Frank Rosenthal
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Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, born on June 12, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, is a renowned sports handicapper and a former Las Vegas casino executive. He secretly ran the Stardust, Fremont and Hacienda casinos when they were controlled by the mafia. He was the first to bring a sports book into the casino, making the Stardust one of the world's leading centers for sports gambling.
After being forced out of Las Vegas, Rosenthal retired to San Diego, California and then to Boca Raton, Florida, where he continues to handicap sports events, marketing his picks to gamblers through his own website (http://www.frankleftyrosenthal.com/).
Rosenthal earned the nickname "Lefty" during a Supreme Court hearing where he pleaded the Fifth Amendment more than 50 times, not even revealing whether or not he was left-handed.
Frank married Geraldine McGee, and they had two children. Unfortunately, marriage problems eventually resulted in them getting a divorce. Frank attributes the failure of the marriage primarily to Geri's inability to escape her drug addictions. She eventually died in a hotel from a "hot dose" after leaving Frank and stealing a significant portion of his savings.
Rosenthal was put in Nevada's Black Book in 1988, years after he also lost his control over the casinos.
The 1995 Martin Scorsese film, Casino, based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi, was based on Rosenthal's career in Las Vegas. Rosenthal was played by Robert De Niro and his associate Anthony Spilotro was played by Joe Pesci.
Reference and External link
- Frank Rosenthal Biography (http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=55)
- Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi ISBN 0684808323
- The Enforcer: Spilotro-The Chicago Mob's Man in Las Vegas by William F. Roemer, Jr. ISBN 0804113106
- Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal Official Website (http://www.frankleftyrosenthal.com/)