Following the Cuban Revolution in January 1959, Havana's casinos were briefly shut down, but were quickly reopened after protests by casino workers left out of work. Fidel Castro nationalized the hotel on March 20, 1960 and finally closed the casino in October 1960, almost two years after his overthrow of Batista. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, anti-aircraft guns were set up on the site of. Seneca Gaming & Enterprise It. Casinos Bingo Halls. 5374 County Road.

1. Are There Casinos In Havana Cuba
2. Mob Casinos In Cuba
3. Casino In Cuba New York
4. Are There Casinos In Cuba
5. Cuba Casinos 1950s

TREASURY DEPARTMENT
UNITED STATES CUSTOMS SERVICE
HABANA, CUBA

March 27, 1958

Are There Casinos In Havana Cuba, bono no deposit slot lv, play online, free mermaid mystical slot machine, portsmouth va casino vote. Answer 1 of 2: Just wondering if there are casinos in cuba and if so, are they located near the resorts? Cuba Tourism Cuba Hotels Cuba Bed and Breakfast Cuba Vacation Packages Flights to Cuba Cuba Restaurants Things to Do in Cuba Cuba Travel Forum Cuba Photos Cuba Map. There were the games of chances played in casinos, and the lottery run by the state. The plush casinos and gambling houses in Cuba during the era of Batista were run by some of the Syndicate boys from the United States, the ones who had been smart or lucky enough to escape death as gangsters during the Capone years in Chicago.

The Commissioner of Customs
Division of Investigations
Bureau of Customs
Washington 25, D.C.

Dear Sir:

Reference is made to Bureau letter of February 28, 1958, enclosing a copy of a memorandum, dated February 26, 1953, from Mr. Myles J. Ambrose, Assistant to the Secretary for Law Enforcement. Said memorandum requested that background information be furnished relative to the gambling situation in Cuba and the Americans involved therewith

This office has had little occasion to pay much attention to the gamblers here, with the exception of a few who are suspected of trafficking in narcotics, such as WILLIAM G. BUSCHOFF (LEFTY CLARK) and SANTO TRAFFICANTE. Under the Cuban law a gambling casino cannot be operated in a hotel establishment valued at less than one million dollars. An operating license costing from twenty-five to fifty thousand dollars is required. To obtain such license it is necessary to be cleared by this police and officials of the Ministry of the Interior, which necessitates an additional outlay of whatever said officials think the traffic will bear.

Once in operation, the Cuban Treasury Department collects 20% of the proceeds reported: however, due to the pay off to collecting officials the actual amount received by the Treasury Department coffers is much less. Police officials also came in for substantial cut, which is estimated at between 20 to 30%, in addition to the above mentioned. About 70% of the patrons are American tourists, the balance being wealthy Cubans and other Latin Americans.

As to honesty of the games, a good estimate would be that they are 90% honest. The reason for this is that the gambling fraternity considers that setup here as strictly temporary and knows they will eventually have to return to the States.

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If during their stay in Cuba they acquire a reputation for operating dishonest games, it will be difficult for them to obtain positions in the majority of gambling establishments in the United States on their return.

However, some of the casinos, such as the CAPRI, the NATIONAL Casino and the TROPICANA, are rumored to be not too scrupulous, using bust-out dice and rigged equipment manufactured by the late MICHAEL MORRISON in Mexico. According to information the slot machines are rigged for a very low pay off, due to the extremely high take off of the proceeds by officials.

The FBI office has made an intensive investigation into the matter and detailed reports should be available from that organization. The Cuban Bureau of Investigation has been mugging and printing the gamblers and the technicians and has practically completed the job. In the event the Bureau desires copies of the pictures and prints same can be photostated and forwarded. A list of all gamblers, including the ordinary working technicians, has been furnished James B. De Luca, the Internal Revenue Agent temporarily assigned to Habana, for the information of the International Operations Division of the Internal Revenue Service. The names of the ordinary technicians are not being included in this report.

For several years prior to 1955 the only casinos operating in Habana were the Tropicana and the SANS SOUCI. Both clubs had shows, served meals and drinks, but figured on the meals and drinks only covering operating costs, and made their profit on gambling, from which the net averaged five thousand dollars daily after 'deductions.' Since then a number of casinos have opened, and it would seem that the profits would have been thinned down, but the new casinos are attracting a much greater number of gambling tourists, so that the profits of the two original casinos remain more or less the same, and several of the newer casinos are averaging higher profits.

