Why Must Nevada Casinos Have a Number of Hotel Rooms?

I know that to get a non-restricted gaming license NGCB requires a newly built casino to have a hotel with a certain number of rooms. Why is that? What is the number of rooms required? I would think without this stipulation there would be more full service casinos which would mean more jobs and more tax revenue for the state but more competition.

It’s not the Nevada Gaming Control Board that makes that rule. It’s state law.

Passed in 1991, NRS 463.01865 imposes the hotel-room requirement. It codified “resort hotel” as having 200 hotel rooms or more if it's located in a county whose population exceeds 700,000 people (300 rooms if in a county of more than 100,000 persons and fewer than 700,000).

Also required were “At least one bar with permanent seating capacity for more than 30 patrons that serves alcoholic beverages sold by the drink for consumption on the premises” and “At least one restaurant with permanent seating capacity for more than 60 patrons that is open to the public 24 hours each day and 7 days each week.” The latter requirement was ostensibly so that inebriated gamblers would have a place to soak up that booze with coffee and food. Hence the 24-hour shop. Oh yes, and “a gaming area.”

“It was pretty straightforward. The larger casinos argued that the smaller casinos without rooms had an unfair advantage,” says gaming-law expert Anthony Cabot.

In other words, the big casino owners were lobbying to keep the Mom-and-Pop operators in their place. The legislature heard ... and responded in kind.

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Adam Cohen Feb-19-2021

That was the end of good games

In a  way that was the end of good games.  Once control was given to the large companies the smaller players who would offer low-limit games with decent odds were never given a chance to even start.

[email protected] Feb-19-2021

Dotty's?

This is really the anti-Dotty's law, correct?

Carey Rohrig Feb-19-2021

Give the little guy a chance

Typical politicians and bureaucrats bought and paid for

Jackie Feb-19-2021

Mone, money, and more

Only two Nevada counties are effected by this law, Washoe County and Clark County.
These taxes are aimed directly at the Gambling industry who supplys over half of the States tax revenue. The number of rooms required is because Nevada taxes each room.

If you noticed in the law these room requirements apply to those who wish to be called a "Resort Hotel" (which means all those nasty extra fees charged that Kevin complains about).  It does not affect mom and pop joints nor any casino that does not wish to be called a "Resort Hotel" although that doesn't stop those casinos from charging extra fees also.
Hmm? When will Dotty's start charging parking fees?

JerryD Feb-19-2021

Why the difference?

Interesting that resorts must have 200 rooms in Clark County and 300 rooms in Washoe.

Robert Davis Feb-20-2021

Perplexed out-of-stater

So the definition of a "resort hotel" is determined by the management?  For example, the Casablanca in Mesquite is in Clark County and calls itself a resort but doesn't have 24 hour food service.  Rather interesting to me.

Roy Furukawa Feb-22-2021

Did this law change since?

Bellagio is somewhat cheating because they designated their burger stand near the sportsbook to satisfy the 24-hour eatery rule (does not have near 60 seat capacity) and closed their Bellagio Café (aka the coffee shop) around midnight since about a year or two before the pandemic.

Question of the Day - 19 February 2021

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