Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn

by John L. Smith

Steve Wynn is the former owner of the Bellagio — Las Vegas's latest monument to conspicuous consumption whose hotel and casino contain over 300 million in fine art and 1.5 billion in Wall Street money. He's a mogul whose empire at one point included the Mirage, the Golden Nugget, and Treasure Island. But how did he gain and wield his tremendous power in Nevada? And why did a confidential Scotland Yard report prevent him from opening a casino in London? When this biography, written by a local reporter, was first released in 1995, Steve Wynn brought suit against its original publisher and forced him into bankruptcy. Now available in paperback, the inside story of the biggest phenomenon to roil Las Vegas since Hoover Dam gives readers an intimate glimpse at the real business that's conducted beyond the gaming tables.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, True Crime, Crime, Business, Biography Memoir

395 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

A prize-winning journalist, John L. Smiths (1960- )column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal is the most widely-read newspaper feature in Nevada. In addition, John is the author of many books.

John lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Tricia, and daughter, Amelia, and carries the distinction of being a fourth generation Nevadan."

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See:

John L. (Lewis) Smith (1811-1899)
John L. Smith (1846- )
John L. Smith (1945- )
John L. Smith, Baptist preacher

Reviews

[Thrillers R Us · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bearing the name of its author, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, the 44th largest or 7th smallest state in the Union with 10,565 square miles of land, the Dawes Act of 1887 opened the floodgates of corralling Native Americans unto reservations to protect [land] property and to usher them into modern American society. Closely followed by other statutes and culminating in the "Indian New Deal" or the Indian Reorganization Act by the "other" Roosevelt administration in 1934, Native peoples ended up with about 87,800 square miles of land spread over 326 reservations. For scale, the United States of America is comprised of 3,796,742 square miles of land. Conditionally sovereign, Native American tribal nations, roughly two million indigenous Americans strong, are accountable to the US Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which acts in a supervisory capacity. Ruling in 1987 that activities on reservations are only subject to criminal state laws, SCOTUS opened the door for gambling on Native land as state laws were regulatory (civil) in nature. Successfully toiling in obscurity for forty plus years, the proposed Hard Rock Las Vegas would become the first tribal gaming operator on the Las Vegas Strip via Seminole Tribe of Florida ownership, eventually replacing the Mirage resort and casino, pioneered by Vegas wunderkind Steve Wynn.

Las Vegas, Nevada, a desert hub with the climatic appeal of a pizza oven. A city built on hyperbole, illusion, and endless hucksterism. It's always been a place where cards were dealt and dice were pitched--the aim of the game was to separate the player from his bankroll, and don't forget to smile. With a smile off the luminosity scale and bright enough to make Wayne Newton seethe with envy, Steve Wynn was too fresh faced to be a racketeer and too well dressed to be a dice pimp. He was a fine young man, almost the boy next door. Heralded as the Lee Iacocca of the gaming industry, Wynn has attempted/succeeded at portraying himself as a sparkling clean businessman with an Ivy League education and a thousand watt smile, changing the shadowy face of Las Vegas forever. He was, however, not above aggressive mob mentality, often victim to his own quick temper and impromptu primal scream therapy/criticism sessions. Rewarding perfection and loyalty, he was fiercely protective of his few friends and ferociously hostile towards his enemies, prone to hiring a small army of high priced lawyers when threatened.

RUNNING SCARED, it appears, is all about running with the right crowd. Son of a NY Bingo Hall skim pro, Steve Wynn found Bingo a slow moving affair after falling head first into the "family business". Following his father's early demise, Steve-O bought into a casino with a little help from his friends. A slice of Vegas life. Instead of building on hard work and success, the continued high orbit of Wynn's adventures were then financed by the Supernova that was the junk bond era, in particular Michael Milken, whose exploits led to the failure of 55 Savings & Loans, strapped taxpayers with more than $1 billion in direct costs, and soaked insurance companies to the tune of $100 billion in losses. Thus, the rise of Steve Wynn coincided with organized crime going from felonious rackets to legit business. A world where crooks and capitalists are separated by paying taxes and grooming political contacts, much what was shown in the terrific CASINO in the mid 1990s. For all the walking the straight and narrow, corporate America, big business and legit Vegas seem to still tread in the shadow of La Cosa Nostra. Exposing legislators who don't know a Renoir from a rental car and are in Wynn's pocket, wielding power and influence to devastating effect, RUNNING SCARED chronicles a decades long lesson of how the wealthy and well-connected shirk the laws and avoid paying taxes. This reinforces and reiterates that the IRS doesn't care where the revenue comes from, just as long as Uncle Sam receives his tax tributes. It pays to remember Capone. Along the same vein, it's advantageous to be in the right place, take advantage of friendships, capitalize on opportunity, and have the courage to initiate action. Steve Wynn makes it sound so easy.

