(PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.) SMOKIES.LIVE – Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge has a new exhibit featuring Las Vegas to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the legalization of gambling.
The exhibit titled “The House Always Wins: How the Mob Built Vegas,” features some authentic artifacts on Nevada’s legalization of gambling, which opened the door to the oasis in the desert that so many visit today.
“Millions of people visit Vegas each year and have likely left a few dollars behind in the slots or on the tables,” said Ally Pennington, artifacts and programs manager at Alcatraz East Crime Museum. “What some people may not know is the role the mob had in building the Vegas we know today.”
Artifacts featured in the exhibit include an ashtray from the El Rancho Casino, a bowtie once owned by mobster Meyer Lansky and a clock form gangster Allen Smiley. They will also learn about how a 20th-century land auction planted the seeds of “Sin City.”
Gambling was legalized in an effort to bring the state out of the Great Depression in 1931. Today, 41 million people visit the city with a total gaming revenue of $8.62B.
The exhibit will be on display at the museum in Pigeon Forge until July 3, 2026, which opens daily at 10 a.m.
The museum features over 100 exhibits and interactives, as well as four temporary exhibit spaces, showcasing many famous items, including Al Capone’s rosary, Ted Bundy’s dental molds, and Charles Manson’s acoustic guitar.
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