Coin Slot Magazine - #057 - 1979 - November [International Arcade Museum]
coverage of anyone arrested on the LUX (himself,
crew or patrons).
on the side of the ship.
His request to the Coast Guard
for protection in case of a raid or siege by author
ities was turned down.
Nearly
10,000 customers visited the LUX on
opening night.
The 14 crap tables, 12 roulette
wheels, numerous blackjack tables, 150 new slot
After a libel action against Cornero for $13,000
machines (Jennings Standard Chiefs), five poker
by a Wilmington shipfitting concern was dismissed
tables,
in court on August 2, 1946, all the legalities were
other attractions on board were kept busy until
cleared for Tony to take the LUX out to sea.
At
the bingo parlor,
dawn.
bar, band, and all the
Order was maintained by 26 gentlemanly
4:30 AM, Saturday August 3, two tugs towed the
"Masters-at-Arms."
LUX to its initial anchorage five miles off Belmont
hear this music," beamed Cornero, "and it's going
Shore just south of Long Beach, where the gamb
to play 24 hours a day from now on."
I've
waited
seven
years to
ling equipment already on board was to be set up for
next week's grand opening.
Tony originally con
sidered anchoring the LUX off Malibu, but decided
upon the Long Beach area.
That same day Governor Warren wrote a letter
to President Truman, appealing for federal assist
ance in ridding the California coastline of this new
gambling ship.
The LUX was next towed to an anchorage 7.8
miles out, off Seal Beach, definitely beyond any
Attorney General Tom C. Clark
contacted Warren and promised federal action with
in a couple of weeks.
one's three-mile limit, for its grand opening the
evening of Tuesday, August 6, 1946.
Los Angeles
On Thursday August 8, about 48 hours after
County District Attorney Fred N. Howser declared
the LUX opened, the law struck.
that the LUX would be closed down one way or
trict Attorney Charles Stratton obtained warrants
another and he threatened legal action might be
for the arrest of Cornero and his associates for
taken against the patrons and hinted a recurrence
conspiracy to violate state antigambling laws. Cor
of the 1939 events.
nero quietly came ashore and surrendered.
legal
action
until
But he could not take any
after the
opened for business.
gambling
operation
Cornero asserted 'The chips
are down and we're going to operate.
Any moles
Assistant Dis
While
being charged with 14 counts of gambling, he non
chalantly munched on grapes. After posting $2000
bail, he immediately went back to the ship, where
tation of persons or equipment aboard ship will
business was continuing as before.
toe treated by us as piracy."
the water taxi fleet was impounded on charges
And he meant it.
of soliciting gambling.
When
Earl Warren, now the governor of Cali
fornia (his victory over Cornero in
1939 was a
Later that day
One taxi was permitted to
continue operating to remove patrons aboard the
LUX. However every trip out to the LUX managed
major factor in his winning the gubinatorial elec
to carry a full load of new customers, so authori
tion of 1941), heard that Cornero was back with
ties impounded that taxi also.
another gambling ship, he was outraged.
people were stranded on the ship.
ernor, he had
As gov
Now about 800
no law enforcement agency with
jurisdiction to shut down the ship, nor was it any
longer his responsibility,
but he was determined
The marooned patrons gambled all night.
As
they went broke or became seasick, they had to
to do so anyway, even if he had to call out the
lean against walls or sit on the floor because there
National
were
Guard
to
stop
the water taxi service.
California's Attorney General
Robert W.
Kenny
very
Finally
few places to sit down aboard ship.
late Friday afternoon, limited water taxi
took the role of an observer, leaving the problem
service was permitted to resume to
to local officials, and stated that Cornero will not
stranded
patrons and
remove the
bring supplies to the ship,
be able to operate for any length of time.
but officers on the dock did not permit any pass
om on the trips out to the LUX. As almost
engers
c
.
m
:
On opening night, the enormous
m parking us lot eu at all the patrons chose to leave, gambling aboard
fro with
m as over the LUX grinded to a halt as customers could no
d
the Long Beach dock overflowed
e
de- cars
ad board r the
a
o to
2,000 people lined n up
fleet of twenty
l
c
a 45 minute to one longer get out to the ship.
. the
ow taxis w for
w
60-passenger D
water
://w BUNKER HILL. Tony de
hour ride out to
By this time the anchorage of the LUX had
ttp the
h
cided to resurrect the ship's original name, for
been moved to just 314 miles off the Long Beach
patriotic reasons, but as all his advertising publicity
breakwater.
was for the LUX, he left the large letters LUX
release of the water taxis so he could resume busi-
© The International Arcade Museum
Tony fought in the courts for the
http://www.arcade-museum.com/