Nevada Gaming Commission Weighs Removal of Deceased Mobsters From Black Book

TL;DR: The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider removing William Cammisano Jr. and Peter Ribaste - both deceased Kansas City organized crime figures - from Nevada's Black Book (List of Excluded Persons). The Commission follows standard practice of delisting individuals after death, though both men had extensive ties to organized crime operations in Las Vegas.

Background on the Black Book

Nevada's List of Excluded Persons, commonly known as the Black Book, represents one of the gaming industry's most recognizable regulatory enforcement tools. The list identifies individuals banned from entering Nevada casinos due to their suspected organized crime connections or other threats to gaming integrity. While the Nevada Gaming Commission does not maintain a fixed schedule for reviewing additions or removals, such decisions occur periodically. The most recent update to the list occurred in April 2026, when regulators made a rare decision to ban an illegal bookmaker.

The Two Mobsters Under Review

William Cammisano Jr. was added to the Black Book in January 1997 after Las Vegas authorities documented multiple visits to the city by alleged Kansas City organized crime figures. Cammisano was the son of Kansas City mob enforcer William "Willie the Rat" Cammisano Sr. According to a 1989 Associated Press report, he was accused of killing two organized crime figures - one through bombing and another through shooting - to maintain his standing within the Kansas City syndicate. He also allegedly met with Chicago Outfit members to discuss the Kansas City family's share of proceeds from the sale of four Argent casinos. Cammisano died in 2023, reportedly from COVID-19.

Peter Ribaste was listed in the Black Book following a 1998 Las Vegas Sun article detailing his longstanding connections to the Kansas City mob. Ribaste worked directly under Kansas City crime boss Carl Civella and underboss Carl DeLuna. After relocating to Las Vegas's Spanish Trails development in 1989, he entered the automobile business by acquiring an ownership stake in the Carriage Car III dealership on South Decatur. His purchase was partially financed by a $100,000 loan from Horseshoe Club co-owner Ted Binion - a transaction that later contributed to gaming regulators revoking Binion's gaming license. Ribaste died in 2021, also reportedly from COVID-19.

Why This Matters

The potential removal of these individuals reflects the Commission's established protocol while underscoring Nevada's decades-long vigilance against organized crime infiltration. Though both men are deceased and pose no current operational threat, their cases represent a significant chapter in Nevada gaming regulation's evolution. The Black Book itself has become emblematic of the state's regulatory posture - serving not merely as a practical enforcement tool but as a historical record of the gaming industry's relationship with organized crime.

Removing deceased individuals from the list aligns regulatory practice with administrative efficiency while maintaining the historical integrity of the Black Book as a documented archive.

Our take: The delisting review illustrates Nevada's mature regulatory framework, where enforcement mechanisms adapt based on contemporary risk assessment rather than historical legacy alone. This procedural approach reflects broader industry confidence in modern anti-money laundering and integrity protocols.