Frank "Lefty" "Ace" Rosenthal was famously portrayed by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's "Casino."
If you haven't seen the movie, stop reading this right now and rent or buy it. It runs frequently on TV, albeit it in the censored version (at the time the movie had the most swear words in a film), so I'd be surprised if you hadn't at least watched some of it.
In one or the scenes Lefty (Sam Rothstein) berates a chef at the Stardust (Tangiers) for not controlling the amount of blueberries that is in each individual muffin. He demands an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin and he doesn't care how long it will take.
According the Rosenthal this is an accurate portrayal of his authority while running four Las Vegas casinos for the mob.
Rosenthal knew the ins and outs and he didn't mess around. Ten years ago, Frank did an intensive interview with PBS, where he goes into detail about what is right and wrong with gambling in America.
The link doesn't enable me to cut and paste for some weird reason, but you can find it by googling "Lefty Rosenthal" and looking for the PBS.org story.
Read the extensive interview and you will come away a fan of Lefty. This guy really did, and still does have the whole thing clocked.
Here is an excerpt on comped food --
Q: Why is Vegas the fastest growing city in America?
Rosenthal: Because it is the only state within this country that offers you the whole package, as sophisticated as one can be. Atlantic City, while it has more excess population wise, are years behind the state of Nevada. The state of Nevada can lure you to that state with all the little perks and tricks that they offer you. RFB: room, food and beverage free. Complimentary airfares. Luxurious suites. Gourmet dinners.
Q: Are they being generous?
Rosenthal: No, they're being very practical and very, very wise. They're not being generous. My experience when I worked in Las Vegas, Nevada, I came close once to attempting to give all our food and beverage away for free because we had enough around us to get all that back plus. I never quite had the courage and time to make that type of a move but if I was there today, I would certainly be looser than the casinos are, that I'm aware of.
Rosenthal: Because it is the only state within this country that offers you the whole package, as sophisticated as one can be. Atlantic City, while it has more excess population wise, are years behind the state of Nevada. The state of Nevada can lure you to that state with all the little perks and tricks that they offer you. RFB: room, food and beverage free. Complimentary airfares. Luxurious suites. Gourmet dinners.
Q: Are they being generous?
Rosenthal: No, they're being very practical and very, very wise. They're not being generous. My experience when I worked in Las Vegas, Nevada, I came close once to attempting to give all our food and beverage away for free because we had enough around us to get all that back plus. I never quite had the courage and time to make that type of a move but if I was there today, I would certainly be looser than the casinos are, that I'm aware of.
And the interview concludes with Lefty's words of wisdom, and a story to illustrate the point between food bargains and gambling.
Q: If you had the chance to tell the viewer, in one sentence, what would it be? Look right into the lens here. Here's your chance. What don't they know? What do you want to tell us?
Rosenthal: If I had one thing to tell the public, it would be that so long as you understand what you're up against, have no fear. The only fear that you should have is what you don't know.
Rosenthal: If I had one thing to tell the public, it would be that so long as you understand what you're up against, have no fear. The only fear that you should have is what you don't know.
Q: So, in other words if you know that the deck is stacked against you or that you can't beat the table or whatever, then it's OK, it's only a game, you do what you want to do?
Rosenthal: I think that's a fair assumption to make. I'll give you a situation that I recall very vividly because while it wasn't unique in the sense that it only happened once, I think it might be interesting to your viewers and to yourself. While I was working in the state of Nevada in the Stardust Hotel we had a promotion where by you can [come] into the hotel at our restaurant. We've got a 49-cent breakfast, complete; two eggs, any way you wanted them, bacon, sausage, ham, toast, coffee, and 49 cents. And it was a lure and we didn't put it on a little billboard. We put it on a big neon that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to put it on and it revolved. And every car that came down that strip could see it. There's no way to miss it. And yet we were soliciting. We wanted you to walk in that casino, our casino, go enjoy yourself and get that 49-cent breakfast.
Rosenthal: I think that's a fair assumption to make. I'll give you a situation that I recall very vividly because while it wasn't unique in the sense that it only happened once, I think it might be interesting to your viewers and to yourself. While I was working in the state of Nevada in the Stardust Hotel we had a promotion where by you can [come] into the hotel at our restaurant. We've got a 49-cent breakfast, complete; two eggs, any way you wanted them, bacon, sausage, ham, toast, coffee, and 49 cents. And it was a lure and we didn't put it on a little billboard. We put it on a big neon that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to put it on and it revolved. And every car that came down that strip could see it. There's no way to miss it. And yet we were soliciting. We wanted you to walk in that casino, our casino, go enjoy yourself and get that 49-cent breakfast.
I remember one situation where by the family--a husband, wife and two children, as I recall--from the state of Arizona that saved up for a vacation to come to Las Vegas, Nevada for three, four days. And they saw the sign, 49-cent breakfast, complete and because of the line that we had to get into the breakfast room the husband decided to venture over to a black jack table for a few moments. When those few moments expired that man, that father, was broke. He had lost $18,000 in a period of about half an hour. He then approached an executive in the casino and they asked if he could be given help to get back to Arizona. He needed gas money because he was low and he had no money. One picture says 1,000 words. This man and his wife and his children were coming by to try to save some money for a 49 cent breakfast and lost the entire savings that he had brought in and our casino gave him the money to get back to Arizona. That's a heartbreaking story but it happens on an everyday basis.
My perception of Las Vegas and gambling has been dramatically shaped by Mr. Rosenthal's pearls of wisdom.
As usual a recipe in the kitchen becomes a metaphor for a recipe for life.
The public really has no chance to win, but if Lefty ruled the world (or even the casino), we'd at least always get a free drink, free lunch, free dinner, 49 cent or free breakfast, and an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin.
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