French statesman Georges Clemenceau once dryly remarked that the cemeteries are full of indispensable men. Clemenceau’s quip obtained fresh sting this week when the gaming world lost Dr. William Eadington. The industry scholar has been struggling with cancer for a year and a half, and succumbed at age 67. A reserved and unpretentious man, Bill was also a font of knowledge, infectiously enthusiastic about his chosen of field of study and always happy to share his highly informed perspective. A modest person, he could state strong opinions about the casino industry’s state of affairs (and its indiscretions) with a mildness that only redoubled their force. Bill was also well ahead of the curve in using the Internet as a preferred form of correspondence (I still have a dog-eared Rolodex card from the Nineties, listing his e-mail address), although us ink-stained wretches were freely encouraged to call him at home. The good doctor was, you see, an ahead-of-his-time practitioner of telecommuting, too. No aspect of the gaming sphere escaped his notice, although if he felt his knowledge of X or Y was a bit sketchy (and it rarely was), he’d be the first to say so.
Dr. Eadington leaves a great legacy, not only in the form of the University of Nevada-Reno‘s Institute for the Study of Gambling & Commercial Gaming, but in those of us who were enriched by his knowledge and willingness to share it. To say his death leaves a void would be a bit of an understatement. In recent years, we have lost UNLV economist Dr. Keith Schwer and reporter/commentator Jeff Simpson. Comparable figures have not arisen to take their place. Mortality has made many withdrawals from our bank of knowledge, but no deposits, leaving us much the poorer.
No Surprise Dept.: Taking his lead from other city fathers, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has chosen to put the Penn National Gaming vs. MGM Resorts International choice of casino development in the hands of voters … provided that he can negotiate “host community agreements” with both companies. At their barest essence the dueling offers come down to more gambling positions for the dollar (Penn) or a wider range of amenities (MGM). “I have decided that both proposals have qualified to proceed to this next step in the selection process,” proclaimed the mayor. No sh!t, Your Honor! They were also the only ones on the table. Must have been a tough call.
Quickly discarding last week’s pose of studied indifference, MGM has confirmed that, yes, it would very much like to have its half of Borgata back. In making its case to New Jersey regulators, MGM reiterated many of the same talking points used by S&G and added a few of its own. “Stanley Ho is 91 years old and his health has declined precipitously in the last three years,” MGM contended, finding a diplomatic way of stating what became sadly obvious during Pansy Ho‘s attempted coup d’etat of her father’s business holdings — that the once-feared oligarch (right) is now practically a vegetable. Having seen how ruthlessly Pansy was prepared to carve into Dear Old Dad’s still-living flesh, it’s no wonder that MGM has insulated itself from having her do the same to its Macao casinos.
The back-to-Borgata move is timely: It comes as Boyd Gaming is launching America’s first-ever in-room gambling 
via TV. E-Casino is something of a paradox, requiring one to drive to Atlantic City to use it, but then permitting one to play whilst lying flat on your back in your hotel room. If you’ve come that far, how much greater of a hardship can it be to go down to the casino floor? “Video poker, I’d definitely play,” said customer William Frawley, one of the punters whom Boyd hopes to acclimate to Internet gambling, should Gov. Chris Christie (R) give it his assent. The setup which ostensibly prevents underage play is hardly foolproof but it requires the user to jump through an awful lot of hoops. In other words, parental connivance would be required in order to circumvent the system. It may be the most drab form of casino gambling yet but it appears to be the way of the future and Borgata is to be commended for showing enterprise while Revel slept.
