Notorious casino era studied at discussion
Author relates Spa City’s notorious casino era
George King fled Saratoga Springs because he feared for his family’s lives.
It was the price the former Broadway pharmacist paid for having direct ties to some of the underworld’s most notorious figures, who reigned supreme at the Spa City’s many illegal casinos before their demise in the early 1950s.
King’s son, author Joseph Cutshall-King, discussed this colorful chapter in local history during a Monday presentation of his book, “The Burning of the Piping Rock,” with nearly 100 people on hand at The Summit at Saratoga, a seniors residence in Wilton.
“My obsession with the Piping Rock Casino began with a comment my father made to me when I was 11 years old,” Cutshall-King said. “He told me that he sold the Scotch tape and cellophane an arsonist named ‘Harry the Torch’ used to burn the casino in 1954. Harry’s real name was Benny. When he came around people would say, ‘Uhoh, Benny’s in town. Something’s going to get warm.’”
Pharmacist George King worked at MacFinn’s Drug Store at 396 Broadway from 194652. The business was owned by James A. Leary, the head of Saratoga’s powerful Republican Party machine and a partner in crime with the infamous “Unholy Trinity” of mob bosses — Meyer Lansky, Frank Costello and Joe Adonis.
The city’s first illegal casino, The Brook, was located near the corner of West Avenue and Church Street, owned by bigtime gambler Arnold Rothstein of New York, who was responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series, what became known as the “Black Sox Scandal.” Rothstein sold The Brook in 1925. He was murdered in 1928, the casino closed two years later and burned in 1934.
From this time until the mid1970s, Saratoga Springs had the highest arson rate of any city in the country, as mob-related “night clubs” opened, flourished and went out of business. “Most of them burned ‘mysteriously’,” Cutshall-King said.
In fact, there’s no doubt who was responsible. The only question is what or who might have been inside each building when they went up flames.
“There are many unsolved mysteries in Saratoga dealing with arson and murder,” he said.
The real heyday of illegal casinos was the years immediately following World War II when big-name entertainers such as Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Sophie Tucker and Joe E. Lewis performed at the Piping Rock, the nearby Meadowbrook and Saratoga Lake houses such as the Arrowhead, Newman’s and Riley’s.
Most were named for places on Long Island’s opulent North Shore, whose wealthy residents expected and got the same lavish treatment in Saratoga, which they enjoyed at Manhattan’s most upscale night clubs. Saratoga casino dining rooms could seat from 500 to 1,000 people and hosted elaborate entertainment with orchestras and dancers.
Behind the scenes, huge sums of money changed hands at illegal gambling operations.
Cutshall-King said Chrysler Corp. founder Walter Chrysler once lost $400,000 in a single night, but won it all back plus $200,000 more the very next night.
Area residents, public officials and police not only looked the other way, but actually helped make this era possible, CutshallKing said. This included Saratoga Springs police, Saratoga County sheriff’s department, state police, the state Legislature and governor, he said.
The fun stopped, partially in response to a growing number of mob assassinations, when freshman U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver, of Tennessee, launched the Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce. Its 1951 report ranked Saratoga Springs No. 13 on a list of the country’s “dirtiest” cities, one place ahead of New York.
Miami was number one.
Saratoga’s casinos fell silent.
The Piping Rock, located at the northwest corner of Union Avenue and Gilbert Road, was seized by the federal government for $1 million plus back taxes.
Leary, George King’s boss, was indicted on gambling and racketeering charges.
“My family fled Saratoga in 1952 because of him,” Cutshall-King said.
Leary was acquitted at trial, however, as witnesses — fearing for their personal safety — testified “correctly,” Cutshall-King said.
In 1953, the Piping Rock was sold at auction for $21,000.
It burned to the ground in a spectacular fire on the night of Aug. 16, 1954, during the middle of Saratoga’s racing season.
A few days beforehand, mob associate Art Verra hurriedly went to Cuba, leaving his wife, kids and home behind — apparently aware that something bad was about to go down at the Piping Rock, in Saratoga Springs.
The building was underinsured, so its owner didn’t benefit financially from the loss.
Cutshall-King still wonders what secrets the Piping Rock contained, and why the mob felt so threatened that they had it reduced to a pile of rubble and ash.
It’s one of those mysteries, like many in Saratoga, which might never be solved.
In January 2004, 50 years after the Piping Rock fire, a new era in Spa City gambling was ushered in — this time legally and with state government receiving a share of profits — when Saratoga’s harness track casino opened. It was the first of nine racetrack casinos in the state.
Now there are four commercial casinos, including Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, and 12 Native American casinos as well.