh, I get the Tropicana and Flamingo mixed up. Cause it's like kind of the same thing. Anyways, so they want to tear this down so they can build a $1.5 billion major league baseball stadium. Because when I think of Vegas, I think baseball. You know? Like, so that makes sense.

They're planning on calling this stadium New Las Vegas Stadium. I know, I know, because I was thinking, listen, you go to a sports game, have you gone to a sports game? I went one time and I regretted it. Because everyone gets so drunk and sloppy and aggressive and they're always flushed in the face and loud. For what?

For what? Sorry. So in my mind I'm like great so they're gonna put like a stadium there and have all these drunk fans everywhere in a Vegas stadium like I can't imagine that's gonna be a good time. Plus it's hot 112 degrees. You're gonna die. So that's what they're doing. The stadium is supposed to open in the beginning of 2028. So stay tuned for that. Maybe I'm all wrong, you know, it'll be like the best thing ever. Wouldn't it be funny though, if like I talk all this shit

and then on the opening day of like the baseball, you're watching the baseball game in Vegas and then the camera does like an audience pan and then you just low-key see me there with my beer like you know wouldn't that be kind of funny? I'd be like Bailey you hypocrite and I'd be like yeah well I never said I wasn't. Vegas huh what do you think? There's a story behind it it's pretty wild but it's had so many chapters and so many identities Vegas right? It's kind of interesting and it's kind of cool because most places don't like to adapt.

They stay in their ways and they never change. And Vegas is like down to, fuck it, figure it out and make it work. And I think that's kind of cool. I initially actually wanted to do this episode because I read the book, Elvis and Me. Have you read that book? It was really good. I liked it. I thought it was, Elvis and Me. Have you read that book? It was really good.

I liked it. I thought it was. It was sad, of course. And in the book, it really talked about how Vegas wasn't doing well, Elvis wasn't doing well. They came together and literally Elvis saved Vegas. And I was like, oh my God, this is so interesting. This could be like an interesting episode. And that's really what led me here and it's made me realize that Vegas has constantly rebranded itself and it seems to be uncancellable like it won't go away. I don't think that's a bad thing but like it's just interesting because throughout history Vegas has come so close to like almost shutting down and then they're able to bring it back with someone And then they're able to bring it back with someone. Like, it's Britney, bitch. You know, like just wild.

But you have to give them respect where it's due. Vegas, they always manage to find a way to stay relevant. Oh yeah, baby. So I'm kind of looking forward to going to that bachelorette party. Last time I went, I went to Chip and Dale's, which was kind of sad because it was empty. There was like us and then maybe like four other people around and let me tell you, I got called on stage. I would show you the video, but it's not appropriate.

And I definitely had dick in my face. And where am I going with this? I think everyone should go to Vegas once in their life, just to see it. It's very commercial now and it's actually it's really safe. There was a period there where it was really sketchy but now the last time I went like it felt very very safe and that's what I think about Vegas. You know I have a friend her name is Lindsay. Hey Lindsay she lives in Vegas this bitch. She's crazy. She's not

crazy. She is very smart, successful, independent business woman and I love her for that. But she tells me all of her like dating stories because she tells me like dating in Vegas is the worst thing ever. She's like you will never find a partner in Vegas because people are constantly coming and going. It's like a terminal. Nobody stays and the people that do stay, stay forever. So it's like the same people all the time. In other words, if you're single and you wanna like date someone,

don't go to Vegas to meet your partner cause it's probably not gonna happen. Unless you want a one night stand. Yeah, that's my advice. And don't get married in Vegas. Well, you can. Nevermind. Sorry, nevermind.

Okay, I need to gather my thoughts because when I talk about Vegas, I have so many stories. And it's like, which one do you... I can't just start telling you the story because then you need the full story. And that would take another 45 minutes, you know what I'm saying? So let me know down in the comment section if you want me to share some Vegas stories. Like the time I thought I got married. You know something people absolutely love? No, not Twinkies. Pranks!

Yeah! Some people love a classic prank. Like a whoopee cushion or scaring someone as they turn the corner of a room. Boo! You know? Innocent fun. But then there's those other people who take the prank way too far. And sometimes that prank turns out to be a deadly mistake.

Join us next week as we talk about the dark history of pranks gone wrong. I'd love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story, so make sure to leave a comment below so I can see what you guys are saying. And your comment might be featured in a future episode. Now let's read a couple of comments you guys have left me and the gang. I wish you guys could read. Shara Elias 6687 left me a comment on our episode about death saying quote, that ZocDoc ad made me cry laugh. So relatable Bailey. Great episode.

Not sure how you made such a depressing subject. Delightfully interesting. Appreciate you. Aw, Shara. Well, first of all, that was really sweet. Thank you so much. I know, how do you talk about death and make it light? You just do, you know?

You know, it's all gonna happen in all this, so let's talk about it. But I'm glad you liked that ad, because that was a good, the pants off ad, that was funny. Well thank you. I appreciate you and thank you for watching the ads because sometimes we try to we try to be funny and hope someone watches it. Yeah okay thank you. T Rocks Rocks left a comment on our Debbie Tom Ball episode saying, two weeks before my senior prom my boyfriend broke up with me and invited someone else

I returned the $500 dress that matched him and my mom got to work making me an edgy dress out of denim and black lace So two thousands of me. I felt so cool. Definitely rebellious and stood out like I wanted I kissed his best friend at the prom after party and my ex left crying. T-Rox. T-Rox, you rock. Because that story had everything. Listen. Drama.

Revenge. Characters. Happy ending. Sewing. Okay? 20 out of 10. That was beautiful. I'm happy for you. Everyone deserves a story like that. I'm

glad you had it. And I hope that guy is still crying a little bit inside. Michelle C. Morelli, 9379 left us an episode suggestion saying, episode suggestion, Esther Jones, the original Betty Boop who was black and she went through racial criticism as that's why on the cartoon she was white. I would like to know more about her. Michelle I hear you listen. Hold on. Michelle. I like this episode suggestion. I'm writing it down. History of Betty Boop because I've been coming across this too. I've done some light digging but I haven't done like major digging into Betty Boop and like the history of all that but I've been seeing this coming up lately and I think um this would be a great dark history idea so thank you for sending the suggestion. I appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for watching and engaging. I appreciate you

guys so much. Keep commenting because you'll be featured maybe? Maybe? Or maybe you won't, but I do see your comments. Did you know you can join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs? Because maybe you're a visual person and you want to see how gorgeous we all look. And by we, I mean me and my friends. And also while you're there, you can catch my murder mystery in makeup. Hey! Well don't forget to subscribe and if you don't know,

Dark History is an Audioboom original. A special thank you to our expert Larry Gragg, Curator's Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of History and author of Bugsy's Shadow, Moe Sedway, Bugsy Segal, and the Birth of Organized Crime in Las Vegas. And if you didn't know, I'm your host Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day, you make good choices, and I'll be talking to you soon. Goodbye. Isaac Berg. Goodbye. I said, brr.