The Bicycle Casino, a staple of the Los Angeles poker scene since 1984, is all set to unveil the result of a project to turn the beloved card room into a full fledged casino resort on Dec. 1.
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The Bike, as it is known to regulars, will officially be rebranded as the Bicycle Hotel & Casino with the addition of a $50 million seven-story luxury hotel. The 117,907 square-foot addition boasts 99 rooms, including 29 suites, as well as a multitude of amenities including the all-new Bike Brewery, full spa and elevated outdoor pool deck with private cabanas.
The 29 luxury suites will range from the Classic Suite (648 sq. ft.), the signature Bike Suite (904 sq. ft.), the Governor’s Suite (1,359 sq. ft.) and a Presidential Suite (2,007 sq. ft.). The Presidential Suit has two bedrooms, a formal living room and a Jacuzzi tub.
“I’ve been wanting to do this project for the last 12 years,” said Bicycle Hotel & Casino CEO Hashem Minaiy. “Finally, this dream is coming true. It was about three years ago that we got really serious about it. Our partners came along and were convinced that this project would make us a destination in Los Angeles. Then we got to work, hiring architects, contractors and filing for the permits. We broke ground in October of 2013. From the day that we put the shovel in the ground, I felt like a different man. I felt like I won the lottery.”
Built by R.D. Olson Construction and Lee & Sakahara Architects, and designed by Hager Design International, the hotel transforms the already massive 185-table gaming property into a space that caters to everyone.
“The players were constantly bringing it to our attention, saying how much they wanted a place to stay,” said Miniay. “The players really care about this property and have a strong passion for the Bicycle Hotel & Casino. They want their card room to be the best it can be. So their input really motivated me and my team to get the project going. I’m a poker player myself, so I really wanted to build a hotel for the comfort of our players. But my partner, Bob Carter, he took the vision of the hotel and expanded it so that with its guest rooms and amenities, it would appeal to business travelers and players alike. This is a hotel for everyone. Even if you aren’t a card player, there are plenty of reasons to stay here and come back.”
A floor design of overlapping circles, inspired by a bicycle wheel, winds its way to a variety of amenities, including dining, a coffee house, a gift shop, entry to the casino concourse and an Asia-theme VIP gaming area. The second floor has a state-of-the-art fitness center, the outdoor pool deck and the hotel spa and sauna. There is also 8,000 square-feet of multi-purpose event and private meeting space. The 28-screen Bike Brewery will feature 28 beers on tap, including two private labels exclusive to the Bicycle Hotel & Casino in the James Blonde Ale and the Golden Hand Hefeweizen.
“On the hotel side, we are going to have a VIP section called the Macau Room, which will be a ten-table, luxury room for baccarat and blackjack,” said Minaiy. “There will even be an exclusive area, within this room for high-stakes play. We’re not done either. We are going to start working on the casino floor as well. Not many people know this, but we’ve already started on remodeling an Asian Fusion restaurant called Phoenix. We’re hoping that its finished by mid-December.”
Despite the changes to the gaming space, Minaiy insists that poker, and poker tournaments specifically, will still be a focus of the Bicycle Hotel & Casino.
“Our poker tournaments are still going to be held downstairs on the first floor of the casino in the event center,” he said. “The Bicycle Hotel & Casino has always been known as one of the leaders in the industry when it comes to poker tournaments. These days, players have more choices than ever not only in Los Angeles, but nationwide, when it comes to tournaments, so we pride ourselves on being creative and offering the best structured events. Now with the hotel, we can do even more because the out-of-town players will have somewhere to stay. I also want to put in a VIP poker room with a huge bar for the players. Just like Bellagio has Bobby’s Room and just like Aria has Ivey’s Room, the Bicycle Casino is going to have its own room for the biggest games around.”
Not only is the Bike getting a face lift, but the surrounding community of Bell Gardens itself has seen a positive transformation in recent years.
“I really want to emphasize how much this project means to our community and to those who work at the Bicycle Hotel & Casino,” he explained. “This project isn’t just about making the Bike better, it’s about making Bell Gardens better as well. The city manager, council members and Mayor are just as passionate about the project as we are and it was a really good partnership. They understand what the hotel means to the community.”
Minaiy knows that the new hotel and the upcoming enhancements to the gambling floor will make the Bicycle Hotel & Casino the envy of the Los Angeles gaming market, but he also knows that customer service is what really separates a property from the pack.
“We have the best, most friendly staff in the industry. They are original thinkers who will bend over backwards to serve our customers. I really encourage all people to come and see for themselves what the Bicycle Hotel & Casino is all about. I have no doubt that our staff will prove me right and deliver every time.”
For more information about the new Bicycle Hotel & Casino or to make reservations, visit the homepage.
| The Bicycle Hotel & Casino | |
|---|---|
| Address | 888 Bicycle Casino Drive Bell Gardens, California 90201 |
| Opening date | November 30, 1984 |
| Casino type | Land |
| Previous names | The Bicycle Casino |
| Renovated in | 2015 (Hotel Addition) |
| Website | www.thebike.com |
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino is a pokercardroom in California.[1]
Founded by George Hardie Sr. in 1984, located in Bell Gardens, California, The Bicycle Casino offers a selection of poker games and Asian games, with a wide range of limits. The casino features games including: Blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha hold 'em, Mexican Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker and Baccarat (card game).
