We knew this day had to come: Wynn Resorts is going to charge for self-parking at Wynncore, starting August 7. The fee structure is very much like those of other Strip casinos that have gone the self-parking route, although offering no discount for disabled motorists is a low 
blow. One could argue that the paid-parking model is another step in making Las Vegas just like other major cities, but much of Vegas’ appeal was built on its otherness. Like MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment before it, Wynn has obviously done the calculus and concluded that alienating the locals is either irrelevant or an acceptable risk when tapping a new revenue source. At least Wynn is giving something back, in the form of as-yet-undisclosed discounts for Red Card customers. We learn to be grateful for so little these days.
On its Massachusetts front, Wynn is rewriting the state’s liquor laws. The company wants to extent alcohol service until 4 a.m. at Wynn Boston Harbor, shortening the six-hour drying-off period to four hours. Wynn’s argument “it must meet expectations for a resort casino experience.” Why? It will have the only resort-casino in the Boston area, so fear of losing customers should be a non-issue. 
Still, Steve Wynn has managed to have the language inserted into the state budget, freshly signed by Gov. Charlie Baker (R), the sole caveat being that drinkers can only be “patrons who are actively engaged in gambling.” The change in state law didn’t sit well with Senate President Stan Rosenberg, one of the forefathers of casino gambling in Massachusetts, who sees it as the beginning of a series of creeping changes in the regulatory framework.
“The industry will start driving the enterprise rather than the Commonwealth’s regulations,” said Rosenberg, noting that bars and restaurants are now at a disadvantage, compelled to end liquor sales at 2 a.m. (Plainridge Park casino has it even harder, turning off the taps at 1 a.m., pursuant to a host-community agreement.) MGM hasn’t decided whether or not to abide by the former last call or to take advantage of the new law. A legislative mouthpiece rationalized the new law as being needed to “help maximize the potential of the gaming industry in Massachusetts” but, let’s face it, there’s going to be a minimum of competition in the Bay State.
* Tribal casinos are coming off another monster year. According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, they grossed $31 billion, a 4.5% increase for fiscal 2016. Markets that grew particularly well were Sacramento (6%) and Phoenix (4.5%). “When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act almost 30 years ago, it expressly cited in its findings and purposes the long-standing federal policy goal to promote tribal economic development, tribal self-sufficiency and strong tribal governments. No other economic driver has been able to do that for Indian country as successfully as gaming,” said NIGC Chairman Jonodev O. Chaudhuri, in words that should be tattooed on Donald Trump‘s forehead. As a sign of tribal gaming’s respectability, the Arizona Coyotes play in Gila River Arena (the eponymous tribe runs three Phoenix-area casinos) while the Phoenix Suns race up and down the hardwood of Talking Stick Resort Arena. Not bad for a subgenre of gambling that began with humble bingo parlors back during the Ronald Reagan administration.
* Last week we voiced a hope that Palace Station bandit O.J. Simpson be kept in the clink longer. We may have gotten our wish, since The Juice has been caught performing the ultimate act of safe sex in his jail cell. (I guess he couldn’t find anyone to be his bitch.) “OJ is 
sweating bullets over his write up. He had been intentionally laying low for the past few months to avoid any problems and now this write-up could cost his freedom … He is his own worst enemy,” said a Daily Mail source. Don’t cry for Simpson: He hasn’t exactly been doing hard time. His routine includes cleaning the prison workout room and being commissioner of its football league. Lots of Americans would consider that a pretty cushy existence. As for Simpson’s indiscretion, it would have been better off if he’d be found practicing acedia.
