levinson and his brothers moved to newport, kentucky, in the 1930s, where they dominated illegal gambling. in the 1940s he moved to miami, then in 1952 to las vegas, where he became a part owner and operator of various legitimate hotels and casinos. for several years he ran the fremont hotel and casino. illegal fbi tapes seemed to show that levinson was involved in skimming profits for delivery to hidden underworld partners. in the 1960s he became involved in enterprises in which he was associated with senior politicians of the democratic party.