There are listed below the principal gambling casinos in operation in Habana, together with the principal operators of same. The majority of the operators listed have a piece of the 'interest', and in a few cases all of it: however it is very difficult to determine how much interest each operator has in the __________[unreadable] is the principal owner.

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TROPICANA - operated by LEFTY CLARK, alias WILLIAM GUSTO (FRANK BISCHOFF). Bishoff has an FBI record of six arrests for minor violations. This office has received rumors of narcotic activity by him while he was operating in Las Vegas, Nevada. His principal assistant is PIERRE CANAVASE. Canavase under various aliases is reported to have been closely connected with LUCKY LUCIANO, and was deported from the United States to Italy, and he recently came to Cuba from Italy. Canavase has a record for smuggling, counterfeiting, bribery, gambling, and violation of United States Immigration laws.

SANS SOUCI NIGHT CLUB - operated by SANTO TRAFFICANTE, who was present at the recent Apalachin, New York meeting. Trafficante is a native of Tampa, Florida, where he had his father were the principals in the 'bolita'racket; and it is rumored that they were also members of the Mafia. With relation to Santo Trafficante, there is enclosed herewith a translation of a report made by the Cuban police to the District Attorney of Queens County, Brooklyn, New York, dated January 23, 1958, together with a transcript of long distance telephone calls made from the Sans Souci during the period August-December 1957. One of the principal assistants in the operation of the Sans Souci is SID JACOBS, alias SID MATHEWS.

RIVIERA CASINO – operated by MEYER LANSKY, FRANK ERICKSON, GIORDINO CELLINI, ED LEVENSON, and DUSTY PETERS, all of whom are well known to your office. The Riviera Casino is apparently one of the more honest gambling casinos operated in Habana, but information as to the actual backers in not available, unless they could be Meyer Lansky and Frank Erickson.

CASINO INTERNATIONAL, HOTEL NACIONAL – operated by WILBUR CLARK, who as far as can be ascertained has no criminal record. His principal assistants are EDWARD GOFFREDO CELLINI and MERLE JACOBS. As far as in known, these two have no criminal records either.

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SEVILLA BILTMORE - operated by one AMLETIC BATTISTI, a Cuban citizen of Italian extraction. Battisti is, and has been for many years, kingpin of the 'bolita' racket. He is the owner of the Sevilla Biltmore Hotel, which he has leased to a Chicago concern, and also owns and operates a bank in the same building. Mr. Battisti, in the opinion of the undersigned, is capable of anything.

CAPRI HOTEL CASINO – operated by NICOLAS DI COSTANZO and CHARLES TURIN. No information is available as to their criminal background. Both have operated in Las Vegas and the New York area. It is understood that GEORGE RAFT owns a considerable piece of the Capri Casino.

NATIONAL CASINO – actually operated by JAKE LANSKY, brother of MEYER LANSKY. To the public Jake Lansky is merely floor manager for the casino; however it is understood that Jake and his brother own the major part of the casino and have under their management a number of technicians from Las Vegas. It is also understood that this casino is operated strictly on the level for the reason that habitues of the casino are the 'boys', who demand a square game when they feel like playing.

HAVANA HILTON CASINO – operated by CLIFFORD JONES, formerly of Las Vegas, Senator KENNETH JOHNSON of Nevada, and SIDNEY ARCE of New York. Also interested to a substantial degree are RAMON MENDOZA and MARCOS MENDOZA, both wealthy Cuban industrialists. The Hilton Casino has only been operating for two days, and their gambling concession is costing them one million dollars annually, payable to the hotel, plus the take of the Ministry of Hacienda and the police. It is also rumored that SANTO TRAFFICANTE and JOE RIVERS have a piece of the Hilton Casino but, same has not been verified.

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The above is more or less a general picture of the gambling situation in Habana as best as this office is able to furnish at the present time. In the event that any specific information is desired which might be helpful in your investigation, please advise; and this office will endeavor to obtain same.

