Background investigations in Nevada — at least before the budgetary axe starting falling on the Nevada Gaming Control Board — were said to be an indescribably unpleasant experience. As award-winning local columnist Michael Green once pointed out, when Gary Loveman was a faculty member at Harvard University, he would have had to attend departmental meetings … and yet he still pronounced his Nevada suitability investigation to be the worst experience of his life.
Similar rectal probes will be part of the entry process to Florida‘s growing casino industry, as enabling legislation continues to take shape. Anything less than a rigorous regulatory framework would likely doom the bill. Perhaps Las Vegas Sands is beginning to realize it’s not driving the bus. In any event, it says it’s prepared to go along with a synthesis of Nevada and New Jersey‘s oversight regimes. Genting Berhad is still pining for the Sunshine State’s jerry-rigged status quo, which trifurcates gaming regulation amongst three state bodies. However, it’s grudgingly coming around to a more stringent model. Both it and Sands have Macao-related issues that could prove sticky, if they’re among the three lucky licensees, but it’s not going to improve their chances to resist scrutiny, obviously.
Vegas, look to thy laurels. Although the Tropicana Las Vegas has been struggling of late, its former sibling in Atlantic City is making headlines of a more positive nature. It plans to experiment with scattering slot machines and other gaming positions amongst the retail/dining offerings of The Quarter. In Nevada, every gambling position has to be viewable to casino surveillance, so it will be interesting to see how successfully New Jersey finesses this new logistical challenge. Also, there will be a much lower threshold of access for minors who might have a slot jones. The chances for tots-on-slots, bad PR and state sanctions will be pretty high, as this is clearly a desperation move on the part of both state and casino. (If slots in a mall will “outperform the ones in the regular casino,” why have a casino?) Expect a stampede of would-be imitators on the Boardwalk even before the Atlantic City Tropicana‘s pilot project wraps in late February.
