Bugsy Siegel

Las Vegas, 1940s

Grew up: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jewish immigrants
Died: June 20, 1947, shot at Virginia Hill's rented home in Beverly Hills, California, aged 41
Known for: Taking over construction of the Flamingo hotel-casino and opening it on the Las Vegas Strip
Flamingo opening: December 26, 1946, the first of three grand-opening nights
Original Flamingo developer: Billy Wilkerson, Los Angeles nightclub owner and publisher of The Hollywood Reporter
Construction cost: Budgeted at $1.2 million; ballooned to about $6 million
Hotel rooms finished: The Flamingo closed after about six weeks and reopened with its hotel complete on March 1, 1947
Murder case: Never solved
Longtime associate: Meyer Lansky, with whom he formed the Bugs and Meyer Gang
Where to see his legacy today: The Fabulous Flamingo exhibit at The Mob Museum, and Flamingo Las Vegas

About

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he befriended Meyer Lansky and formed the Bugs and Meyer Gang. According to The Mob Museum, Lansky suggested in 1936 that Siegel move to the West Coast because New York police were watching him closely. In Southern California he worked the rackets and the race wire, the service that relayed betting information, and it was the race wire business that first drew his attention to Las Vegas in the early 1940s.

The Flamingo was not Siegel's idea. Billy Wilkerson, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, started building it in 1945 and ran out of money. Lansky supplied funds in exchange for a two-thirds interest and sent Siegel to represent him. Siegel soon forced Wilkerson out and took sole charge of construction. He spent lavishly, and costs rose from a $1.2 million budget to about $6 million, angering the mob investors behind the project.

Siegel opened the casino on December 26, 1946, before the hotel rooms were ready, with a three-night grand opening featuring Jimmy Durante, the Xavier Cugat orchestra and singer Rose Marie. Historian Larry Gragg, writing for The Mob Museum, says the opening nights were packed, contrary to the empty, storm-hit opening shown in the 1991 film "Bugsy". But the casino lost money, and Siegel closed it in February 1947. It reopened with its hotel complete on March 1, 1947, and soon began to recover.

On the night of June 20, 1947, Siegel was shot through the window of Virginia Hill's rented home in Beverly Hills. Within minutes, associates of Lansky walked into the Flamingo and announced they were in charge. The killing has never been solved; The Mob Museum notes several theories, including a hit approved by the syndicate. Siegel did not live to see it, but the Flamingo became the model for the luxury hotel-casinos of the 1950s, with big-name headliners and a wide range of gambling.

What to expect

The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas tells the Flamingo story in its Fabulous Flamingo exhibit, part of the Open City gallery. Artifacts include the original down-payment check for the land the Flamingo was built on, a legal document signed by Siegel, and an invitation to the three-day grand opening.

Flamingo Las Vegas, now operated by Caesars Entertainment, still stands on the Strip, though nothing of Siegel's original buildings survives. In 2020 it opened Bugsy & Meyer's Steakhouse, named for Siegel and Lansky, with a speakeasy bar reached through "Bugsy's private office" on the casino floor. The Review-Journal reported in 2021 that a memorial plaque to Siegel sits in the resort's flamingo habitat.

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Good to know

Siegel often gets the credit for the Flamingo, but Billy Wilkerson came up with it and named it; Siegel took over after Wilkerson ran short of money.
The Flamingo was not the first resort on what became the Strip. El Rancho Vegas and the Hotel Last Frontier were already open when it debuted.
The thunderstorm in the film "Bugsy" did not happen: the weather bureau at McCarran Field recorded no thunderstorm and only 0.12 inches of rain in Las Vegas during the opening.
Columnist Walter Winchell reported that the Flamingo drew 28,000 people in its first three nights.
His murder remains unsolved. Theories include a mob-sanctioned hit, a family member of Virginia Hill, and a dispute over the race wire.
In 1996 the hotel's management chose to distance itself from Siegel. By its 75th anniversary in 2021 it was acknowledging him, while saying it was not condoning his methods.

Questions about Bugsy Siegel

Did Bugsy Siegel build the Flamingo?

Not from the start. Billy Wilkerson, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, began the project in 1945 and ran out of money. Meyer Lansky put up funds for a two-thirds interest and sent Siegel to represent him. Siegel then forced Wilkerson out, took sole charge of construction and opened the casino on December 26, 1946. That is why Siegel, not Wilkerson, is the name people remember.

How much did the Flamingo cost to build?

The Flamingo was originally budgeted at $1.2 million. Under Siegel the costs ballooned to about $6 million, according to The Mob Museum. The overruns angered the mob investors who had put money into the project, and historians often cite them as one possible motive for his murder in June 1947. Siegel spent heavily on luxury finishes, landscaping and furnishings for the hotel.

Was the Flamingo's opening night a flop?

Historian Larry Gragg says no. Writing for The Mob Museum, he notes that big crowds turned up on all three opening nights in December 1946, and that there was no thunderstorm in Las Vegas despite the film "Bugsy". The real trouble came afterwards: the casino lost money while the hotel rooms were unfinished, and Siegel closed it in February 1947 before reopening on March 1.

How did Bugsy Siegel die?

Siegel was shot on the night of June 20, 1947, while sitting in the living room of Virginia Hill's rented home in Beverly Hills, California. Gunfire came through the picture window and killed him at age 41. Minutes later, associates of Meyer Lansky took control of the Flamingo in Las Vegas. Nobody was ever charged, and the murder remains officially unsolved.

Who killed Bugsy Siegel?

Nobody knows for certain. The most widely cited theory is that mob bosses approved the killing after the Flamingo's huge cost overruns and early losses. The Mob Museum also lists other theories, including involvement by one of Virginia Hill's relatives and a dispute over the race wire. Police never identified the shooter, and the case has never been solved.

Where can I learn about Bugsy Siegel in Las Vegas?

The Mob Museum downtown has a Fabulous Flamingo exhibit with the original down-payment check for the Flamingo's land, a document Siegel signed and an invitation to the grand opening. On the Strip, Flamingo Las Vegas has Bugsy & Meyer's Steakhouse, and the Review-Journal reported in 2021 that a memorial plaque to Siegel sits in the resort's flamingo habitat.

Is the original Flamingo building still standing?

No. The Flamingo name and resort are still on the Strip, and the Review-Journal described it in 2021 as the oldest resort on the Strip and the only one built before 1950 that still remains. But it has been rebuilt and expanded many times, growing to more than 3,500 rooms by 1993, so none of Siegel's original structures survive.