Funeral garb for Harmon; Death blow to Dotty’s?

Although it’s there to protect pedestrian, it’s fitting that the corpse of Harmon Hotel is shrouded in widow’s weeds. MGM Resorts International will be holding a protracted funeral for the first Las Vegas hotel to close without ever housing a single guest. Deficiencies in structural rebar left the Harmon vulnerable to earthquakes and an implosion would probably smash Crystals to bits, so MGM will be taking the Harmon apart bit by tiny bit. You can watch the spectacle unfold now through next May. In the end, it probably worked out well for MGM: There’s one less hotel exerting downward pressure on hotel rates and would-be managers Light Group have been nothing but bad news. Perhaps the company should be congratulating itself on its good luck.

* Slot-parlor chain Dotty’s, which operates in a legal gray area, is finding itself in the hot seat again. The Nevada Resort Association, Station Casinos and Golden Gaming are pushing a county ordinance that would prohibit bars from making more than 50% of their income from slots. It’s transparently aimed at Dotty’s, which offers but minimal amenities, and is being pushed by Golden’s water boy, Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak (left). Previous legislative attempts having failed to squelch Dotty’s, Sisolak is trying one more time. Dotty’s owner Craig Estey, who stands to lose 34 outlets, pleaded “You can’t just legislate your competition out of business. Why are you trying to hurt us?” However, Dotty’s are micro-casinos in everything but name and Estey is unlikely to have the law on his side. This time, he may get cornered and quashed. The question is, what non-Dotty’s bystanders will get taken out too?

* Singapore has legalized an unusual form of Internet gambling. You have to be a Singaporean non-profit to participate and the money must go to charitable purposes. It will be interesting to see if existing ‘Net-betting operations try to find loopholes that allow them participation. In the course of citing the dangers of leaving Web wagers illegal and unregulated, Second Minister for Home Affairs S. Iswaran cited an Interpol crackdown during the Fifa World Cup that uncovered ‘Net-bet syndicates in six Asian countries, including Singapore and $2.2 billion in illegal wagers.