Frank Rosenthal - Later Years and Death

Later Years and Death

Rosenthal survived an assassination attempt, in October 1982, after his car was rigged with explosives. He survived because his car was a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado which had a metal plate under the driver's seat (GM installed it to correct a balancing problem) which absorbed most of the force of the explosion. While nobody was ever charged, Milwaukee Mob Boss Frank Balistrieri was most likely responsible. Balistrieri, who was known as the "Mad Bomber" to law enforcement, was heard via wiretap blaming Rosenthal for the legal problems the mob-controlled casinos were having. Similarly, just weeks before the attempt, Balistrieri told his sons he intended to get "full satisfaction" from Rosenthal's perceived wrongdoing. Other less likely suspects include Spilotro, and outlaw bikers who were friends of his ex-wife, Geri Rosenthal.

Rosenthal left Las Vegas months later and retired to Laguna Niguel, California. He was officially forced out of Las Vegas in 1987, when he was placed in "the Black Book," making him persona non grata – unable to work in, or even enter, any Nevada casinos because of his alleged ties to organized crime. After Laguna Niguel, Rosenthal then moved to Boca Raton, Florida, and finally Miami Beach, where he ran a sports betting website and worked as a consultant for several offshore sports betting companies. He died on October 13, 2008 at the age of 79.