Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times
of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn
By John L. Smith
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Ever since it sprang from the
desert, gaudy as a wild flower, Las Vegas has seemed to personify its
leading citizen--and de facto ruler: First, there was the late Benny
Siegel, and his flashy, neon bright style; then came the era of Howard
Hughes, the bashful billionaire, who imposed order--and low hotel room
prices to attract gamblers. As the century closes, Steve Wynn is Mr. Las
Vegas--a strange reflection of some of his predecessors--a flashy (some
say ruthless) businessman with a flair for casino (and self-) promotion.
Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn (Barricade Books/hardcover/252 pages) is published by legendary muckraker Lyle Stuart and has already spawned several libel suits by Chairman Wynn. (One local Vegas jury awarded a three million dollar verdict against Stuart, Stuart's wife, and the book's author, newspaper columnist John Smith. The case is on appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.) The son of a bingo operator, Steve Wynn headed to Las Vegas in the 1960s after graduating from college and bought a small stake in the Frontier, on money borrowed from his father's gambling cronies. The boy wonder (who soon took over the fabled Golden Nugget casino) never looked back--and in author Smith's opinion, "Wherever he has been, the mob has been close by." (For his part, Wynn explained some of his friendships by saying, "I've always loved colorful people.") This crisply written book details Chairman Wynn's controversial career as a businessman, super salesman, political power broker, and builder of fantastic casinos as the Mirage and Belagio. |
Running Scared is available from American Legends for $18.00 ($19.45 Calif. residents). This is a 25% discount off the publisher's list price of $24.00. Please add $2.50 for postage and handling.
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