Carl Cohen was an American businessman. He was a well-known executive in the gambling resort industry in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the 1940s through 1970s and is credited with playing an important role in the development of Las Vegas as a premier resort destination. He began his career as a bookie and operator in illegal gambling clubs operated by the Mayfield Road Mob in Cleveland, Ohio. Moving to Las Vegas, he became casino manager for the El Rancho Vegas in the 1940s and the Sands Hotel and Casino in the 1950s; he also had a controlling interest in both resorts. He advanced to senior vice president of the Sands and, in 1973, became senior vice president of the newly opened MGM Grand Hotel. He gained national notoriety for a 1967 altercation with Frank Sinatra at the Sands, in which he responded to the singer's drunken and aggressive behavior by punching him in the mouth and knocking the caps off his front teeth.
