Moe Dalitz

Las Vegas, 1950s-1980s

Born: December 24, 1899, Boston
Died: August 31, 1989, Las Vegas
Known for: Leading the Cleveland group that took over the Desert Inn, which opened in 1950
Other casinos: Helped run the Stardust and the Showboat alongside the Desert Inn
Desert Inn stake (1962): 13.2 percent, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Sunrise Hospital: Built by a group including Dalitz; opened on Maryland Parkway in December 1958
Sold out: Desert Inn interests to Howard Hughes in 1967; left the Stardust in 1969
Las Vegas Country Club: One of its four founders
Honors: Humanitarian of the Year (American Cancer Research Center, 1976); ADL Torch of Liberty (1982)
Where the Desert Inn stood: Its main tower was imploded in 2001 to make way for Wynn Las Vegas

About

Morris "Moe" Dalitz was born in Boston on December 24, 1899, and grew up in Michigan, where his father ran a laundry. By the mid-1920s he was a bootlegger, and The Mob Museum notes he was prominent enough to attend the 1929 organized crime meeting in Atlantic City alongside Al Capone and Meyer Lansky. Based in Cleveland, he later ran illegal casinos in Ohio and Kentucky while investing in legitimate laundries, steel companies and real estate.

After the Second World War, legal gambling drew him to Nevada. Dalitz led a group of Cleveland investors who took over construction of Wilbur Clark's unfinished Desert Inn, which opened on the Strip in 1950. He added a golf course and the Tournament of Champions, which put Las Vegas in front of a national audience. In 1958 his group took over the Stardust using Teamsters loans and money borrowed from Louis Jacobs' Emprise Corp., and he also helped run the Showboat. Dalitz testified before Sen. Estes Kefauver's organized crime committee in the early 1950s and was indicted more than once over the years; the Review-Journal reports that the charges were dismissed.

His influence reached well beyond casinos. With partners Irwin Molasky, Merv Adelson and Allard Roen, Dalitz formed Paradise Development, which built Sunrise Hospital on Maryland Parkway. It opened in December 1958 with the help of a $1 million Teamsters pension fund loan. The same circle developed the Boulevard Mall and the Las Vegas Country Club, and Dalitz is counted among the club's four founders. Investigators long suspected that his friendship with Jimmy Hoffa smoothed Teamsters lending to Las Vegas businesses, and an FBI informant later described him as an informal referee among mob families. Those allegations were never proved in court.

Dalitz sold his Desert Inn interests to Howard Hughes in 1967 and left the Stardust in 1969. In later life he was known locally as a donor: he received the American Cancer Research Center's Humanitarian of the Year award in 1976 and the Anti-Defamation League's Torch of Liberty in 1982, and when he died in 1989 a trust he had set up split $1.3 million among 14 nonprofits. His attempt to build the Sundance hotel downtown around 1980 ran into licensing trouble because of his past associations, according to The Mob Museum.

What to expect

The Desert Inn itself is gone. Its main tower was imploded in 2001, and Wynn Las Vegas now stands on the site. Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center, which Dalitz's group opened in 1958, still operates on Maryland Parkway, now owned by Hospital Corporation of America. Visitors who want the full story, including the allegations against him, can find Dalitz among the notable names at The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas.

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Good to know

Dalitz was indicted twice, in 1930 for bootlegging and in 1965 for tax evasion, according to the Review-Journal; both charges were dismissed. The Mob Museum separately mentions a 1937 bootlegging indictment that was dismissed.
In 1962 Dalitz held 13.2 percent of the Desert Inn, while co-founder Wilbur Clark held 17.1 percent but, per the Review-Journal, had no real decision-making power.
The $1 million Teamsters loan behind Sunrise Hospital is dated 1959 by the Review-Journal, while the Las Vegas Sun and the Molasky company date the hospital's opening to December 1958.
Dalitz sued Penthouse over a 1975 article about La Costa resort; he won and then dropped the case, according to The Mob Museum. The Review-Journal describes it as settled with a letter of clarification.
His Desert Inn partner Allard Roen reached a 1960 accord with the local NAACP to admit Black guests at the Desert Inn and Stardust.

Questions about Moe Dalitz

Who was Moe Dalitz?

Moe Dalitz was a former Prohibition-era bootlegger from Cleveland who moved into Las Vegas casinos after World War II. He led the group that took over the Desert Inn, which opened in 1950, and helped run the Stardust and the Showboat. He also backed Sunrise Hospital and the Las Vegas Country Club, and he became a well-known local donor before his death in 1989.

Was Moe Dalitz in the Mob?

The Mob Museum describes him as a former Cleveland mob figure who attended the 1929 Atlantic City organized crime meeting. Investigators and FBI informants alleged he kept ties to organized crime in Las Vegas, but the criminal charges brought against him, for bootlegging and tax evasion, were dismissed. He presented himself as a legitimate businessman for most of his Las Vegas years.

What happened to the Desert Inn?

Dalitz sold his Desert Inn interests to Howard Hughes in 1967. The resort kept operating under later owners until Steve Wynn's company replaced it. Its main tower was imploded in 2001, and Wynn Las Vegas was built on the site. Nothing of the original Desert Inn buildings remains on the Strip today.

Did Moe Dalitz build Sunrise Hospital?

He was part of the group that built it. Dalitz, Irwin Molasky, Merv Adelson and Allard Roen formed Paradise Development, which opened Sunrise Hospital on Maryland Parkway in December 1958. The Review-Journal reports that a $1 million Teamsters pension fund loan helped pay for it. The hospital still operates today under different ownership.

When did Moe Dalitz die?

Moe Dalitz died in Las Vegas on August 31, 1989, at age 89. A charitable trust he had set up in 1979 was divided after his death, and the Review-Journal reports that 14 nonprofit organizations shared $1.3 million from it.

Where can I learn about Moe Dalitz in Las Vegas?

The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas covers Dalitz among its notable names and tells the story of the Desert Inn and the Kefauver hearings. The museum occupies the former federal building where the Kefauver committee held its Las Vegas hearing in November 1950.