Luck Wasn’t a Lady For Monday Patrons at Larry Flynt Los Angeles Casino

Posted on: July 16, 2019, 04:00h. 

Last updated on: July 16, 2019, 08:57h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Eleven patrons were injured Monday when part of the roof at Larry Flynt’s Lucky Lady Casino in Gardena, Calif. collapsed.

The roof (left) and the inside of the Lucky Lady Casino (right) where the roof caved in Monday. (Image: KTLA)

A 25-foot by 15-foot portion of the roof over the Lucky Lady’s lobby fell to the ground Monday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD).

Initial reports indicated the 11 affected guests sustained only slight injuries and would not require additional medical assistance, but an update from LACoFD later Monday on the Department’s Twitter feed said while there was just one “moderate” injury and 10 described as “minor,” seven patrons were transported to a local hospital.

A request made to LACoFD by Casino.org for more information on the incident was not responded to prior to press time.

Firefighters arrived at the casino at 10:16 a.m PT and the cause of the collapse is now pending investigation.

Lucky Lady History

The Lucky Lady Casino is located at 1045 Rosecrans Ave. in Gardena, which has been the site of a gaming venue since 1940. Flynt, the owner of Hustler magazine, acquired the property previously known as the Normandie Casino three years ago.

Normandie was on the brink of closure after 75 years in business because the previous owners were caught using the property to launder money. Lucky Lady is considered a cardroom, a type of establishment permitted in California, but the venues do not offer gaming machines, just table games.

Flynt also owns the Hustler Casino, another cardroom located in Gardena. Since acquiring Lucky Lady, the pornographic publisher has clashed with local politicians. Soon after buying the property in 2016, Flynt unveiled a proposal for a sign that would feature a provocatively posed woman draped over “Y” in “Lucky.” That was a no-go in ultra-liberal Los Angeles and that effort drew the ire of a female member of the Gardena city council.

Flynt also clashed with local politicians regarding tax breaks, even threatening to scuttle his purchase of Lucky Lady.

The publisher has divested some of his Los Angeles holdings in recent years. In 2018, he sold his Hustler adult novelty store in West Hollywood to a group backed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow looking to open an art and wellness studio.

Roof Damage

At the Lucky Lady, ceiling panels caved in following the roof collapse and police posted to social media photographs of sheetrock and other rubbish strewn across gaming tables, according to Fox News.

Various local media reports did not indicate if the roof issues at the Gardena gaming property were the result of a spate earthquakes that shook Southern California earlier this month.

No estimates on monetary damages have been made public at this point. Flynt paid $23.5 million for the 4.22-acre property when the deal closed in June 2017, according to data from RealtyTrac.