Writers Stranded On the Gambling Ship

[TEADJones]

OK, experts and LA historians/residents: Any clues on the reference to in the joke, from 9-29-46, "My writers are still stranded on the Gambling Ship"?

Thanks

[scottp]

I don't know how much this will help, but in the late 30's there were ships including the Rex and the Lux which sat off shore and supposedly out of the reach of law enforcement, with launches bringing patrons out to gamble. I have the book Sins of the City: The real Los Angeles noir and it implies they were in Santa Monica Bay, not even outside the three-mile limit. There were police raids, but the operation continued for a while anyway. I thought they were gone by the beginning of WWII but I don't know.
Also, Raymond Chandler made reference to fictionalized versions of the gambling ships in Farewell, My Lovely.