Coin Slot
Issue: 1979 October 056 - Page 7
Coin Slot Magazine - #056 - 1979 - October [International Arcade Museum]
Carlo and Cannes," and featured popular priced
To protect himself against the law, "Admiral"
meals, with cuisine by Battista (formerly of Troca-
Cornero
dero and Victor Hugo's), and a cocktail bar with
lawyers on his payroll; Cornero himself was very
bonded liquor.
knowledgable on maritime law.
'Ten minutes from Hollywood"
as
he
was
commonly referred to, had
The REX had .a
it was advertised, as movie stars and tycoons were
licensed uniformed captain to settle questions that
favored customers on the ships.
come under a captain's authority.
worked as a pit boss.
Transportation to the REX was provided by a
The purser
The dealers, stickmen and
lookouts were signed on as assistant pursers and.
fleet of water taxis, leaving the end of the Santa
stewards.
Even the girl shills were listed as stew
Monica Pier every five minutes for the "comfort
ardesses.
The REX had a ship's doctor and nurse,
able 10-minute boat ride to the REX."
mainly to take care of cases of seasickness, as the
The boat
REX was anchored
ride cost 25c; the return trip was free.
The ads also contained a signed standing offer
in open unprotected waters.
Twice in 1938 local and state law enforcement
by Rony Cornero Stralla, agent for the S. S. REX
agencies arrested
to pay $100,000.00 in cash on demand to anyone
gambling, but each time the courts declared that
who could find on the S. S. REX any crookedly
operated or falsely run game.
Cornero boasted
that his ship was safe, his games honest and his
service perfection. Customers swarmed out to the
the REX was anchored beyond the three-mile limit
Cornero on charges of illegal
jurisdiction of state and local laws, and he was
released.
In one of these incidents, Los Angeles
District Attorney Byron Fitts tried to arrest Cor
nero on the Santa Monica Pier as he came from
REX by the thousands.
the REX. But at the last moment Cornero spotted
the Greek
trouble and had the water taxi quickly pull away
Dandolos frequented the REX but Tony depended
Big
time
gamblers
such
as Nick
from the dock, causing one of Fitts' investigators
on the droves of "nickel and dime" players for his
to fall into the ocean.
income.
of the Pacific and took him to a landing several
miles away.
Cornero invested $600,000 in the REX. The
gambling paraphernalia alone cost $100,000. The
ship's operating expenses ran to $6,000 per day,
half of which was for the 325 people on the pay
Cornero fished him out
The infuriated Fitts threatened to
indict Cornero for kidnapping.
After each
of the 1938 raids, Tony moved the
REX farther offshore, causing the water taxi ride
roll. The water taxis cost $9,000 each and insur
ance for the REX was $65,000 per year. Des
to be a 30 minute trip each way.
pite these high costs, the daily turnout of from
EARL WARREN'S CRUSADE
800 to 2000 people enabled the REX to gross
$6,000,000 its first year of operation. The REX'S
business increased drastically when Mayor Fletcher
Bowron closed down all the gambling establish
ments in Los Angeles after the November 1938
election.
publican in a Democratic regime), publically an
nounced that one of his prime objectives was clos
ing down the offshore gambling casinos.
To protect his large investment, Cornero took
many precautions.
Crewmembers counted and
scrutinized the customers as the exited the water
taxis to
In March of 1939, California's newly elected
Attorney General, Earl Warren (an ambitious Re
board
the
REX,
looking
for firearms,
crooks, and undercover policemen. The head floor-
Warren
called the ships "the greatest nuisance operating
in the country.
They operate in violation of the
law, lure millions from residents (none of which
is returned in taxes) and are a constant tempta
tion to young and old."
He declared that if the
om
man, known as The Deacon, had a squad of .c
m
the appearance of offshore narcotics and prostitu
:
u
m
e
bouncers to keep everything running
and
fro smoothly
m top us deck, tion ships, and the ships could be used as a landing
d boss.
-
e
to keep pests away from d the
The
e
d
for illegal aliens. "Every gambling ship in Southern
ca
off limits to customers,
was
with ma
nloa w
ar equipped
.
w
California must go" he reiterated. "It is unthink
o
w manned 24 hours a day. able
chine guns D
fore and w
aft,
/
that California should tolerate this."
/
p: drilled on what to do in case
The employees tt were
h
of a holdup.
Every water taxi had two armed
guards on board.
Tony made sure that all this
information was well rumored in the underworld.
