The mob's control over Las Vegas casinos from the mid-1940s to late 1970s is well-documented, but contrary to popular belief, they didn't use the surrounding desert as a massive burial ground for their victims.

According to Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits at the Las Vegas Mob Museum, the number of mob-related bodies actually found in the desert can be counted on two hands, not the hundreds that popular culture suggests.

The misconception gained traction after the 1963 New York Times bestseller "The Green Felt Jungle," which first exposed the criminal ownership behind Las Vegas Strip casinos.

Mobsters typically avoided murders in Las Vegas to protect their casino businesses. Notable mob hits occurred elsewhere:

• Bugsy Siegel was killed in Beverly Hills
• Gus Greenbaum met his end in Phoenix
• Tony Spilotro was murdered in Chicago
• Russian Louis Strauss was killed in California

The mob's casino influence declined due to several factors:

• The 1967 Corporate Gaming Act allowed corporations to own casinos
• Howard Hughes's purchase of multiple properties starting with the Desert Inn
• Nevada Governor Michael Callahan's appointment of incorruptible Gaming Control Board members in the 1980s

While the mafia maintains a presence in Las Vegas today, their activities are limited to illegal operations like drugs, prostitution, and money laundering, far removed from their former casino empire.

The recent discovery of a body in a Lake Mead barrel likely dates back to the mob's decline, possibly an informant killed during a period of heightened paranoia within the organization.

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