E-sports are barely out of the gate and already match-fixing is a serious concern. South Korea has seen a scandal involving ties to organized crime and to contestants throwing games. Although players with posturing names like Joshua “steel” Nissan seem laughable, their untoward antics are very real. In 2015, members of team iBUYPOWER were exposed for having bet against themselves prior to losing matches. Given Vegas’ somewhat doe-eyed attraction to e-sports, one hopes that the Nevada Gaming Control Board has the match-fixing problem on its radar and is well-prepared to police this newish casino game, one that has already been embraced by the Downtown Grand and Luxor. Banning players from placing wagers of any sort might be a good start. It’s draconian but not unwarranted.
* Could Ultraviolet be the latest restaurant concept ticketed for Las Vegas? True, it only serves 10 diners a night but that exclusivity plus the $570-$860/head price tag might be just the thing for high rollers, especially if they get comped. And if Ultraviolet doesn’t make it, chef Paul Pairet has The Chop Chop Club and Mr. & Mrs. Bund (French cuisine) ready for importation.
* The much-hyped Tesla gigafactory is delivering on its promise to revive the Reno economy. Panasonic is on its way. But the city’s reinvention as a high-tech paradise doesn’t include gambling. That ship would appear to have sailed. In addition to Tesla, soup distributor Ardagh Group is beefing up The Biggest Little City in the World. Reno’s unemployment rate — 4% — is below the state’s average. It is also far outpacing the national average in the number of manufacturing jobs created. Though, unlike Las Vegas, Reno hasn’t earned an Ikea store yet, it’s drawing young, with-it professionals wh0 spend their money on craft beers, not punching video poker buttons.
With no disrespect to Fremont East and Tony Hsieh, Reno appears to be pulling off the happening-place transformation faster and bolder: In the former post office, “visitors can get a straight razor shave at the old-timey barbershop Beautiful Bearded Man or taste a bourbon truffle from Sugar Love Chocolates. A West Elm opened upstairs last fall, and a Patagonia store opened a block away in February.” The University of Nevada is molding its curriculum to respond to the change, spurred by student demand. (UNLV might do well to make similar moves.) With gambling revenue having peaked a decade ago, it’s past time for the Silver State to figure out how to pay its way because a gaming-centric revenue base just isn’t going to cut it much longer.
