First time I visited London as a beardless youth in 1979, I remember seeing that white neon sign on Piccadilly Road, “Ritz Casino”. As a fledgling chip collector, I lusted for a chip from there, but there was a 48 hour wait period at the time, and I was only there for a day. About 15 years later, I was actually working in London, and tried to get membership at the Ritz, but they quoted me some exorbitant fee. There were too many other casinos in town with free membership. Finally, about three years ago, I met a member who brought me in as a guest. It was truly impressive in there, and he even arranged for them to sell me whatever I wanted from the cage. Nowadays, I travel to London at least six times a year, and whenever my taxi goes down Piccadilly, I still see the same white neon sign I saw 39 years ago, and smile.
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