Howard Hughes Bought 6 Las Vegas Casinos—Then $50M Vanished

“Howard Hughes bought six Las Vegas casinos during one of the biggest shifts in American business history. By 1970, he learned that roughly $50 million had been skimmed from his casino profits. In 1966, the Desert Inn told billionaire Howard Hughes it was time to leave. Instead of checking out, he bought the hotel. Within two years, Hughes owned six casinos and thousands of acres around Las Vegas. But many people from the old casino operations remained in place, and the skim continued. The bigger story was what was happening to Las Vegas itself. Hughes arrived as the city was beginning to move beyond its mob-era casino image and toward a more corporate future. His money, business empire, and famous name became part of a major transformation in Las Vegas history and the American casino industry. This is the business and economic history behind Howard Hughes, organized crime, corporate Las Vegas, and the $50 million that disappeared from his casino profits. So did Howard Hughes change Las Vegas—or did Las Vegas use Howard Hughes to change its reputation? #BusinessHistory #EconomicHistory #HowardHughes”