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it was not unusual for thousands of dollars to exchange hands at a big game, and this has been <br />confirmed in newspaper coverage. Ferguson also told the Museum staff that a way in which <br />money was collected for "the house" was from a rake-off. The amount collected depended on <br />the size of the game, but is believed to have ranged from about 25 cents to $1 and would be <br />collected about every 15 to 20 minutes for which the game went on. <br />Local residents also have recalled that the presence of gambling customers at the Bug Dust <br />were sometimes evidenced by a large number of Cadillacs and other expensive cars parked in <br />that vicinity of Main Street. Some remember that the cars then began to be parked a few blocks <br />to the west, in the nearby residential neighborhood, so as not to draw the attention of the <br />authorities. <br />Louisville residents have told the Museum staff that gamblers at the Bug Dust were sometimes <br />victims of theft, with little that could be done about it. Because gambling was illegal, robberies <br />were not reported. This likely only served to encourage additional robberies. Hooded robbers <br />would hold it up and take large amounts of cash from gamblers. <br />Within only a few years of the establishment of the Bug Dust Pool Hall, John Madonna was <br />already in hot water for illegal gambling taking place there. The County Sheriff raided the site in <br />1951, and Madonna and another Louisville business owner (Dixie Elrod) were charged with <br />possessing gambling equipment and operating gaming rooms. Sheriff Arthur Everson termed it <br />the first raid of any importance in five or six years. (Denver Post, 04-07-1951). <br />The County Sheriff raided the Bug Dust Pool Hall again on Jan. 24, 1953. The Louisville Times <br />(The Louisville Times January 29. 1953 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection) reported <br />the following: <br />District Attorney Files Action To Close Bugdust Pool Hall / <br />Sheriff Furnishes Facts To Start Action Against Gambling in Louisville <br />A major step towards stopping gambling in Louisville was taken yesterday when efforts <br />were started to close the Bugdust pool hall, an alleged gambling place. A complaint <br />asking the district court to close the Bugdust was prepared by Deputy District Attorney <br />Horace B. Holmes. The complaint was on basis of information presented by Sheriff <br />Arthur T. Everson. Legal term for the proceedings is abatement of a nuisance. The pool <br />hall is owned by John Madonna, Jr. <br />In connection with the report of the complaint, it was reported there have been <br />persistent reports that "big time" gamblers from Denver and elsewhere frequently roll <br />7 <br />