This is the sixth “Illegal Of The Day- Missouri” post. We have seen all of the side components of “The era of the illegals” in Missouri - bootlegging, murder, mayhem, and bribery of public officials including police, judges, and mayors.

I sometimes wonder just how many Illegals operated across the USA in this era. I have 2149 different illegal chips with some form of ID. I think we have roughly 15,000 old records on Preserving Gaming History. I am told the Mason and TR King records together total over 18,000. Add the Portland Card Company records we hope to have access to some day (unknown number) we are over 37,000. The George & Co records exist and we hope to see them someday. I made an offer on them a few years ago and was turned down, (unknown number).

We only have 7 years of the HC Edwards records. They were in business close to 40 years. Jack Todd was in business 17 years.

Next to Mason the BC Wills records would probably be the biggest distributor of Illegal chips. We will never see them as they were destroyed. Add the dozens of smaller distributor’s records we will more than likely never see.

IMO, there was at one time, well over 150,000 or more chip records.

I don’t have a good guess how many of all these records will be illegal chips compared to chips made for legal casinos.

IMO the illegal casinos that existed far outnumber the legal casinos that ever operated across the USA.

Enough of that:

Missouri-Kansas City:

M&N

Nunzio Giovanni Tritico, born Italy, came to US with parents in 1902 where his name was anglicized to Newton or Newt, died KC, MO 1966 age 73. Prior to prohibition his father Luigi ran a saloon in KC where Newt tended bar.

The structure which housed the M&N Buffet at 601 Main St. is now a parking lot. By 1939 M&N Buffet (also listed as M&N Club) no longer existed. Newt's wife's name was Margaret, so M&N might be for Margaret & Newt. In 1939 Newt opened a place called Grand Avenue Buffet, later called Grand Avenue Bar at 1127 Grand Avenue (corner of 12th & Grand). This place was pretty much across the street from the Twelfth Street Recreation.

Newt operated the place at least as late as the early 1950's. His son Newton John Tritico, Jr. also owned and operated the place for a while; he died 2000, age 73 (Newt Sr. also had a son named Louis Anthony he was a Jackson County prosecutor in the late 1940's and later a judge).

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any gambling references to the M&N or Tritico.

My note: Newt Tritico managed to keep the M&N under the radar as far as illegal gaming was concerned. My guess is, it was a small operation when compared to the other Kansas City illegals we have seen in the “Illegal Of The Day” posts.