This gave him an idea to focus on a new book about the true story of mob infringement in Las Vegas during the 1970s, when filming of Goodfellas (whose screenplay he co-wrote with Scorsese) was coming to an end. The research for Casino began when news reporter and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi read a 1980 report from the Las Vegas Sun about a domestic argument between Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, a casino figure, and his wife Geri McGee, a former topless dancer.
Casino is based on New York crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.