Gene asked about the Yips. I don't know how common the name is. But we had a Yip familly that owned and ran a casino in Jackson California back in the wide open days. Jackson is 35 miles east of Lodi. Jackson was wide open, 300 working girls and many casino's till 1958 when the California Attoney general Pat Brown raided the town and closed everthing down. Having been born about 10 years before I can remember going to the casinos to eat with my familly and walking by the WHORE HOUSES on my way to school. Sharkey Begavich,(SHARKEY'S GARDNERVILLE NEVADA) learned the bussiness growing up in the jackson area and working in the clubs and still has a cattle ranch there.
After the Yips were forced to close the casino they opened a 24hr eatery/bar in the same location on main street. Some of the familly members still remain today in town. On my next trip back home I will see what I can learn. In the 1980's,I think about 1982 while I was still Mayor, Mr Yip senior, maybe about 70 at the time ran against me wanting to bring gambling back to town. He was a true gambler and very well off.
It was during this time period studing Jackson history that I started collecting gambling items from the old clubs that were in town.Gaming table lists 16 clubs from Jackson,I know their were many more.I have many old pictures of the casinos lining the streets after WWII. These came from my grandfather who started/owned the family hardware store about the turn of the century (1900) on Main Street.My brother closed the store about 4 years ago after 90 some years in the same place. All this history is what started me on my way to becoming a chip collector.
My daughter was born in Lodi in 1972. This brought me to downtown Lodi quite offen.I can remember playing poker on Main Street in many little clubs/casino that lined the street. It was like a little China town that was grand at one time but was dying a slow death. Many kind of had that old west saloon feel. You just knew they were places with much history?
Like most, sure wish I would of picked up more chips, seems we were in Tahoe, a 90 minute drive 2-3 times a month.
Hope I didn't ramble to much, I still keep a office on Main Street in Jackson. Mike Spinetti