Former Mobster to Lead New Vegas ‘Casino’ Tours

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the blockbuster movie “Casino,” which provided a fast-paced dramatization of an era in Las Vegas when organized crime controlled many of the city’s casinos. Beginning March 18, history buffs and film aficionados alike can join former mobster Frank Cullotta for a two-hour tour of the places where iconic scenes from “Casino” actually took place.

The tour will begin at The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, with a special private tour by former FBI Special Agent Dennis Arnoldy and Mob historian Robert George Allen. Following the visit to the Museum, guests will depart on a bus tour that will take them to locations immortalized in history and in film, such as The Casino House, the site of the Frankie “Blue” death scene, Bertha’s robbery site and more. In addition, participants will learn the true stories behind the events that transpired in the film.

Cullotta is the former leader of Las Vegas’ “Hole in the Wall Gang,” as well as a Chicago Outfit enforcer. The Hole in the Wall Gang was a burglary ring so named because of its practice of smashing holes through exterior walls and ceilings during its heists.

Eventually, Cullotta left his organized crime life behind, serving as a technical consultant on the set of “Casino” and appearing in several scenes as a hit man. Information about Cullotta appears in exhibits inside The Mob Museum, including in a video clip in which “Casino” writer Nicholas Pileggi describes Cullotta’s unique, firsthand knowledge of a murder scene depicted in the film.

According to Pileggi, “There would have been no ‘Casino’ movie – and probably not a good ‘Casino’ book – without Frank Cullotta.”

The tours are scheduled to take place once monthly beginning March 18; future dates include April 22, May 13, June 10, July 15, Aug. 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 21 and Nov. 11.

To make reservations, call 1-702-677-9015 or visit http://www.FrankCullottaCasinoTour.com .