Larry Flynt has long been one of the most powerful people in adult entertainment, as he and Hugh Heffner are the biggest playboys of the business. However, he’s managed to build out an enterprise that reaches far beyond magazines as he’s run for office, was the subject of a popular movie (that featured Woody Harrelson), and he’s invested in casinos. Flynt has recently expanded his portfolio in the gambling industry by opening the Lucky Lady Casino (formerly The Normandie) and his investment is already paying dividends.
The Normandie Casino was a staple of Gardena, California, but it hasn’t had a renovation since 1990. Things became stale, and as a result business declined. But the arrival of Flynt has given it a shot in the arm. He has partnered to rebrand the casino, giving it a new name: the Lucky Lady Casino. Of course, the chips you now play with have a naked woman on them.
Flynt’s overall plan is to put about $60 million into the Lucky Lady by 2020 to give it a complete makeover.
If you’re wondering why the Hustler magnate has moved into casinos, this isn’t his first rodeo. Flynt opened the Hustler Casino in 2000, and of all of his ventures that has actually been his most profitable. He has collected at least $20 million per year since 2007. The plan has been to start the renovations at the back of the casino by the high-roller tables first and then complete the rest in phases. Once fully completed, it is expected to compete with the Hustler Casino since both are in relatively close proximity to each other. Considering Flynt has a hand in both, he probably won’t mind too much.
He’s also expected to pull out all the stops for the Lucky Lady to revive it. He has a media program all lined up to promote the place and plans to make it an integral part of the local community. So far, so good. The Lucky Lady has already started to head in the right direction as business has increased by about 20% since Flynt came on board.
The news is great for players that used to play at the Normandie as they now have a fresh venue to which to go back. As for the staff, they have claimed that their morale is higher since Flynt came on board.
It’s interesting to watch the city government’s reaction here as they made it difficult for him to get in on the action at first. Now that there is money coming in and their citizens are happy, the government will likely change its tune. Flynt also managed to keep about 400 staff on from the Normandie and he plans to continue his hiring, and we know that governments love jobs and taxpayers. If there is one thing that Larry Flynt is good at it is being a businessman, and he is going to bring money into the community of Gardena.