EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to another installment of “Vegas Myths Busted,” your Monday staple with a special Flashback Friday feature. The story we’re revisiting today first appeared on July 17, 2023.

Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal’s name is synonymous with the high stakes and shadowy corners of Las Vegas history. As the secret overseer of the Stardust, Fremont, Marina, and Hacienda casinos between 1974 and 1978 on behalf of the Chicago mafia—without a gaming license, no less—he ensured the mob’s coffers swelled by at least $1.6 million from casino skims. His earlier endeavors in the ’50s included rigging sporting events, leading to multiple indictments for sports bribery. Moreover, his suspected involvement in business and car bombings in Miami during the ’60s propelled him toward Las Vegas in 1968.

However, amidst these notorious achievements lies an unexpected feather in Rosenthal’s cap: he is often credited as being the first Las Vegas Strip resort operator to employ female dealers at table games—a move seen by some as pioneering for women’s rights within the industry.

But does this claim hold up under scrutiny?

Contrary to popular belief, women had been dealing cards in downtown Las Vegas long before Rosenthal made his mark on the Strip. Historical records show job advertisements seeking female card dealers dating back to 1943 through to 1958. Their increasing presence sparked concern among male dealers about job security, leading to a successful campaign for an ordinance that banned women from dealing cards—a restriction that stood for twelve years.

Joanne Goodwin, a professor emerita of history at UNLV and founding director of the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada, highlighted that job opportunities were broadly divided by sex and race across most US businesses at that time. Despite this ban within city limits, some women continued their trade just outside it, particularly in North Las Vegas and Henderson areas because technically, they weren’t part of Las Vegas proper.

This distinction is crucial because it dispels a common misconception: The Strip has never fallen within Las Vegas city boundaries. It wasn’t until August 1970 that Jean Brady shattered this particular glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to deal cards on the Las Vegas Strip at Jack Piper’s Silver Slipper Casino—a venue never under Rosenthal’s control.

Jean Brady was not driven by feminist motivations when she joined Silver Slipper as its first female blackjack dealer; her decision was purely practical. “I’m not fighting for any rights for women,” Brady remarked to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in August 1970. “I’m just trying to take the best job opportunity available to me.” Her hiring represented a significant milestone during a period when gender discrimination was prevalent across various sectors—including casinos—highlighted by State Labor Commissioner Stanley Jones’ directive one month prior ordering Desert Inn Casino to cease its discriminatory practices against aspiring female dealers.

Thus unfolds another chapter in our exploration of Vegas lore—where fact often diverges dramatically from myth—but always reveals fascinating insights into how Sin City became what it is today.