Well, I warned you it would take a considerable amount of posts to tell the Illinois illegal casino story.
This is number 3 in the saga and they will continue.

The 2nd chip in this post is Chicago, so I am going to tell a non chip Chicago story that no one will care about.

Might be best to skip it.

When I was 6 we were very poor. My Mother and I lived on 3rd street in Covington, KY, 3rd floor, outside toilet. My Mother was an uncomplicated woman, Southern Baptist; church twice a week, never smoked, never cussed, never lied, and never complained. She survived a train hitting a car she was in as a teenager. She had one passion in life besides making our existence in life livable.
Don McNeill's Breakfast Club. He had a 35-and-a-half-year run as host and remains the longest tenure for an emcee on a network.

When I was 7 she married by step father and we moved to the suburbs and 5 acres adjoining a very large woods, to explore. Life was good. My Mother remained a simple woman. When I was 9 she was given a surprise trip to Chicago and tickets to Don McNeill's Breakfast Club. She was over whelmed. The 3 of us took a train to Chicago. Our 1st time ever on a train for Mom and me.

We lined up to enter the show real early. A commotion came from the back of the line. The crowd parted and Non McNeill came through and was going to pass in front of us. My Mother was frozen and could not back up to make way. Don stopped in front of her, smiled, said good morning, and stuck his hand out. My Mothers mouth gaped open and………………her chewing gum fell out of her mouth and landed in the palm of Don’s hand. He smiled and said “thank you for coming.” She was still frozen and he had to walk around her. Just a simple woman. We told that story the rest of her life.

She passed last year at 95. When I think about Chicago, I think about her and that trip.
Rest easy Mom, I feel certain she finally met the Lord she loved, in person.

Well, I told you to skip it!

Enough of that:

I got this one in 2003 from Doug “Cigarman” Smith. It just sat there even though I knew it had to be an illegal joint chip as there was over 8,000 chips made. I got an email awhile back asking if I knew anything about it. Since it makes me look bad to say “I don’t” I decided to see what could be dug up. Just the usual, an old bootlegger that morphed into gambling and a race wire.

VB
Victor Benetti, died Edwardsville 1980 age 76.
222 North Main was the site of the Main Street Cigar Store which was ownd by Benetti.
Benetti, at that location, was many times fined for violating gaming laws (bookmaking, keeping a gaming house) in the 40's and 50's. Benetti was a bootlegger during prohibition.

Here's a couple of matchbooks

Article from Edwardsville Intelligencer--10june1950 (chips mentioned):

I got this one in 2005 from Doug “Cigarman” Smith.
Not much history but at least we have what there is. From the size of the order it looks like home game chips that wound up being sold in lots to 2 different people with 50 red and 25 yellow never getting sold.

VV
Looking at the order card it appears that Basile, the person who originally ordered the chips in June 1948, never picked them up. Then in March 1949 the 75 dark blue chips from the order where sold to someone whose name I can't decipher.
Then in Feb.1952, 50 yellow and 25 red from the original order were sold to A. Rand.

Alexander Rand died at Chicago in 1998, age 84. 4706 Sacramento was his residential address at the time. He appears to have been a tailor by profession--couldn't find any gambling connections.