Ace Rothstein Car Bombing



The Ace Rothstein Car Bombing is a notable moment in the Scorseseverse. It was first depicted in Casino in 1995.

Background
In 1973, Sam "Ace" Rothstein was brought in by the American Midwest mob bosses to run the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas as part of their skim operation and would soon send Ace's friend and enforcer, Nicky Santoro to look after him. Ten years later, things had fallen apart between Ace and Nicky and also for the skim itself as the bosses had been arraigned in court, leading to most would-be informants within the operation to be killed, or "whacked." While the bosses still saw value in Ace, they were unsure about Nicky. Nicky's personal feud with Ace is heavily implied to have led to an attempt on Ace's life.

The Bombing
On October 4, 1983, Ace exited Tony Roma's Restaurant in Las Vegas, having finished his dinner. Entering his Buick in the parking lot, Ace put his key in the ignition and began to turn it, signalling a peculiar fire, catching his attention. Escaping just in time, Ace looks up from the pavement as his car goes up in flames.

The Punishment
While no one claimed public responsibility for the car bombing, the key suspect in Chicago mob boss's Remo Gaggi's assessment was Nicky, who still harbored a grudge against Ace from their time in Las Vegas. On June 14, 1984, Nicky and his brother, Dominick Santoro would be whacked by Frankie Marino and members of his crew.

Ace's Epilogue
By 1995, Ace would be living in San Diego and working as a sports bookie, similar to his days prior to moving to Las Vegas in 1973. That part of his life, including the bombing were now behind him.

Danaverse Connection
In the Scorseseverse, the car bombing was an unauthorized hit on figures involved in the skim operation after the bosses had been arraigned. It also signaled the end of the mob's influence on Las Vegas and specifically, Tangiers.

Information
The events of Casino are based in part on the life of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who provides the basis for Ace Rothstein. Nicky Santoro is one of at least two characters in the Multiverse who serve as a fictional basis for Tony "the Ant" Spilotro, the other being Ray Luca of Crime Story. Indeed, Casino itself has characters serving as avatars for real life people.