Las Vegas: Mob History Tour with Stories & Casino Start

4.78

(359 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We stepped out of the Tuscany Suites & Casino lobby, right under those flickering lights that make everything feel a bit like a movie set. Our guide—Tony, who had this dry sense of humor and a voice like gravel—rounded us up in front of the Copa Showroom. He started right away, no dramatic buildup, just straight talk about how Vegas grew up with the mob. I could still smell cigarette smoke clinging to the carpet from somewhere inside, which weirdly fit the mood.

We walked through side streets I’d never have noticed on my own. Tony pointed out an old sign and told us about someone called “Lefty”—apparently not just a movie character—and I caught myself glancing over my shoulder, half expecting to see someone in a fedora lurking nearby. There was this moment when he paused and said, “This is where it all went down,” and everyone got quiet for a second. The city felt different after that—like there was another version of Las Vegas layered underneath all the neon.

I tried asking Tony about one of the nicknames in my worst attempt at Italian; he laughed and said I sounded more like I was ordering pizza than talking mob history. The group loosened up after that—someone else chimed in with their own theory about what happened to Bugsy Siegel (I still don’t buy it). The air outside was warm but not too hot, just enough to make you wish for a cold drink after all those stories.

I didn’t expect to actually feel anything on a mob tour, but there’s something about hearing these stories where they happened—with someone who clearly knows every alleyway—that sticks with you. Even now, sometimes when I see an old casino sign lit up at night, I think back to that walk and wonder what secrets are still buried out there.