Who is Casino Owner Sam Braun?
Sam Braun was one of the most influential figures in Las Vegas casino history. As owner of casinos like the Tangiers and the Rampart, Braun built a billion-dollar gambling empire with deep organized crime connections that made him a legendary, but infamous, tycoon.
The Self-Made Casino Mogul
Sam Braun‘s journey to becoming a Vegas casino titan began humbly in the 1920s. Born Samuel Braunstein in 1907 in Chicago, his family later moved to Los Angeles. As a young man, Braun worked low-level jobs like selling newspapers and bootleg liquor. He was drawn to the fast-paced culture of nightclubs and speakeasies, soon operating his own underground establishments.
After prohibition ended, Braun founded legal bars and restaurants in LA. But he dreamed bigger – of running full-scale casino resorts like those proliferating in Las Vegas in the post-war boom.
In the 1940s and 50s, Braun started laying the groundwork for his future Vegas casino empire. He built up a rolodex of Hollywood celebrity friends to attract and entertain high rollers. He also cultivated relationships with mafia figures, syndicate investors who could finance his casinos behind the scenes.
In 1953, Braun made his first Vegas splash by opening the Tangiers Casino on the fledgling Strip. The 100-room Tangiers introduced VIP suites to Vegas and began bringing in A-list entertainers like Frank Sinatra who put on legendary late night shows.
Over the next several decades, Braun expanded his operations up and down the Strip. By the 1980s, he presided over a burgeoning casino empire.
The Casino Kingpin‘s Empire
At his peak, Sam Braun owned three major Las Vegas casinos – the Tangiers, Whiskey Town, and the Rampart – along with assorted other properties.
The Tangiers was his first Vegas casino, opened in 1953. The mob-financed Tangiers introduced luxury suites and top entertainment to Vegas. It reportedly earned up to $12 million a month in the 1960s.
Whiskey Town Casino was acquired by Braun in 1962. The Western-themed property featured a lively 24-hour casino and rooms starting at just $6 a night.
Pike‘s Gambling Hall opened in 1976 next to the Tangiers. The low-frills Pike‘s aimed to attract everyday gamblers off the Strip.
The Rampart Casino, opened in 1985, became Braun‘s crown jewel. Located on the prime Strip, the shiny art-deco Rampart catered to high rollers with its upscale casino, restaurants, and theater. It pulled in up to $30 million per month in the 90s.
Revenue of Sam Braun‘s Major Casinos in the 1990s
| Casino | Average Monthly Revenue |
|---|---|
| Rampart | $25-30 million |
| Tangiers | $8-12 million |
| Whiskey Town | $5-8 million |
At their peak, it‘s estimated Sam Braun‘s casinos generated well over $500 million in annual gaming revenue, cementing his status as a Vegas casino empire builder.
Braun‘s Organized Crime Ties
Sam Braun succeeded in Vegas not just because of business savvy – but thanks to organized crime connections. Braun had longstanding mafia ties dating back to his LA days that bankrolled his casinos and enabled his operations.
It was well-known that Chicago and Los Angeles mob families held hidden interests in Braun‘s properties. The Chicago Outfit reportedly financed construction of the Tangiers and got a 50% cut of profits. The LA syndicate also likely backed the Rampart and reaped skimmed earnings.
These mafia partnerships allowed Braun to gain footholds in a Vegas landscape increasingly controlled by national corporations. It also benefited organized crime groups seeking to expand into new rackets.
Beyond financing, the mob ties granted Braun access to the seamier side of Vegas. His casinos hosted backroom high-stakes poker games and offered comped suites to big time gamblers. The Rampart also enabled money laundering and other shady dealings.
While never officially implicated himself, Braun walked a fine line between legitimate business magnate and criminal syndicate partner. He had the business savvy to run highly profitable casinos but also the underground connections to enrich allies in the mafia.
The COO, Waitress, and Their Secret Daughter
Beyond his public business dealings, Sam Braun became known for a secret personal relationship that shocked the public when revealed.
For years in the 1960s, Braun carried on an affair with Lily Flynn, a dancer and cocktail waitress at one of his casinos. Flynn gave birth to a daughter in 1971 – future CSI character Catherine Willows.
Braun agreed to financially provide for the child but did not reveal himself as the father. Only as an adult did Catherine Willows discover through DNA evidence that Braun was her real father.
Their hidden father-daughter relationship became a juicy tabloid story when exposed on CSI. It also humanized the otherwise imposing figure of Sam Braun.
Behind Braun‘s larger-than-life casino kingpin persona, he grappled with family ties and personal relationships just like anyone. His complex history withFlynn and their daughter Catherine showed Braun in a more nuanced light.
The End of an Era
Sam Braun died in 1997 at the age of 90, marking the closing chapter of an iconic Vegas story. His vast casino empire was broken up and sold off by heirs and partners.
The properties Braun built from the ground up began vanishing from the neon-lit Strip. The Tangiers was demolished in 2000 after changing hands multiple times. The aging Rampart shuttered in 2006 and was later imploded to make way for a grander casino.
Braun‘s death signaled the end of an era he defined – when mobbed-up entrepreneurs like him could still gain a lasting foothold in Vegas. Corporate consolidation and increased regulation meant the days of freely mixing legitimate business interests with organized crime were over.
No longer would a creative hustler with the right connections build a billion-dollar empire in Vegas. But Sam Braun‘s decades-long influence and larger-than-life persona cement him as one of the most unforgettable figures in Las Vegas history. He left an imprint on America‘s playground likely to endure for decades to come.