Neither of the above. (What is this fascination our readers have with the Lady Luck? We field more QoDs about that property than any other in Vegas.)
Lady Luck has neither run a fly-by-day casino nor lost its license. Instead, it exists in an interesting nexus where, comatose though it is, it’s not quite dead. According to Nevada Gaming Control Board member Randall Sayre, the owners of the Lady Luck define its premises as including several other properties they own on the other side of Third Street, including the Hogs & Heifers saloon, which offers bar-top gambling, as does Sidebar. (But not Triple George Grill, which has the same ownership but no gambling devices.) Therefore, "that establishment [Lady Luck] is maintaining its license."
Under Nevada casino regulations, Lady Luck hasn’t –- technically speaking –- shut down, even if it is, for all intents and purposes, defunct. Ergo, no temporary casino is required. Some Control Board due diligence will be required if and when the Lady Luck reopens, but its existing license will remain in force.
It’s a different story over at the shuttered Queen of Hearts motel, former site of a downtown slot route. On Aug. 13, an eight-hour "casino" was held there, even though the property’s gaming license had been allowed to lapse in September 2005. You see, the underlying zoning entitlement to provide gambling there remained in effect. But for casino properties that don’t have 200 rooms, a bar seating 30 people or more, and a 60-seat restaurant that’s open round the clock, their gaming-enabled status (which augments the property’s value) ceases to be grandfathered in if they’ve gone two years without offering gambling.
Which is why the notorious Queen of Hearts reopened for eight hours last month, adding its name to the growing list of "trailer stations." Says Sayre, "We’re preserving properties’ values by doing that, which I think is appropriate."
