Crime Figure. Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal received notoriety for attempting to bribe a New York University basketball player in 1963, which was a crime that he pled guilty to committing, and his close connections with organized crime figures. He had been arrested numerous times, invoked his 5th Amendment Right 37 times, but never charged with breaking the law. Immortalized by actor Robert de Niro, who played the Rosenthal's character in the 1995 Martin Scorsese film “Casino,” he would later regret pleading guilty to this crime. The film “Casino” was based on Nicholas Pileggi's R osenthal biography “ Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.” Star ting as a young man in Chicago, he had been a successful bookmaker and gambler in Chicago and Florida before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas Strip in the 1970s following his Florida conviction. With his connections with Chicago Organized Crime, he was put in charge of running the casino at the recently-purchased Stardust Hotel, along with the Hacienda, Marina and Fremont Hotels, by Argent Corporation. Though the years, federal, state and local gaming officials in Nevada confirmed that these Argent Corporation casinos were controlled by organized crime families. It was during this time that Rosenthal introduced the sports book to major casinos, laying the groundwork for all major casinos on the Las Vegas Strip to build their own race and sports books. The Stardust Casino point spread became the defacto official "Line" for sports gamblers across the country. Rosenthal's relationship with Chicago enforcer Anthony "the Ant" Spilotro is well-documented, both in print and in film. Spilotro's character, who was portrayed in the film “Casino” by Joe Pesci, was alleged to be involved in numerous murders from Chicago to Las Vegas. Among the many candidates, Spilotro was thought to be involved in a 1982 attempt to kill Rosenthal by planting a bomb in Rosenthal's Cadillac. Due to his long-time association with Spilotro, and alleged involvement with Chicago Organized Crime figures, as well as his earlier Florida conviction, Rosenthal was denied a gaming license by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and ultimately banned for life in 1987 from all Nevada casinos by virtue of being listed in the "Black Book". Following his banishment from Nevada, Rosenthal retired to California with his children, and ultimately returned to Florida where he managed a sports handicapping website.