Financing to build the original Bicycle Club casino was provided by Sam Gilbert, who allegedly used money partially obtained from laundering drug money.[2] The casino is home to the Legends of Poker, a tournament series established in 1995 that now includes a stop on the World Poker Tour. Prior to the Legends, the casino's main tournament series was called the Diamond Jim Brady.[3]
Seizure and indictment[edit]
In 1987, Sam Gilbert was the subject of a federal investigation into money laundering and racketeering charges. According to the investigation, a scheme to launder the money received from smuggling marijuana was put together to finance the construction of the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California.[2][4] According to one criminal complaint,
| “ | '[Sam Gilbert] a wealthy Los Angeles businessman, was the first Gilbert to establish ties with the Kramer family when he befriended Benjamin Kramer's father, Jack Kramer, in 1978. At that time, Jack Kramer and Sam Gilbert came up with the idea of building a legal card club for the purposes of laundering Benjamin Kramer's dirty money. By 1983, Sam Gilbert was in contact with David Pierson, who was himself thinking of building a card club and was looking for legitimate investors. Pierson gave Sam Gilbert a prospectus, Sam liked what he saw, and Sam agreed to arrange the financing for the project in return for a sixty percent share of Pierson's ownership interest in the Club.'[5] | ” |
The Bicycle Hotel Los Angeles
Gilbert was indicted in Miami 4 days after his death.[6] His son Michael also was indicted.
The U.S. Government seized the casino in April, 1990, after a jury found that $12 million of the $22 million used in its construction came from Florida drug smugglers.[7] The club's profits were frozen and placed in a special U.S. marshal account until the court held civil hearing to determine which partners knew that the club was built with drug money.
George Hardie and The Park Place Associates ownership were exonerated in 1990, and they regained their 35% stake.[8]
Los Angeles Casino Hotel
Los Angeles Poker Classic
In July 1991 a Florida federal judge ruled that at least one of the partners, former Los Angeles Westside banker M. Dale Lyon, knew about the club's financing. Eight other partners in the LCP Associates, the partnership named for Lyon, Coyne and Pierson, agreed to forfeit portions of their interest in the club before the civil hearing began. LCP partners Julianne Coyne and former California Assemblyman David C. Pierson settled before the civil hearing. In 1991, they agreed to give up about half of their interest in LCP, which had a 65% stake in the casino.[7]
By the time it sold its share of the casino in 1996, the US government had made tens of millions of dollars in profit from its share of the casino. As a partner in the club, the government also contributed to political campaigns to defeat the proposal to build a rival card club in Orange County.[9]
2017 raid[edit]
The casino was again raided by federal authorities citing money laundering as a part of an ongoing investigation into some players using the casino to exchange “dirty money” for chips, then turn cashing those in for “clean money.”[10]
Live at the Bike[edit]
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino was the first brick and mortar casino to broadcast live poker games over the Internet in a program known as Live at the Bike.[citation needed] It ran five nights a week, and was accessible via the casino's website. The show sometimes featured guest commentary from professional players like Barry Greenstein and Kenna James.
Bicycle Casino Los Angeles Poker Tournaments
Live at the Bike became a subscription service in mid-2006. The live broadcast was canceled in March 2007, but returned in January 2011 on PokerNetcast.com.[citation needed]
Expansion[edit]
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino underwent a major hotel expansion in the Fall of 2015. The new seven-story, 117,907 square-foot complex now includes live entertainment, gaming, cocktail lounge, brewery, fitness center, sundeck with an outdoor bar, and a number of places to dine.[11]
In popular media[edit]
The Bicycle Casino was featured in an episode of the TV series Numb3rs dealing with the murder of a successful card-counter, who coincidentally was also heavily into bicycle home repair.[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'The Bicycle Hotel & Casino'.
- ^ abGLENN F. BUNTING and TINA GRIEGO - Miami Trial Gives Startling New Portrait of Sam Gilbert. Los Angeles Times, April 23, 1990
- ^'Bicycle Casino Review - The Bike'.
- ^GLENN F. BUNTING. Investors Face High-Stakes Battle for Casino Profits. Los Angeles Times, May 29, 1990
- ^44 F3d 888 United States of America v. Michael Gilbert244 F.3d 888 (11th Cir. 2001)
- ^WILLIAM OVEREND and WILLIAM NOTTINGHAM - Sports Figure Is Indicted--4 Days After Death. Los Angeles Times, November 26, 1987
- ^ abGriego, Tina. Forfeiture Laws Give U.S. a Piece of a Casino : Narcotics: Government now owns about 30% of Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens, which was built to a large extent with smuggled drug money. Los Angeles Times, August 22, 1990
- ^Griego, Tina. Court Clears Casino Manager and Partners : George G. Hardie and his financial partners will regain ownership rights to the profitable Bicycle Club in Bell Gardens. Los Angeles Times, October 04, 1990
- ^U.S. to Sell Share of Bicycle Casino for $25 Million
- ^KTLA.com: Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens Raided by Federal Authorities
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2015-03-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^'Double Down'. 13 January 2006 – via IMDb.
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 33°57′59″N118°09′58″W / 33.966312°N 118.166148°W