The S.S. Rex was the biggest and most opulent gambling boat anchored off Santa Monica in 1939. But in a roundabout way, what the press called the Battle of Santa Monica Bay helped launch Las Vegas as we know it. Gambling boat kingpin Tony Cornero, shown in L.A. County jail on Aug. 8, 1946, was arrested several times over the years. (Santa Monica History Museum)::Hobbled by the raids and court decision, L.A.’s gaming industry traded ocean waters for desert sand. Fred Grange, photographed at his Corte Madera office, is the godson of Tony Cornero and remembers the gambling boat kingpin well.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 26, 2021 12:00 UTC