Hi Dreamers. Last weekend we took a detour to our neighbors to the east, Las Vegas, Nevada.

I really hope you enjoyed that story as much as I enjoyed telling it to you.

I touched on a little bit about the history of organized crime.

More specifically, the relationship Casino Mogul Benny Binion had with it. But as you noticed, the episode went a little bit long, so I steered clear of getting too deep into the woods about it.

And there are several podcasts out there that are dedicated to the topic of the mafia.

So there is no need for me to get that in depth about it

But if any of you listening are like me

I mentioned in episode 40 that I have not extensively researched the history of organized crime or how it pertains to the rise of Las Vegas.

As I went along in the story, I became curious myself, wanting to know a little bit more about

the subject, so I figured I put up a short bonus just in case anyone would like to join me for this cursory look at the tale of Las Vegas and the mafia.

So what is the mafia?

Specifically, the American mafia.

According to History.com, it is an organized crime network operated by Italian Americans across the United States,

most prominently in New York and Chicago.

The mafia's power and influence skyrocketed during the prohibition era of the 1920s with an extensive illegal liquor trade.

Once prohibition came to an end and liquor was no longer illegal,

the mafia shifted its criminal interest into other areas such as drug trafficking and illegal gambling.

They also had their hand into labor unions and legitimate businesses as well, such as construction, manufacturing, waste

management, trucking, nightclubs, restaurants, and the garment industry.

They'd make enormous restaurants and the garment industry.

They'd make enormous amounts of money via kickbacks and shakedowns.

A key to being able to get away with this was being able to have corrupt politicians, leaders of the

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