Penn faces federal charges of racketeering and running an illegal gambling business, based on an FBI investigation that started three years ago. The City Attorney’s office refuted each point in a recent memo. Penn, who has run the business for 43 years, contended in his appeal that he was denied a chance to make a full presentation of his case to the hearing officer, that no evidence was presented to the hearing officer to support the decision, that the decision conflicts with City Council police and/or the municipal code, and that the appeal presents a citywide issue best left to the City Council. The Lucky Lady is the last.Īccording to city documents, the San Diego Police Department denied the renewal early this year, contending that Penn, 79, failed to disclose that he was one of several defendants under federal indictment for allegedly allowing an illegal sports book to be run out of the establishment. Lawyer Gretchen Von Helms, who represents owner Stanley Penn, told City News Service she would take the issue to court.Īs recently as the early 1980s, there were more than three dozen card rooms in the city. The committee members said the legal standards on whether to let the appeal go forward weren’t met.

The unanimous decision by the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee puts the future of the Lucky Lady Casino and Card Room and around 100 jobs in jeopardy. The future of the last operating card room in San Diego could be determined in court, after a City Council committee Wednesday rejected an appeal by its owner against the denial of his police permit renewal.

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