Very truly yours,

W. W. Johnston,
Treasury Representative in Charge

Enclosures

cc: Agent DeLuca, IRS
End of Page

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It is hard to believe that the Cuba we know now once was flourishing with nightclubs, casinos, cabarets, and bordellos, and was basically called the Las Vegas of the Caribbean. However, it is true that during the first half of the XX century the American mafia openly operated in Cuba, and even arranged their activities with the government of the island. Some say the goal of the mobsters was to take over the country, allowing them to take organized crime to a higher level.

The American mafia started its activities in Cuba as early as in the 1920s, during the American prohibition, when they would use Cuba as a base to for rum running and the smuggling of other alcoholic drinks. It was not until September 1933 when Meyer Lansky arrived in Cuba that things began to turn serious.

Meyer Lansky was a major American organized crime figure who quickly took control over Havana’s casino. Cuban historians claim that during Lanksy’s 1933 visit, his main goal was to meet the Cuban Armed Forces Chief Fulgencio Batista, who would later become President of the island, and offer him a 3-million-dollar bribe in exchange for support from the armed forces. He was successful, and so in 1940, after Batista became the President, the mafia in Cuba entered its “Golden years”.

LuckyLuciano is another important name among the Mafiosi that operated in Cubaduring the period. He was the one who reorganized the structure of Americanmafia in the ‘30s, when it started its activity in Cuba, thus, Lucky Lucianocontrolled all the actions of the emerging Cuban mafia. He also expanded themafia’s activity in Cuba from control over the island’s casinos, to making theisland a midway point in drug dealing routes, from where heroin could be safelytransferred to the US.

A major event in the history of Cuban mafia was the 1946 Havana Conference. Organized by Lucky Luciano, it was the second most important mob summit since the 1929 Atlantic City Conference. The Havana Conference was held in the Hotel Nacional, where the main figures of the American and Italian mafias discussed some important aspects of their activity, such as the policy against drug trade. This scene was famously featured in The Godfather:

The mafia continued to grow and by the 1950s the Mob came close to controlling the country. The chain of casinos and other recreational spots generated unbelievable sums of money, and the head of the government Fulgencio Batista complied with the mafia’s interests. However, the carefully built Havana Empire was destroyed in 1959 by Fidel Castro. After the Cuban Revolution, the new government closed all casinos and prohibited the actions of the mafia, which was forced to retreat.

The days of the Mafia in Cuba are long gone, but the many memories remain of the time when the country was a gambler’s paradise and organized crime flourished on the island. Many of the hotels, casinos and nightclubs associated with the Cuban mafia still operate in Cuba, and for those interested in Mob history there are tours that provide more information about the mafia in Cuba, including visits to these places

Are There Casinos In Havana Cuba

Hotel Nacional

This hotel, where Luciano and Lansky once stayed, and where the Havana conference was held, is one of the most important mafia spots in Havana. There even is a special room called the Salón de la Historia (History Hall), where life-sized murals of gangsters hang from the walls.

Hotel Sevilla

Mob Casinos In Cuba

In 1939 the mafia took possession of this hotel and set its operational headquarters here. Now in the Roof Garden of the hotel is decorated with framed black-and-white photographs of the mobsters who once operated there.

Hotel Riviera

One of the best-known casinos during the mafia epoch, the hotel once was a major money source for the mafia. Although now no casino exists here anymore, it still has an important place in Mob history.

Hotel Havana Libre. It is another hotel which once featured a casino. No sign of such establishment exists in the hotel nowadays, but once it was an important spot for the Cuban mafia.

Cabaret Montmartre. A still existing nightclub in Havana was opened in the 1950s by the Cuban mafia. It is one of the few places where you can still feel the same spirit as there was when the Mob owned Cuba.

Cabaret Tropicana. One of the major tourist attractions in Cuba, it is another cabaret that was already popular during the Mafia Era in Cuba. Some of the mafia leaders are said to have frequented the place during the 1950s.

See the world of Mobsters in Cuba

Casino In Cuba New York

Photographer Basil Hyman discovered this trove of Cuban treasures in Paris, and it led him on a voyage of discovery to Havana’s rich past.

Are There Casinos In Cuba

This lavishly illustrated book includes photographs, postcards, flyers, tickets and brochures, which conjure up the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Cuba and some of those associated with it.

Cuba Casinos 1950s

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