They’re just wild about Harry

An Alexandra Berzon byline in the Wall Street Journal, picked up by Politico.com (and forwarded to S&G by reader Hpark4) makes it implicitly clear why the casino industry’s Job One during the recent election cycle was to keep Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) firmly ensconced as Senate Majority Leader. The Reader’s Digest Condensed Version is as follows:

“Staffers for … Reid are circulating a bill to legalize poker playing on the Internet that’s backed by large casino interests. The Nevada casino companies pushing the measure were among the Democrat’s biggest donors during his fierce re-election fight. They argue the bill would provide consumer protection for poker players and would provide some tax revenue for federal and state governments. On Wednesday, three Republican lawmakers [including Rep. Spencer Bachus, ranking Republican on House Financial Services] sent a letter to Mr. Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell opposing any efforts to pass Internet poker legislation during the lame-duck session. … Mr. Reid’s office is considering language that would allow only existing casinos, horse tracks and slot-machine makers to operate online poker websites for the first two years after the bill passes, which could limit the ability of other companies to enter the market. The bill would also outsource oversight to state regulators, another move supported by existing casinos.” (Emphases added.)

That’s right, if you’ve had a casino, a parimutuel or a slot company for the past five years, Sixty Votes Reid will juice you into the ‘Net-bet world. Start-ups can go suck eggs. When you’ve got a representative in Washington, D.C., who can gift-wrap access to billions of dollars in online revenue in this fashion, you darn well want to keep him in place. Today’s dispatch should have Caesars Entertainment execs, who would dearly love to leverage their World Series of Poker into an online casino jumping with understandable joy.

Another Harrah’s defection: Upon the heels of Planet Hollywood prexy Marilyn Winn‘s ship-jump to Wynn Resorts, Regional Vice President Joseph C. Howard (USMC, ret.) is leaving his Vegas post to join Fine Point Group, rising star of the casino-management sector. Howard’s a security specialist whose tenure at then-Harrah’s Entertainment included protecting the current POTUS and his two predecessors. According to Fine Point, Howard is a former tank commander who  worked his way up from pulling Paul Blarth duty on a Reno casino floor to becoming “best known for leading the effort to get the Harrah’s New Orleans property open in less than one month after the state of Louisiana failed to issue a permit after security inspections. He has demonstrated an ability to cut millions in operating expenses – while improving service levels.” S&G congratulates Mr. Howard on his new gig. Semper fi!