According to reports from local news sources, the Normandie Casino – one of the original casinos in California which spread poker upon its legalization in the 1930s – will be temporarily shut down until new ownership can be found for the casino.
DailyBreeze.com writer Sandy Mazza reports that the Normandie will be closing temporarily due to the conduct of its ownership. In January of this year, the Miller family (which owns the casino) pled guilty to federal charges of money laundering and, under California law, felony convictions disqualify people from holding a casino license. Exercising great restraint, the California Gambling Control Commission held off until this week to actually revoke the Miller’s gaming license and is allowing them an additional 120-day period to sell the property to another owner.
Mazza spoke with Robert Turner, a poker player and casino manager who is intricately knowledgeable about the California card scene, who suggested in the article that former publisher Larry Flynt, whose own Hustler Casino is near the Normandie, would be the first choice to buy up the property. “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 is quoted by Mazza as saying. “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.”
In a discussion with Poker News Daily, Turner elaborated on his remarks. “There’s several offers that are or were on the table, but Larry needs the location,” Turner noted. “He might turn his current Hustler location into a strip club or a Hustler store. It also might be a waste of money on his part.”
That area is seeing a growth due to the relocation of the Los Angeles Rams to California. A proposed entertainment complex/football stadium is in the works for the Rams in that particular area, which is expected to be completed in 2019. Many of the casinos, including Hollywood Park Casino, the Gardens Casino and Hustler Casino have all been looking at major upgrades to “resort-style” casinos, featuring hotels, conference rooms and other amenities. The Commerce Casino recently completed a complete overhaul to upgrade its facilities in this manner and the Bicycle Casino is also in the middle of an expansion.
It is a far cry from where the Normandie started. In 1940, the Western Club opened up in Gardenia, spreading draw poker as its attraction and, seven years later, was purchased by Russ Miller and renamed the Normandie Casino. As one of six card rooms that originally operated in Gardenia (who had a monopoly on the industry for decades), the Normandie would be extremely prosperous through the 1960s. Once other cities in the Golden State started opening up card rooms, however, the Normandie’s popularity would decline. The club was further impacted when the California Indian tribes were allowed to open full-fledged casinos that included slot machines, something that all California card rooms are prevented from doing even today to the detriment of their revenues.
Not only will the closure of the Normandie under the Miller’s ownership mark the end of its ties to the origins of poker in California, it will also put some undue hardship on families in the area. 380 people will be laid off once the Normandie shuts its doors and, although some of those people may be able to hook on with other card rooms in the area, there will be a sizeable number that will be unable to find suitable employment. Thus, finding a buyer for the club quickly and potentially getting it reopened under new management is an imperative.
Then again, with the competition in the area, it is also possible that the Normandie may be gone for good. With the changes coming to the area, more parking may be necessary and such ground would be valuable for that purpose. It is also possible that, if Flynt buys the property as Turner suggests, he may even take it down to reduce competition.
Turner noted to Mazza that the times were changing, however. “It marks the end of an era,” Turner said. “I think it’s sad, but life moves on. It’s the changing of the guard.”
