Bodog Beat

Despite the dirt and blood on his hands, nobody filled Vegas with sophisticated glamour like Bugsy Siegel. (AP Images)

Murderer. Bootlegger. Racketeer. American hero. No other city in the world can idolize a gangster like Las Vegas, and no mobster moved Vegas like Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. As a fledgling city, Vegas rejected a homicidal thug like Ben Siegel during his life and then graduated Bugsy into his trademark persona after death. Today, Bugsy's vision, innovation and elegance are touchstones for Las Vegas' development, while Siegel's good looks, dirty money and dangerous tactics still characterize America's city of sin. Even now, one of mafia history's most sinister criminals is considered the godfather of true (badass) Vegas class.

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