Normandie Casino's Miller Family Celebrates 67 Years in Gaming

Russ Miller, patriarch of the Miller family and owner for more than 50 years of the Normandie Casino, was a true pioneer of the gaming industry in California. At age 90, in 1997, he passed away. In 2001, his wife, Mary, passed away at the age of 78.

Today, their four sons manage and run the day-to-day operations of the casino. The following is a brief history of how gambling became legal in California and how the Normandie Casino played an important role in that process.

In the 1880s, a law was passed in California that outlawed all forms of gambling except poker. The lawmakers of that day liked their poker, so they left it out of the law.

Ernie Primm, the entrepreneur who expanded this legal loophole into Gardena's multimillion-dollar poker industry, founded the first card club in 1936. A few years later, law enforcement officials closed him down for being a public nuisance. Primm sued, taking the case to the California Supreme Court. His lawyer convinced the court that what wasn't specifically cited as illegal in the California Penal Code must be legal. Primm won the case, and Gardena licensed clubs in 1938 by local option. Only five-card draw and lowball poker could be played at that time.

In those early years, Russ Miller worked as a doorman for Ernie Primm. With his knowledge of the games, he was soon made a supervising floorman. In time, he became a partner in Primm's club. In 1940, the Western Club opened on Western Avenue. Seven years later, the club was renamed the Normandie, and Russ Miller became an owner.

As the city grew, so did the card clubs. Their license fees provided most of the money needed to operate the city. In addition, the clubs donated funds for the city's first community center building, bus line, and swimming pool, and provided playground equipment for the city parks. Every Christmas, the card clubs donated the food and employees donated their time to feed the needy in the city. Donations have always been made to local charities and organizations.

During the 1960s, Gardena boasted six luxurious card clubs. It was in fact the only city in Los Angeles County to have legal gambling. The clubs flourished until 1980, when the Bell Club in the city of Bell, California, opened. Other cities soon followed suit, and the Gardena monopoly on card gaming came to an end. In 1980, Russ Miller decided to move the Normandie Casino to a better location near the 110 Harbor Freeway at Rosecrans and Vermont. A new 50,000-square-foot casino was constructed, along with a Las Vegas-style entertainment venue billed as "The Million Dollar Showroom."

A few years later after hard fought legal battles in court, seven-card stud and Texas hold'em were added to the already existing lineup of games, five-card draw and lowball. In the mid-1980s, a tremendous Asian influence came with the introduction of the California games, blackjack, pai gow poker (now called poker 7 or double-handed poker), and super 9, a game similar to baccarat. The Normandie completely revamped its restaurants to accommodate a variety of Asian tastes: Mandarin, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Mid-Eastern, along with a standard Continental menu. The Normandie's Asian games Red Dragon Room features high-limit gaming and continues to be one of the most popular Asian gaming rooms in Los Angeles County. The casino also features the Smoking Red Dragon Room, a first in Southern California.

Over the years, Russ and Mary Miller brought their four sons into the family business. Frequently, they can be seen walking about the casino greeting guests. Under their management, the Normandie continues to expand and improve. The casino has more than doubled in size, and the parking lot has been enlarged to provide lots of free parking. Valet parking is also available.

The Normandie Casino has a state-of-the-art showroom, featuring Las Vegas-style revues and major stars such as Crystal Gayle, Vikki Carr, Nancy Wilson, Phyllis Diller, Suzanne Sommers, The Fifth Dimension, The Oak Ridge Boys, and others. The casino features a 24-hour restaurant, bar-lounge, and snack bar. The showroom is available for rental for banquets, meetings, weddings, theatre, video or film production, and so on.

Today, after more than 50 years, the Normandie is still a family-run business, and is one of the two remaining casinos open in Gardena. The Miller family includes Lee, Larry, Greg, Steve, Shawn, and Sandi, and Brandon Gordon (Erin Miller's husband).

The Normandie Casino is located at 1045 West Rosecrans Avenue in Gardena, California, just off the Harbor (110) Freeway. It's just minutes from downtown Los Angeles and the 405 and Harbor Freeway interchange. Use the Rosecrans Avenue offramp and go west a few blocks. Phone: (310) 352-3400 or (800) 9WINNER; showroom reservations: (310) 352-3428.