Yet people flock there in droves, piling wealth onto the owners, of whom we hear so little about. The fact is most are owned by syndicates, with one common manager, upon whom masses of responsibility are heaped and whom accepts all responsibility for the premises. It’s the owners themselves who often have links to organized crime and offshore governments, such as Cuba.

It is these clandestine organizations that mismanage their casinos as a means of laundering monies acquired through their misdeeds. This has been occurring constantly since the early nineteen sixties, but has gathered steam in recent times, as the Mafia as we think we know it has been largely disbanded and all the contraband and goods that they once managed have been under control of genuine reputable companies.

It has therefore been necessary for the American mafia to work through kosher means, such as the casino business. It is relatively easy for these organizations to make money and make other money ‘disappear’ via apparently legitimate deals and management decisions.

How come the US government hasn’t regulated these establishments since the outset? The answer is that money talks and backhanders have been paid by casino managers since the day the first high-rise casino was built on ‘The Meadows’; Las Vegas’ literal translation.

Now that Las Vegas’ very existence is threatened by water shortage in the Colorado River, and in turn power supply shortage from the Hoover Dam, the future of casino management as a means of concealing the actions of organized crime bosses is bleak.

This of course is the one positive thing to come out of a potentially devastating situation. As opposed to the great flood in the book of Genesis ridding the world of crime, a great drought will do the same for Las Vegas.