LAS VEGAS (AP) — Speakeasies, bootleggers, crime bosses and tough-guy accents pay homage to Las Vegas' mob roots in a pair of new attractions showcasing Sin City's criminal history.
The Tropicana casino and hotel opens its new "Mob Experience" Wednesday. The Las Vegas Strip attraction features gangster memorabilia and commentary from film mobsters James Caan, Mickey Rourke and Frank Vincent.
A second attraction, the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, is slated to open in December. The publicly-funded museum organized by Las Vegas mayor and former mob lawyer Oscar Goodman will highlight money laundering schemes, mob violence and the history of organized crime in Las Vegas and other cities.
For Las Vegas, the attractions represent an unprecedented embrace of its infamous founders.
Critics say the mob memorials glamorize violence and lawlessness.
