The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday will consider removing a Las Vegas man from its Black Book of excluded persons to give him a chance to perform in casinos. Typically, that happens only after someone dies, but this time the Commission will consider the petition from an aging Francis Citro, Jr.
The 80-year-old Citro has been in the Black Book for more than 30 years and made a request at the end of 2025 for his name to be removed. The Commission apparently decided there was a compelling reason to have a hearing.
Citro was added to the list in 1991, the 21st person to be included on it. Today, there are 37 on the list, with the Commission expected to have a hearing soon on adding bookmakers Matthew Bowyer and Wayne Nix, whose actions led to multi-million fines against Strip resorts.
Citro’s criminal history placed him on the list. According to published reports, he pleaded guilty to extortion in 1980 and conspiracy to use counterfeit credit cards in 1987; he was convicted under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in California in in 1986. He’s been convicted of four felonies.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that in his 1991 hearing, Citro, who goes by Frankie, was excluded by the Commission based on his “notorious and unsavory reputation as reflected in government crime reports, indictments, and newspaper articles.” The Review-Journal reported that at the hearing, Citro said his extortion charges were dropped after his appeal and that the counterfeit credit card charge was baseless.
The newspaper said Citro entertains at the Italian American Club in Las Vegas where he sings Italian folk songs and tells jokes about the mob. His removal from the Black Book would allow him to perform in casinos, from which he’s now banned.
Citro told the Review-Journal he’s convinced that one reason for his exclusion is his unwillingness to cooperate with police and implicate his friends in past crimes. He also said there was bias against Italian-Americans.
“If the Gaming Commission graces me [by] taking me out, I think every casino in the world is going to want me as a host,” Citro told the Review-Journal last year. “You understand what I’m saying? Because I’m a good guy. And people from all over are going to want to hear stories about Las Vegas’ past. All I want is a chance.”
