I really don't know much about the history of illegal gambling in the US. There were certainly illegal gambling clubs in the New York area that continued beyond the "era," however. The Mayfair Club was a bridge club that added backgammon, and later poker. I believe that all of those games involved real money wagers. I have read that the Mayfair lasted for many decades, until being shut down in the first year or two of the new millenium. It overlapped with the Diamond Club, whose owners owned at least one other more recent club. I have spoken with a man who claims to be one of two owners of the Diamond Club, and he openly admitted to owning a club on Long Island to me that was open in the last couple of years, but they voluntarily closed soon after the first big busts in Manhattan. I doubt the "era" ever really ended in NYC. That doesn't make the chips collectible, but I like them.

Michael Siskin