True Crimes and Scandals Walking Tour of The Las Vegas Strip

Learn about the birth of Las Vegas and the early days of gambling. Then hear about the arrival of the mob!

The Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino has a rich history of providing luxury accommodations and A-list entertainment, going back to when it opened in 1969 as the International Hotel. But on the evening of February 10th, 1981, it became the scene of a horrifying blaze, as fire erupted and rapidly worked its way through the hotel, resulting in extensive property damage, hundreds of injuries, and the deaths of eight patrons.

Circus Circus has been a Las Vegas fixture since its opening in 1968. But one of the most remarkable feats of daring took place just out back, on October 1st, 1993, when it became the scene of a three million dollar vanishing act so daring and well executed, the culprits would elude prosecution for 12 years.

Liberace was an iconic Vegas entertainer who was closely associated with glitz and glamor of the city from the 50s through the 80s. But his life was rocked by controversy and scandal and his lover entered the witness protection program and was ultimately murdered.

The fabulous Wynn Las Vegas casino and resort is one of the most spectacular facilities in the city, but for many years, it was one of the favorite haunts of a gambler who would one day become infamous as the most deadly single-shooter mass-murderer in American history.

Anyone born after 1970 may have never heard of a man named Howard Hughes, but he was one of the wealthiest and most influential men of the 21st Century and his name is synonymous with 1970s Las Vegas when he attempted to purchase as much of the city as he could get his hands on.

By the late 1960’s, Caesars Palace became closely associated with an incredibly famous entertainer who also was rumored to be closely associated with the mob. It was none other than The Chairman of the Board, Ol Blue Eyes himself, the leader of the Rat Pack, Mr. Frank Sinatra. Was he tied to the mob, or was it a simple misunderstanding?

Perhaps no other figure is more closely associated with early Las Vegas than infamous mobster Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel. From around 1936 until his death in 1947, he was both feared and revered as the man who controlled Vegas. Hear the entire story, only with CRIMEWALKS!

The world of hip-hop and rap music is rife with notorious rivalries, but none is more mythologized and legendary for its fatal outcome than the one which ended in the assassination of rap legend, Tupac Amaru Shakur, on the streets of Las Vegas, on September 7, 1996. Hear the whole shocking story.