© The International Arcade Museum
ships are allowed to continue it would encourage
On July 26, 1939, Warren came to Los Angeles
(accompanied by two of his investigators, Oscar
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
Carlo and Cannes," and featured popular priced
To protect himself against the law, "Admiral"
meals, with cuisine by Battista (formerly of Troca-
Cornero
dero and Victor Hugo's), and a cocktail bar with
lawyers on his payroll; Cornero himself was very
bonded liquor.
knowledgable on maritime law.
'Ten minutes from Hollywood"
as
he
was
commonly referred to, had
The REX had .a
it was advertised, as movie stars and tycoons were
licensed uniformed captain to settle questions that
favored customers on the ships.
come under a captain's authority.
worked as a pit boss.
Transportation to the REX was provided by a
The purser
The dealers, stickmen and
lookouts were signed on as assistant pursers and.
fleet of water taxis, leaving the end of the Santa
stewards.
Even the girl shills were listed as stew
Monica Pier every five minutes for the "comfort
ardesses.
The REX had a ship's doctor and nurse,
able 10-minute boat ride to the REX."
mainly to take care of cases of seasickness, as the
The boat
REX was anchored
ride cost 25c; the return trip was free.
The ads also contained a signed standing offer
in open unprotected waters.
Twice in 1938 local and state law enforcement
by Rony Cornero Stralla, agent for the S. S. REX
agencies arrested
to pay $100,000.00 in cash on demand to anyone
gambling, but each time the courts declared that
who could find on the S. S. REX any crookedly
operated or falsely run game.
Cornero boasted
that his ship was safe, his games honest and his
service perfection. Customers swarmed out to the
the REX was anchored beyond the three-mile limit
Cornero on charges of illegal
jurisdiction of state and local laws, and he was
released.
In one of these incidents, Los Angeles
District Attorney Byron Fitts tried to arrest Cor
nero on the Santa Monica Pier as he came from
REX by the thousands.
the REX. But at the last moment Cornero spotted
the Greek
trouble and had the water taxi quickly pull away
Dandolos frequented the REX but Tony depended
Big
time
gamblers
such
as Nick
from the dock, causing one of Fitts' investigators
on the droves of "nickel and dime" players for his
to fall into the ocean.
income.
of the Pacific and took him to a landing several
miles away.
Cornero invested $600,000 in the REX. The
gambling paraphernalia alone cost $100,000. The
ship's operating expenses ran to $6,000 per day,
half of which was for the 325 people on the pay
Cornero fished him out
The infuriated Fitts threatened to
indict Cornero for kidnapping.
After each
of the 1938 raids, Tony moved the
REX farther offshore, causing the water taxi ride
roll. The water taxis cost $9,000 each and insur
ance for the REX was $65,000 per year. Des
to be a 30 minute trip each way.
pite these high costs, the daily turnout of from
EARL WARREN'S CRUSADE
800 to 2000 people enabled the REX to gross
$6,000,000 its first year of operation. The REX'S
business increased drastically when Mayor Fletcher
Bowron closed down all the gambling establish
ments in Los Angeles after the November 1938
election.
publican in a Democratic regime), publically an
nounced that one of his prime objectives was clos
ing down the offshore gambling casinos.
To protect his large investment, Cornero took
many precautions.
Crewmembers counted and
scrutinized the customers as the exited the water
taxis to
In March of 1939, California's newly elected
Attorney General, Earl Warren (an ambitious Re
board
the
REX,
looking
for firearms,
crooks, and undercover policemen. The head floor-
Warren
called the ships "the greatest nuisance operating
in the country.
They operate in violation of the
law, lure millions from residents (none of which
is returned in taxes) and are a constant tempta
tion to young and old."
He declared that if the
om
man, known as The Deacon, had a squad of .c
m
the appearance of offshore narcotics and prostitu
:
u
m
e
bouncers to keep everything running
and
fro smoothly
m top us deck, tion ships, and the ships could be used as a landing
d boss.
-
e
to keep pests away from d the
The
e
d
for illegal aliens. "Every gambling ship in Southern
ca
off limits to customers,
was
with ma
nloa w
ar equipped
.
w
California must go" he reiterated. "It is unthink
o
w manned 24 hours a day. able
chine guns D
fore and w
aft,
/
that California should tolerate this."
/
p: drilled on what to do in case
The employees tt were
h
of a holdup.
Every water taxi had two armed
guards on board.
Tony made sure that all this
information was well rumored in the underworld.
© The International Arcade Museum
ships are allowed to continue it would encourage
On July 26, 1939, Warren came to Los Angeles
(accompanied by two of his investigators, Oscar
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).