Gaming is on the march

Add Kentucky to the states that have casino-style gambling, at least temporarily. Owners of Kentucky Downs found a loophole in Bluegrass State law and galloped through it. “Instant Racing” is the sort of VLT game you might find at a Class II tribal casino, enabling track owners to contend that it’s a lottery, not a house game. It’s an argument that’s worked for tribes many times in the past.

If other tracks follow Kentucky Downs’ path, it may not be a moment too soon. Gov. Steve Beshear (D, right) has been pushing for gambling expansion through the Lege since before his first term commenced and accomplished squat to date. If he loses his reelection bid this year, casino opponent and state Sen. David Williams (R) will be able to put the issue on ice for another four years. Time’s a wastin’. To the east, Harrah’s Cherokee wants to deal itself some live table games, among other expansions. The administration of Gov. Bev Purdue (D, below) is amenable — provided that the compact is renegotiated so that there’s something in it for the state, too. But dickering for a larger percentage of existing slot and electronic table game revenues is verboten under IGRA, and that could throw an extra-large wrench into the negotiations. Up north, the competitive threat from Ohio is inching closer from theory to reality. Horseshoe Cleveland has begun hiring and Cincinnati is contemplating some common-sense infrastructure improvements that would facilitate access to Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati. (To do otherwise is tantamount to wishing failure on the place.)

The revenue pinch is also being felt in the great state of New York, where a version of Class III gambling is being sought for the state’s racinos, which currently make do with VLTs. If Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D, right) backs the tracks, he’s literally taking a gamble: Wagering money that’s currently owed to the state by the Seneca Nation against billions in table game dollars that racino owners say they can generate. The latter propose to sweeten their pot a little further by slamming the door to new operators in the state and taking undeveloped casino sites off the table. It would be 2014 at the earliest before the Empire State would see any economic benefit. However, in light of the recalcitrance currently being displayed by the Seneca, Cuomo’s dice throw may not be as risky as it first appears. And if Genting Berhad‘s new racino at Aqueduct Park gets tables … now that’s what I call a game-changer.

Still further north, lawmakers in New Hampshire are scaling down about their previous attempts to legalize gambling. With casinos marching westward in Maine and heating up again as a legislative issue in Massachusetts, the pressure is understandable for Granite State solons to do something, even if it’s isolated to one city. A racino at Rockingham Park is the preferred option and the owners of Cannery Casino Resorts already have dibs on what could be a 5K-slot facility. The X factor, as always, is Gov. John Lynch (D, left), who’s been fairly ‘obstacular’ in the past and favors a go-slow approach … as in glacially slow. (Some of his detractors on the right are even worse still.) Reading between the lines, it appears that Lynch would rather punt this issue straight to the voters (thereby keeping his hands clean) rather than have Manchester tackle it.

Ironically, an attempt to do the very same thing down in the Bay State just got short-circuited by the state’s attorney general. A.G. Martha Coakley objected to the initiative’s buffet of casino proposals rolled into one yes/no question … although constitutional queries of that ilk have passed muster elsewhere. Warner Gaming stalking horse David Nunes admits the ballot question would be “an insurance policy” against continued legislative gridlock. As lawmakers note, he’s written it in such a way as to juice himself into a casino license, the sort of jiggery-pokery that often leads to electoral backlash.

Up for grabs on Election Day will be more than Steve Beshear’s future. A $181 million outpost of the growing Margaritaville-branded casino empire will be on the ballot in Bossier City. Although that’s an arguably saturated market, Louisiana voters rarely say “no” to new casinos. A “yes” vote would enable Isle of Capri Casinos to offload a superfluous Lake Charles riverboat to Bossier Casino Venture, along with one valuable license. And if the deal doesn’t go through … well, Penn National Gaming was jonesing for a Pelican State casino license just recently, now wasn’t it?

Finally, the endless shilly-shallying that has constituted Illinois‘ Gov. Pat Quinn (D) and his “stance” on casino expansion has given legislative gambling addicts like irresponsible state Rep. Lou Lang (D, right) a hammer with which to pound him into submission. Their message: “Starting over is not an option.” Lang fears his delicate coalition may soon crumble beneath him, taking 400 pages of pork with it. While Quinn remains resolutely irresolute, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also attempting to force his hand by acting as though expansion were a fait accompli. As intractable as Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) was when presented with casino legislation he didn’t like last year, his obstruction paid off: The bill currently on Beacon Hill is already crafted to the governor’s specifications. Quinn’s waffling, foot-dragging, spinelessness and hopelessly mixed signals have left him impotent to frame the debate.

In case you thought that recent S&G complaints about a wave of violence on the Strip were exaggerated, a Las Vegas Metro official acknowledged this week that the constabulary has “made adjustments” to its policing of the Boulevard. Incident reports, he said, were way down. That’s reassuring news.