Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1958-11-08
Negroes HeIp...
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Vegas and Keno has abruptly
changed the picture. Negroes
flocked into the state to work
either in service or as entertainers.
At the same time the integrated
Armed Forces, with their various
establishments, brought colored
youngsters into the state in in
creasing numbers.
The colored population Of Reno
jumped from 1900 in 1949 to 1900
in 1858; that Of Las Vegas from
230 to nearly 10000.
The population of Carson City
at this moment is roughly 1900
persons, of whom one, a senior
clerk in the Highway Department,
is colored.
The city has at this writing 18
motels and four hotels. Four mo-
tells, including one run by the pres
ident of the Nevada Motel Asso-
citation (the Desert Air MoteD, ac-
cept Negro guests. One hotel will
accommodate colored citizens.
This percentage of roughly Is
is much better than that in either
Las Vegas or Reno. A survey Of
motels is now being made in Reno
(by the New China Club and one
is to be made in Las Vegas. The
complaint made that when a luxury
hotel resort was created for them
in Las Vegas (the Moulin Rouge)
the Negroes would not support it,
is believed to be completely un-
founded. The resort hotel closed
not because of lack of patronage
but because it was MIXED copiously
by its own employees. There is a
saying in Nevada that only a pro-
fessional gambler should run a ca
sino. Joe. Louis is not a profess
sional gambler and neither were
his associates.
Side by side with the legal fight
being carried next year to the leg
islature here is a movement Of an
entirely different character which
so far has had singularly happy
results.
It is the brain child of a Chi
nese, one Bew Hong ("Bill") Fong,
who with his young Chinese wife
owns the New China Club, the
largest interracial casino in the
state and the only one to have not
one but two keno games.
Keno, called the "poor mans
game" because of the possibilities
of substantial winnings (as much
as $4,000 for 35c), has long rivalled
dice as a favorite among the col
ored patrons of the New China
Club and three other in Reno which
accept Negroes as players. Keno
is based on the thousand-years-old
Chinese lottery but has suffered
some modification in Nevada be-
cause the state constitution forbids
lotteries. (This was because when
the New York constitution, which
Nevada copied, was written, the
Louisiana Lottery scandal had
just occurred.)
Bill Fong, 81 years old, a native
of Canton and a graduate of Cali
fornia schools, opened his New
China Club six years ago, in
small way Il blackjack or 81 game,
/ craps table, Is slot machines).
Fong's original idea may have
been to supply a club for San
Francisco and Oakland Chinese.
Many of these did patronize the
club and still do.
But soon Bills rigid interracial
policy ("You behave, you're well
come") became attractive to col
ored inhabitants of Reno and the
Bay Area. At that time the Negro
population of the Bay Area was
leaping; from $500 in 1889 to 272,-
900 today. These people looked
longingly toward Reno, heart OF
one of the worlds most beautiful
Fairgrounds.
But when they came to Reno they
discovered that the big casinos,
like Harolds Club, Harrar's, the
Mapes, the Cal-Neva, the River
side, the New Colony and others
all, in fact, except small place
on Skid Row, sometimes called
Bottle Alley, owned by it. g
in, Negro named Bill Bailey and
called the Harlem Club - were
closed to any colored player ex-
cept those in uni orn. Soldiers
were graciously allowed to risk
their money. But the wife or
sweetheart on their arm was not
permitted to play.
The big casinos remained preju-
diced. But they are wavering. Bill
Fong's place, three times enlarged
and again to be enlarged this win
ter, is the reason, The New China
Club is Sc crowded weekends with
visitors from San Francisco, Oak
land and Berkeley, not to speak
of Sacramento, that sometimes a
man has to wait an hour to get
his wager down.
The keno limit at the New China
Club is $4,000 and is to be in
creased to $25, 900 next year for
both games. This means it will
be possible for someone lucky
enough to win $25, 900 for an in
vestment of only $1.10. Needless
to say such winnings are rare but
they do happen.