RUNNING SCARED is a fascinating look at some of the inner workings of building a casino empire and sparring with gaming regulators, but being under the thumb of bureaucrats still can't dull the flash of Las Vegas. The business life of Steve Wynn carouses through fun, old school Vegas with revisiting 'whales', chasing the Baccarat Dragon, comps, and carpet joints. It also reminds that even celebrities like Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jordan, Donald Trump, and Charlie Rose can't evade the moth's destiny re: flame. Constantly dodging allegations of ties to and involvement with mob figures, Steve Wynn isn't RUNNING SCARED but walking tall with colorful mob figures like Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, Meyer Lansky, Jimmy Hoffa, little Nicky Scarfo, Vincent "The Fish" Cafaro, Benny Eggs Mangano, Tony "Cakes" Castelbuono, and Vincent "Jimmie Blue Eyes" Alo, all of which add flavor to the desert tones. Anyone who's been to Vegas knows that the house has the edge and always wins, making RUNNING SCARED a bright light being put on how much effort Vegas in general and Steve Wynn in specific put forth in making sure you leave with less money in your pocket than when you arrived. Going with the ad slogan that "what happens in Vegas", Wynn's machinations ensure that that follows him around the rest of his life, especially where licensing proceedings are concerned. In fact, RUNNING SCARED had Steve running scared, trying to prevent its publication and expose of the Mafia laundromat of illicit cash. That, in and of itself makes it worth the price of admission. So roll the dice and take your chances. Press your advantage, slip into Wynn's moccasins and try RUNNING SCARED--see what's in the cards.

[Lindsey Geddes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duh!!! John L. Smith “Everyone” literally everyone knows Steve Wynn had mob connections known and unknown. It is part of doing gaming business in Nevada …pretty much anywhere there is a casino. It goes with the territory. John L. Smith the author of Running Scared loves I mean loves poking the hornets nest! So much so he was sued by Steven Wynn over this book for defamation and was forced to declare bankruptcy. Sorry bro! Again goes along with the territory with writing an expose about a man with a huge temper, money & power ( Smith was also sued by Sheldon Adelson for the same reasons). John Smith is a local Las Vegas Journalist and Investigative Reporter a very good one. Running scared is written in a a journalistic style which can make it hard to read, but his expert research makes up for it. Growing up Vegas, I knew most of the stories about Steve Wynn but got the extra tidbits from Running Scared to fill in the hows & whys. It is definitely the book to read about Steve. Regardless of the grudge the author has against his subject, Steve Wynn was a genius at what he did. Vegas would be nowhere near what is today with out him. This book was published in 2001 and ends with a begrudging line from the author. I found the author’s last lines hilarious because Steve Wynn only went above and beyond from where this book ended.

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading /Running Scared: the Life and Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn/, by John Smith.

Steve Wynn almost prevented the book's publication by suing its original publisher, Barricade Books, out of existence for alleged defamation (despite the 1st Amendment, setting some interesting case law precedent):

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/08/bu...

A lot of the book concerns Wynn's connections to organized crime (and disorganized crime, too). It's well-researched and well-written.

One amusing anecdote:

Wynn divorces his wife Elaine after 23 years of marriage, but 5 years later they "remarried. 'Steve just never got around to moving out,' Elaine told a reporter. 'We regret to say that the divorce just didn't work out,' Steve quipped."

[David Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made my day. This book is not written just some kind of business coach who only guesses how the gaming business works. This is a book from a person who owned a casino in Las Vegas. In addition to an interesting topic, Mr. Smith tells in detail about the history, colorful characters and atmosphere of exotic Las Vegas. This book inspired me to go to Las Vegas and catch luck. So I'm playing in online slot machines real money no deposit now. I'm training now to win the jackpot in Las Vegas.

[Ogi Ogas · Rating 3 out of 5]

My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me, and not an evaluation of literary merit, entertainment value, social importance, humor, insightfulness, scientific accuracy, creative vigor, suspensefulness of plot, depth of characters, vitality of theme, excitement of climax, satisfaction of ending, or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never knew Steve Wynn built so many of the big casinos in Las Vegas, including the Bellagio. This book was written before his newer casinos were built, Wynn and Encore, both of which I have been to and love.

[Jason Orthman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Focussed on the earlier parts of his career and speculated on those he associated with.

[Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

large-scale construction and massive casinos are useful for money-laundering; who knew??

[Rhonda Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm another one who found this book in a bookstore at the Las Vegas McCarron Airport. The book's thesis statement is that Steve Wynn, despite the squeaky clean image legally required by Nevada gaming officials, keeps some shady company and might even indulge in some base activities. Well, duh.

Vegas isn't Plymouth Colony. The town was founded/invented by mobster Bugsy Siegel. Plus, I'm writing this review in the shadow/context of the separation of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. Over the years (decades!), we've seen a lot of powerful men with big egos and demanding, uh, appetites. I'm not excusin,' but that kind of shenanigans might go with the territory? Maybe what some of us ladies call "Testosterone Toxicity?"

All that said, the behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all story made for a fun read. The book is really investigative journalism, so there's a reliance upon documentation in the text and in endnotes so the book feels more like a paper-bound case file.

