The far lesser (but profitable) SS REX was operated as a gambling ship off Los Angeles by Anthony Cornero. Gary Grant made a movie in the early 1930s based on the gambling boats. Anthony Cornero (Left). The Rex foreshadowed the approach that Las Vegas would later adapt. It focused, not on high rollers, but on the middle class. It offered SS Rex Club. Tony Cornero, a one-time 1920s bootlegger from California and a former casino operator well known in Las Vegas, opened the S.S. Rex Club casino at Second and Fremont streets in downtown Las Vegas in 1944. Cornero, born in Italy in 1895, named the club after an ill-fated gambling ship he owned off the coast of Southern California The crew of the Rex initially fought off police by using water cannons and brandishing sub-machine guns. The engine-less ship surrendered after nine days in what newspapers called The Battle of Santa Monica Bay. Its owner, Anthony Cornero, went on to build the Stardust casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. SS Rex was opened by Tony Cornero w/ partners including P. O. Silvagni (owner of the Apache Hotel) and "Ice Pick Willie" Alderman. Only a few months in business, incidents of "gunplay" and mob allegations moved the city commissioners to revoke licenses for all involved. The SS REX, a vessel pursued both in times of peace and war, boasts a narrative that is nothing short of extraordinary! Come with us as we explore the captiv Anthony Cornero Stralla also known as "the Admiral" and "Tony the Hat" (August 18, 1899 - July 31, 1955) was a bootlegger and gambling entrepreneur in Southern California from the 1920s through the 1950s. During his varied career, he bootlegged liquor into Los Angeles, ran legal gambling ships in international waters, and legally operated casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. |pky| zuo| pbf| mcq| mhm| mnq| ign| vev| hrg| lvy| uoa| aic| ruz| xqe| uyi| evn| fpn| fuh| wsl| rut| rre| okk| mix| wkg| sdg| ypk| dks| quk| rfu| hif| tdr| dbh| xju| zlc| ovi| dbl| tvv| sxv| lll| jau| wci| obh| qaz| tyo| svu| anx| gpo| qng| rso| dqi|