A QUESTION FOR SCOTTY

[OLD MAN]

IN 1973, I ONLY REMEMBER CHURCHILL. THERE WAS
PLACE DOWN TOWN OFF OF FREMONT-REAL SMALL-
WHAT WAS IT CALLED??

[Homerun]

Old Man, you may be thinking of the "Hollywood Race & Sports" book. It was a little place just down the street off Freemont. About October 1995 they closed thier doors for good on a Sunday afternoon right after the 1:00 games started. Back then they didn't needs bonds to be in business.

[scott]

Old Man: In 1973 I was a clerk in Churchill Downs. It was one of the truly great Gambling Joints in the history of Nevada. It was the best job I ever had but of course at the time who knew? In '73' the places off Freemont St were The Hollywood and Derby Turf both owned by Harry Gordon(deceased) who also owned Churchill Downs on the Strip. There was also the Paddock and Saratoga. On the Strip there was The Rendevous, Sammy Cohen's(deceased) Sanita Anita and Churchill. That was it in Vegas. In North Vegas there was Bill Darks(deceased) Del Mar. Books in casinos werent even thought of. Scotty

[reno]

The Hollywood went under way before 1995. Probably around 1985. I arived in Vegas circa 1984, and the Hollywood went under not too long afterward.

[OLD MAN]

WHAT I REMEMBER ABOUT CHURCHILL BACK THEN
WAS THE 10% FEDERAL EXCISE TAX ON A HORSE OR
SPORTS BET. IF YOU BET A 100 ON A BALL GAME,
THE LAY WAS 121! HAND TICKETS(BET GOES AS WRITTEN) AND RECONSTRUCTED RACE CALLS. I WATCHED THE 1986 SUPER BOWL(CHI/NWE) AT
CHURCHILL. DIDNT THEY CLOSE IN 87??

[tornado]

In the early 80s I used to frequent them all. Gary Austin's "Where the numbers originate" was the most comfortable for watching sporting events. Churchill was like an English racebook - no frills, just get in getdown and get out. Little Ceasar's was great for the action that Gene Mayday put up and the BS he put up with. More characters in there than a Herman Wouk novel. My favorite though was Santa Anita. Seperate rooms for horseracing and sports. The little bar in the back was wonderful place to hang out after playing golf or preparing to hunt two legged dear at Nero's Barge in Ceasars Palace. Then late nights at the Brewery was always a successful honey hole. At SA, I used to love to watch them handwrite the lines,scores and results up on the big wallboards. I thought what a cool job to work in a sportsbook. I also fondly remember the pastrami and corned beef sandwiches the bar at Santa Anita served,man were they ever good! Last but not least were the payphones right outside the backdoor. Almost everybody that was somebody in the $$moving industry would wind up on these phones at some point in time. Some were like clockwork. My colleague and I at the time were trying to beat the numbers on the strip by using rollerscates and walkie talkies. We thought we were hitech at the time! Anyway there was this one big East Coast connected guy who clobbered the Santa Anita Racebook regularly. They all puckered up when he strode up to the window to fire. At 9:45 each morning he would get a call at the same payphone outside before he went in to get down. We took great personal liberty in velcroing a very compact dictaphone to the backside of that payphone. Stealth and concealed this guy would lean way in the phone cubicle to be discrete in his conversations. "Was it real or was it Memorex?" was our motto all the way to the bank. The proceeds were used for an education in sportsbetting. It was like being on scholarship. We made more dough than a football player at SMU, and that was alot. This went on for three months till somebody tipped him off to this breach of security. One day from the side alley we watched him discover the minirecorder. Man did he stomp that to smitherines. After that he must have changed up his MO,class was over. Oh well, as they say all good things must come to an end.

[Phil]

Tornado - Now that's a Story!

wow - getting the moves before they hit. Sweet!

[reno]

Back in the days of analog beepers and hordes of runners (messenger bettors), anyone in Vegas with a scanner could scan the airwaves and get the various group's wiseguy plays at the same time their runners did.