The last card room in San Diego has closed its doors after years of controversy.
Lady Luck Card Room was run by Stanley Penn for four decades, and it stood as the last open card room in a city that once had over 100 such venues. The city of San Diego did pass laws over the years meant to eliminate the activity, but Penn held on.
Penn is a controversial figure, as he was charged in 2016 with operating an illegal sportsbook from the cardroom. He was given a probation sentence that would see the charges dropped if he abided by the terms of the deal. he did so, and the charges were dropped.
In the end, though, it wasn't the variety of criminal charges he faced that closed the Lady Luck, but rather the Covid-19 pandemic. The drastic drop in traffic coming in caused Penn to sell the property to Family Health Centers of San Diego and walk away.