Late Sen. Kennedy bet big in Vegas on outcome of 1960 election

[clevfan]

Late Sen. Kennedy bet big in Vegas on outcome of 1960 election

September 21, 2009 | 8:40 am
Dispatches from Las Vegas
by Richard Abowitz
LA TIMES

I spent a little time this weekend reading the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's recently published memoir: "True Compass." I know you don't come to the Buffet for book reviews. But one paragraph leaped out at me on page 158. In it, Kennedy is remembering the lead-up to his brother's election to the presidency defeating Richard Nixon. Kennedy notes that he was never in doubt about his brother's ultimate victory. How confident was he? Kennedy writes:

"And, believe me, I knew the odds. I was so certain of Jack's victory that I placed a Las Vegas bet on it. My winnings could have given me enough money to buy a new car, a really fancy new car. The speedy Aston Martin DB4 had just come out of England a couple years earlier, and I really wanted one. Well, I won that bet, but I never bought the car. I made the mistake of telling dad about it, and he hit the roof ... He went at me tooth and nail. I never did collect on my bet ... "

There were odds beyond polls? This baffled me, because I can not imagine where in Vegas you could legally place a bet on a presidential election. I assume illegal bets are possible anywhere. But Kennedy did not merely mention a bet, but gives this bet a geographical location, Las Vegas, where some kinds of gambling are in fact legal. His implication is that this was such a bet, ruined only by his father's objection to gambling.

Certainly, Kennedy could have easily come here to make his bet, and he would have had a couple of other reasons to hit Vegas as well. The book makes clear his family had friendly relations with Vegas entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. at the time. And Kennedy further relates that his job for part of his brother's campaign had him responsible for the Western states, in which he spent months working diligently. So, there is no doubt, as he claims, he could have placed a bet in Vegas, assuming such bets could be placed, on his brother being elected in the 1960 presidential contest. But I have a hard time believing Nevada Gaming Authorities would be OK with casinos taking bets on elections now or even then.

So, I have reached out to gambling experts and Vegas history experts and will call gaming authorities to try to find out if this story could be true and if there are any way casinos that can take nonsports bets. Any reader with insight into this scrap of history please feel free to enlighten me.

[sylf]

never believe a Kennedy when it comes to women or gambling

[Bobby C]

Books took action on "Who Shot JR?" and "Where will SkyLab land when it plummets to earth?". It was only after the former when the NGCB changed the law and limited off-property prop bets to sports and horses.

So I have no trouble imagining Teddy getting down on the race.

[SlipperyPete]

He won but didnt collect????

[indio]

This spoiled brat was a disgrace. His "daddy" wouldn't let him collect? Are you serious? What was he? 12 years old or something?

This family was something else. Papa Joe, who was politically dead himself after publicly supporting Hitler before WW2 broke out, was about as dirty and sleazy as they come. Made his fortune selling short while the country was going broke in the crash of '29, and then got put in charge of the exchange by his pal FDR. Kind of like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. All the while running illegal booze, and nailing everything in Hollywood as he was promising naive young girls they would be stars in the movie business that he was involved with at the time.

If Ted Kennedy did make a bet (which I doubt), his father would have been pretty furious because he helped rig the election and certainly wouldn't want any extra light on him.

This family was ruthless. Thankfully, all the 3rd generation Kennedy's are practically afterthoughts in the political landscape, although they certainly have their share of power in the legal and financial sectors.

I can see certain people's appeal for the Kennedy's, what I cannot understand though, is how naive some are to believe these people were righteous and saints.

But i guess JFK had a valid point when he said, it's not what you are that matters, it's what people think you are that does. I don't happen to share that opinion anymore (although I once swore by it), but I do understand it, and in the world of politics and big business, I suppose unfortunately it's a necessity.