Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal
The Stardust, the sportsbook and the skim
A bookmaker and influential Argent casino executive whose operational reputation is inseparable from the mob’s hidden interests and his licensing battles.
Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas
Rosenthal developed his gambling career in Chicago and Miami before moving to Las Vegas in 1968. The Mob Museum traces his involvement with the Rose Bowl Sports Book and later the Stardust. His route into casino management grew out of bookmaking and organized-crime relationships. [1]
The Argent structure
Allen Glick’s Argent Corporation owned the casinos; Rosenthal exercised substantial influence over their operation. The Mob Museum’s Glick history explains the hidden interests and skimming investigation. Legal ownership, day-to-day power and the beneficiaries of stolen casino revenue were different layers of the same structure. [2]
A sportsbook and a licensing fight
The Stardust’s comfortable sportsbook became an important model. Rosenthal’s influence also prompted regulators to demand licensing. His applications were rejected, and a 1978 hearing later became part of the story dramatized in Casino. The movie is a route into the subject, not a substitute for the historical record. [1] [3]
Read the outcomes precisely
Rosenthal survived a car bombing in 1982 and was placed on Nevada’s excluded-persons list in 1989. The museum’s account distinguishes those events from allegations, testimony and earlier proceedings. His profile belongs here because of his historical influence; it does not make that influence admirable. [1]
Key dates
People in the same story
Roxy Roxborough
Follow a later Stardust chapter through its external odds supplier. Las Vegas Advisor
Read the profileBob Martin
Compare the independent-book and casino-book histories. Las Vegas Sun
Read the profileIn the archive
19 matching entries in the saved collection.
Lefty Clark Seen Rising In Rackets
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
Subscription or access restrictions may apply. Access check: Oct 4, 2026. Search for this source (search results)
And Whatever Happened to–Lefty Clark?
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
Subscription or access restrictions may apply. Access check: Oct 4, 2026. Search for this source (search results)
Rosenthal, Broadbent Can't Agree
Indexed press reference · View the bibliography. The original report has not been independently read for this entry.
Nevada refuses Rosenthal a gaming license
The Gaming Commission rejects Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal’s application, sharpening the conflict over who is really running the casinos.
Rosenthal survives a car bombing
An explosion tears through Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal’s car on East Sahara Avenue. The following morning, the Sun reports that he has survived.
Former employees recall working with Rosenthal
A museum discussion brings together memories of the Stardust under Frank Rosenthal.
Go deeper into the record.
Sources for this profile and starting points for further research. Access notes mark links we could not open directly during the October 3–4, 2026 checks. Historical accounts describe their own period; they do not necessarily describe current operations.
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