Thanks for your research and posting, Gene. And for the chip you sent along the other day. Nope, never heard of Sea Villa, most likely chips used there would have had some totally different lettering or words on them. What they were, remains to be discovered.

Always read that Marcells was in Beverly Hills which made less sense than your findings, as B. H. has been anti-gambling for many years.

By the way, Altadena was, and remains, an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County; never actually a city. This kind of squares with an illegal gambling den being established up there; no local cops to worry about, just tired Sheriff's deputies having to travel a long way up into the hills to make a bust. Probably worth a couple of years of hassle-free card games. However, it generally does not behoove the operator of an illegal cardroom to take out so many ads (and rent a searchlight) - definitely would attract the wrong element (in this case, do-gooder deputies!).