California’s oldest card room, the venerable Normandie Casino in Gardena, is closing temporarily while new ownership is sought. The current owners, the Miller family, have been disqualified from possessing a casino license after pleading guilty to federal charges of money laundering.
The Normandie was one of the original six card rooms licensed in California, during the period when Gardena was known as the “Poker Capitol of the World” and operating for several years only in Gardena during the 1940s. For several decades Gardena had a monopoly on such clubs in the state.
The Miller family pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges in January and the California Gambling Control Commission delayed until last week in revoking the license. The commission gave the family 120 days to sell the property.
Some experts knowledgeable of the Southern California gaming scene have suggested that Larry Flynt, owner of the nearby Hustler Casino, might be the ideal person to buy the property. Robert Turner, a well-known poker player and casino manager told the Daily Breeze, “It makes a lot of sense for Larry Flynt to (buy the Normandie) because he has a parking problem at the Hustler, and the Normandie sits on 17 acres if you include the corner.”
Turner added, “If they build a hotel and convention area with a larger casino, they could give Hollywood Park Casino some competition. Hollywood Park is going to dominate the west side. What’s happening there brings unbelievable potential to the area.”
Several card clubs in the area, including the Hollywood Park Casino, the Gardens Casino are in the midst of upgrades The Gardens recently held a soft opening of its $90 million casino resort. The Commerce Casino just completed an expansion and now bids itself as a casino resort. The Bicycle Casino is in the midst of a similar renovation and expansion.
The Normandie was originally the Western Club, opening in 1940, and advertising draw poker as its main attraction. Russ Miller purchased the property in 1947. As long as the city’s monopoly lasted the Normandie was very profitable. When the rest of the state began licensing poker rooms, that prosperity dwindled. It suffered a further hit when Native American casinos began to open in the Golden State after 2000.
The Normandie has been for sale for several years.
The closure of the Normandie will put 380 local people out of work. The Normandie and the Hustler pay the city more than $10 million in taxes each year.
