LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There’s no doubt Las Vegas is the Entertainment Capital of the World. Millions visit our casinos every year. But once upon a time, Cuba was the gambling mecca.
13 Action News reporter Alyssa Bethencourt shows us how Cuba’s downfall, led to the rise of Las Vegas.
It’s 1958 in Havana, Cuba. American tourists are flocking to the island, enjoying everything its luxurious hotels, white sand beaches and casinos have to offer.
CUBAN PLAYGROUND
“Cuba was built as America’s playground," says UNLV Professor, Tony Henthorne.
The country is thriving and considered one of the most advanced in Latin America.
“Cuba was the number one draw in the Caribbean. Number one," says Henthorne.
But while tourists eagerly spin the roulette wheel in Havana, a revolution is brewing in the less glamorous countryside, where locals are fed up with the leadership under dictator Fulgencio Batista, who's profiting from the island's success.
“Batista was an incredibly corrupt individual. The people were really getting the short end of the stick. It was really bad how they were treated. They weren’t allowed anything basically," says Henthorne.
Henthorne has studied Cuba's rich history. He explains, Batista brought in mafia kingpin Meyer Lansky from Las Vegas and appointed him as the Chief Gaming Officer on the island. Together, their goal was to do everything better in Havana.
“It was like Vegas on steroids," says Henthorne.
The booming hospitality industry raked in millions every month. But the success was short lived and crumbled just as fast as it blossomed.
“Casinos were only down there for about 10 years realistically. They got their start in the early 50’s and by the end of the 50’s they were gone. But in that 10-year period of time, they rivaled what was happening in Vegas," says Henthorne.
FALL OF BATISTA
By the end of 1958, Cubans from all walks of life, united in opposition against Batista. The stage was set for revolution and many looked to Fidel Castro, a well respected lawyer, who lacked political experience, but promised change.
I spoke with my grandfather, Eddy Blanco, who now lives in Los Angeles and was a Castro supporter once upon a time.
“What we wanted first and foremost was freedom. Freedom to do what we wanted… and we thought that’s what we were going to get with Fidel," says Eddy.
He says Cubans were looking for equality. So, on New Year's Eve 1958, Castro and his troops marched into Havana and defeated Batista's army. Batista however, was nowhere to be found.
“He fled, left the country.. sacked the treasury and took all the money with him and left... BUTTED That basically transpired in one day," says Henthorne.
In protest of the government's corruption, Cubans ransacked the casinos, destroying most of what Batista built. Castro immediately eliminated gambling, changing the island for decades to come.
“Cuba was truly paradise. But it was ruined by communism under Fidel Castro. In reality, he came in and that was the beginning of the end, and now look at where we are,” says Eddy.
Cubans quickly caught on to Castro’s communist intentions, along with the rest of the world. The U.S. government eventually issued travel restrictions and trade embargo, closing off the popular Caribbean playground to Americans.
"Las Vegas, Nevada: from the air, Vegas as they call it, looks like the small town it is. 35,000 permanent population, 7 million is the temporary population. 7 million tourists that annually pour in by bus and plane and train and that leaves $122 million gross," says a 1950s newsreel.
“When Havana shutdown, it was basically a boost for Vegas because they no longer had the competition anymore... I think if Cuba had maintained I don’t think we’d see Vegas how it is today," says Henthorne.
STUCK IN TIME
Meanwhile, in modern day Havana, the remnants of a once glamorous past are everywhere.
“Havana is caught in 1959... The buildings are old. The cars are old. Street signs are old. There really hasn’t been a lot of development since that period in time," says Henthorne.
Just another example of how Latinos, whether directly or indirectly, have helped to make Sin City what it is today.
The travel embargo is still in place today. Many of Castro's supporters ended up fleeing the country when they realized his communist intentions, including Alyssa's family.
Between 1959 and 1970, half a million Cubans left the island, expecting to go back a few months later. Now almost 60 years, they’ve yet to return.