I have to admit that, after having seen the casino's Wynn has dreamed up (The Wynn, The Bellagio), I was thirsting for a book about his creative process, how he makes his decisions. How he chooses who he hires - and I suspect it's less about his alleged associations and more about his imagination. Because his physical vision is slipping from retinitis pigmentosa. Yes, the man admired for his vision is going blind.

So, if you're interested in Las Vegas history, alleged mob history, entertainment history, this is a good book to seek out.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I totally fell in business-love with Wynn when I went to a Tony Robbins Business Mastery event and heard him speak. There is SO little written about him. This was one of the few books I could find, and it reads more like an expose with a grudge than a real biography. It makes a huge deal of insinuating Wynn had mafia ties which he's always denied. But lets be real: The man is a casino Magnate in Las Vegas. Of COURSE he has mob ties and of COURSE he's going to deny it. Ever heard of Omerta??? DUUHHH.

If they could have gotten some cool stories ABOUT his mob connections, now that would have been interesting. But just saying he was seen in the same place with so-and-so, he hired so-and-so.. yeah yeah. Like you can create multiple casinos on the level he has in Vegas during the times he did it and NOT work with the Mafia. Maybe today you can... I think that might be naieve, too.

I still love the man, but was very disappointed that this book spent more time trying to tarnish him for his associations and for how he spends his money (if you earn it I figure you have the right to spend it however you want - especially considering the thousands of people all over the world who feed their families because this man has created their job) than trying to help anyone learn from his accomplishments.

[Ryan Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking for this book since it was first published...and i finally found it. Ironically, at the las vegas airport on my way home. When it was originally published, Steve Wynn filed lawsuits that forced the original publisher into bankruptcy. Consequently, only 30,000 copies were sold . Now, in this newly revised and updated version, additionaly new material, comes the biography of the man behind The Mirage, Treasure Island and one of my favorites - The Bellagio. This is the story of the controversial rise to fame hotel developers in Vegas. I loved this book -- his mob connections, his managerial style, and his family life. My only disappointment is there is no mention of the new hotels --Wynn or Encore..although admitedly those may be too new.

Great read for those of us who love Vegas. If you're into Mob history, this is definitely a great footnote.

I loved this book.

[Joel Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

WYNN COULD NOT GET A LICENSE IN ANY MARKET OUTSIDE OF LAS VEGAS AND ATLANTIC CITY DUE LARGELY TO MOB CONNECTION INNUENDOS. HE WAS WELL CONNECTED IN BOTH OF THESE MARKETS.

Wynn had mob connections stemming from his time in the industry back in the the late 60s and 70s. He inherited shady relationship from this Dad.

Overextending with the building of Bellagio resulted in him having to sell into a takeover from Kirk Kerkorian in 2000.

Steve's Dad Mike was a gambler. He died at age 46 (Steve was 21) due to complications from rheumatic fever.

Vegas was established in 1910.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, what a mean-spirited smear job. Let me get this straight. A casino boss in Vegas had relationships with "undesirables"? Had mistresses? Was overly ambitious on his climb to the top, knocking people around? Fought for tax advantages and political favors?Built an exclusive golf club to cater to high rollers? Is hot-tempered? No shit....The author did a good job researching things, but he obviously has an axe to grind with his subject...

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a bit hard to follow all of the names that the author included, but they were all necessary. The time line did not always seem to be linear. On a couple of occassions one item would be discussed that seemed to happen after the next item covered. Excellent look at the man Steve Wynn really is.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worked for Steve for about four years and this book infuriated him (like a lot of things.)
You have to admire Wynn's unfailing well of innovative ideas.
I got a firsthand chance to see him angry and what the results could be.

I work for myself now…

[Carolyn Heinze · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing surprising here. Steve Wynn hangs with mobsters! Bought it for the cocaine and hooker parts, and there aren't nearly enough of those. Shoulda played one last slot machine in the departures lounge at the Vegas airport.

[Marcy Marzola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. It was hard to follow as the book jumps around in the timeline. It could have been structured better. I would recommend having a back ground in Las Vegas history before reading it. At the very least, have traveled to the Strip and Downtown.

[Sarah]

this was a dollar at the booksmith. hopefully it will be worth that and more!

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Wynn has been a mainstay in Vegas for years. Here you learn how he got to where he is and who he stepped on to get there.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Wynn sparked the inspiration that is now modern day Las Vegas casinos. Follow his life from a poor boy to the Casino King of Las Vegas! He's a personal hero/inspiration of mine. Loved the book!

[Sky Opila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting book. However, the organization of the book was tough to follow at times. Found myself re-reading portions to make sure I knew the who's who and what's what of each section.

[Esteban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the easiest style of writing, but entertaining, a must read for those that travel to Wynn a lot.

[martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this if you're going to Vegas. Interesting, but then you'll have to read a more recent one, to find out what happens! There is a lot in here besides Steve Wynn.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was really good read, lots of detail didn't stop a good story being told...very inspiring...

[Laura]

Colorful history of one of the most colorful towns in America.

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative and unbiased this book broadened my knowledge on the history of glam Vegas.

[Alex Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like it - a project book by a journo, but just not that interesting.

[Frank Palardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward biography of Wynn.