Surprise, surprise. Shawn Scott is back in the news. The fast-and-loose casino speculator faces queries from the Maine Ethics Commission about where it got its money. Scott’s Capital Seven is 
pushing a ballot question to put a racino in York County — provided it is run by no one other than Shawn Scott. The latter has been subpoenaed by the ethics board but is running scared at the moment. Refusing the requests to testify. “The probe is expected to take several weeks or even months and could cast a shadow over the committee’s effort to convince voters to support the initiative in November,” reported one newspaper.
Scott and his sister Lisa insist their funding came from unnamed investors in Las Vegas and Tokyo. But Maine officials don’t seem to be buying that version of events. According attorney Walter McKee (no relation), the Scotts can dodge the subpoenas but risk being found in contempt for doing so. Shawn Scott has previously been held unsuitable for a Maine casino license thanks to “a long history of questionable and deceptive practices in other states, including Nevada, New York and Louisiana.”
Commissioner Richard Nass called Scott’s financing, which is routed through a maze of LLCs, “smoke and mirrors.” If that sounds familiar, it’s how Nevada regulator Bill Bible characterized the finances of the Cheyenne Hotel (now the Lucky Club Casino) when Scott owned it. If the Ethics Commission doesn’t obtain satisfaction, lawmakers still have one remedy to the Scott problem. They could vote to approve the referendum question, then vote to repeal. It’s unusual but not out of the question.
* Times are definitely changing. Has a major-league team had an official casino before? If not, they do now. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have unveiled a sponsorship with The D. Components of the deal include merchandising, player appearances at The D, sales of game tickets through the casino concierge and a zamboni wrap advertising The D. It’s an enterprising move by team owner Bill Foley and casino mogul Derek Stevens. Said the latter, “Coming from Detroit, which is a true Hockeytown, I’ve had the opportunity to see how Mike Ilitch with Little Caesars Arena, and Pete Karmanos with Compuware AAA Hockey have impacted the community and youth sports. I am hoping to bring the same spirit to Las Vegas.” We’d say he’s off to a good start.
A busy man, Stevens also found time to have Vegas Vickie removed from the façade of the Glitter Gulch. While the early indications were that Vegas Vickie would be orphaned under the auspices of the Fremont Street Experience, Stevens now seems to be hinting that she’ll be part of whatever he does with the Las Vegas Club/Glitter Gulch/Mermaids block. Vickie’s eviction was officially described as “an early phase of construction for a new resort-casino project that will transform the west end of Downtown Las Vegas’ Fremont Street by developer Derek Stevens.” The latter is already hinting at a comeback. “Vegas Vickie’s departure allows us to move forward with creative concepts and projects,” he said. “But don’t worry, this won’t be the last you see of her.” Spoken like a man with an endgame in mind.
* Bottom-feeding Colony Capital CEO Tom Barrack is back in this news and, as you might expect, it’s not in a good way.
