Gambling has been legal in California since the Gold Rush Days. It was tightened up a bit in 1882 when the first laws were passed outlawing a number of games including many of the Asian games. Some of these went "underground" so I guess they would be considered illegals. But cardrooms with legal poker have been around as long as we've been a state.
Now, I've got a question for you. Where do you get your infomation on who ordered and when various chips were bought?