While I'm somewhat skeptical of the claims of Richard Suen, vis-a-vis his relationship with Las Vegas Sands, if he wins his lawsuit in Clark County District Court, he'll probably have Sands executives to thank for it. They've been tripping over their shoelaces in court testimony. William Weidner's latest gambit has been to say that Suen didn't earn his dough. Which would seem to implicitly concede that he had a valid agreement with Sands.

Suen's case probably isn't being helped by an attorney who confuses cash flow with profit. And Weidner outfoxes him on whether Sands is making a profit in Macao. Sands' performance on the stand has been maladroit and this case still looks like it could go either way, thanks mainly to a few own-goals scored by the home team.

More readers' gripes: A Californian follows up on another reader's suggestion for an inventory of gripes about niggling casino thrift moves, inspired by Harrah's Entertainment's suspension of Las Vegas Review-Journal sales. The newly submitted grievances are ...

"1. the Hard Rock stopped serving Guinness at the tables. 

2. when Barbary Coast changed over to [Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon], they took out their double-deck blackjack tables and replaced them with 6:5 single deck. therefore, I no longer play there, and I play at limits that they would actually care about.

3. Venetian moving their valet stand into the garage. and it's always full now. less likely to go there. good thing they have Palazzo now for easier (emptier) parking.

4. I'm comped at Red Rock Resort] so it doesn't really matter to me, but if I had to pay their nightly $20 "resort fee" I'd stay somewhere else just on principle.

5. Red Rock won't comp decent scotch at the tables.  Talking about anything better than a $30 bottle. You'd have to do a hard comp which is silly.

6. Red Rock's gift shop closes. it can't cost that much to staff the place overnight, and that's a convenience that any hotel should have.  Need some advil or antacid or something at 2 AM? too bad.

7.  Monte Carlo's brewpub stopped being a 'brew' pub. Was nice having something different back there, I used to go there all the time.

8.  Harrahs rerouting everything so you have to walk through that stupid fake-Mardi Gras thing just to walk down the street. I can't stand it there, and make it a point to cross the street rather than walk through White Trash Land. Friends feel the same way.

9. everything that Binions has done since they stopped being the Horseshoe."

On that last point, Terry Caudill promises that help is on the way. As for refusing to serve Guinness to table game players? That's just ... perverse.

[Email Blogger]