The series fell into some glamorization-of-the-Mob traps that writers fall prey to. They overlooked or underemphasized the impact of two "big picture" developments:

First, after gambling was legalized in 1931, the Nevada authorities welcomed the gangsters because they were bringing lots of money into the state. Since the gangsters were operating out in the open, a lot of the secrecy and backstabbing that lead to jealousy, paranoia--and violence--were avoided, and the gangsters generally (but not always) cooperated with each other. But after the televised Kefauver and McClellen hearings exposed the role of organized crime in Nevada gambling, the Legislature created the Gaming Commission and gave it two big teeth: the power to license key employees of casinos; and the "Black Book," a compendium of people who could be barred from even entering a casino (much less owning or operatin one) because of criminal records or unsavory reputations. The Gaming Commission drove the gangsters underground, which amplified skimming and created conditions for violent competition. It was, in its own way, like Prohibition.

Second, writers always like to say that when Howard Hughes went on his Vegas buying spree, he paved the way for legitimate businesses to own casinos. Not exactly. Nevada had been the only state with legalized gambling. But, beginning around 1970, other states began legalizing some forms of gambling, such as lotteries, off-track betting--and casinos. The money potential was so gigantic that existing major hotel chains like Hilton saw huge profits in buying or building casino/hotels. The potential also created new entrepreneurs like Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, and attracted real estate tycoons like Donald Trump. It was "good business," not just Howard Hughes's example.