Singer’s gaming license yanked at Tahoe

Friday, May 15, 1998 | 9:17 a.m.

He owned a 50 percent interest in the Cal Neva Lodge on the north shore, but had his license yanked in 1963.

Mob boss Sam Giancana was blacklisted from Nevada casinos because of his Mafia ties, but he also was a friend of Sinatra's.

The Nevada Gaming Commission pulled Sinatra's license after Giancana showed up at the resort that abuts the California state line.

Sinatra then sold his Nevada holdings for $3.5 million. He also had a 9 percent stake in the Sands in Las Vegas.

The entertainer was back at the lake in December 1963 after his son, Frank Jr., was kidnapped during a lounge engagement at Harrah's Lake Tahoe. Sinatra holed up at the Mapes in Reno while overseeing efforts to raise the ransom money demanded by the kidnappers.

It was his last visit to northern Nevada for 12 years. He returned to Harrah's Lake Tahoe in 1974 for a family show with Frank Jr. and his daughter Nancy.

In August 1975 he appeared in back-to-back concerts at Tahoe with John Denver that drew more high-rollers than any concert or concerts since, according to Reno Councilwoman Candace Pearce, who worked for Harrah's at the time.

His last performance in northern Nevada was in April 1988 at Bally's, now the Reno Hilton. Return engagements booked for November 1989 and February 1990 both were canceled for health reasons.