Talking Stick is finally speaking, after having kept mum about a power failure that kept the casino closed for over a month and cost it god knows how many millions in revenue. It will reopen on Sept. 24 and promotions targeted at gamblers will kick in on Oct 1. After all, Talking Stick has to woo back all those players who were taking their business elsewhere while it was dark. It will also launch a festival of Eighties rock that includes Boy George & Culture Club, Thomas Bailey (Thompson Twins) and The B-52s. If you were sharp enough to pull out your slot tickets and cash your chips before Talking Stick went dark, you had speedy satisfaction. If your ticket was still in the one-armed bandit, remuneration was much slower in coming. “These are very sophisticated gaming machines, and we fully anticipate that they will retain the information that was in the machine prior to the power loss,” said Caroline Oppelman of the Arizona Department of Gaming. “That’s pretty standard, but until the power’s restored we just don’t know.” Do you feel fully reassured? I don’t.
* Churchill Downs is feeling expansive about the market for “historical racing” in Kentucky, having just opened a $65 million pavilion called Derby City Gaming. The Louisville facility could siphon some gaming revenue off Indiana but probably not much since its offerings are so limited. Still, it will provide 900 Ainsworth 
Technology terminals, having persuaded the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to lift a 600-machine cap. The 65 mil sure didn’t go into amenities: If you’re hungry all Derby City offers is a pair of fast-food outlets. Churchill Downs Race Track President Kevin Flannery was refreshingly candid about the purpose of the new racino, saying it “will provide desperately needed revenue to Kentucky purses and will help shore up the racing circuit.”
* Since Nevada is 22nd in pay equity, it will — if nothing is done by private industry — take until 2106 for the gap to close. I daresay none of us will be around to see that. We congratulate Caesars Entertainment on being within shouting distance of parity and look forward to seeing the results of an upcoming Wynn Resorts study on the same subjects. Steve Wynn liked to brag on equity within his company. Now we’ll see what happens when the rubber hits the road.
* Yokohama is apparently out of the Japan casino race, Osaka is very much in and Tokyo appears to be leaning that way. The local government has commissioned a study on the economic impact, including that of problem gambling, due at the end of next March. Gov. Yuriko Koike has taken no official position on the issue but is historically in favor of a Tokyo casino.
