When the Dotty’s slot-cafe chain decided to go ‘legit’ by purchasing the Hacienda hotel-casino near Boulder City, it meant some big surprises. For one thing, all employees found themselves without jobs. Dotty’s used the federal WARN Act to pink-slip the entire workforce and make it re-apply for jobs it once held. Table game dealers are right out of luck. All live table games will be replaced with electronic equivalents. While the soon-to-be Hoover Dam Lodge can hold 380 slots, only 150 will be in play during the early stages of a prolonged renovation, which will create a Dotty’s-branded casino within the casino. Dotty’s loyalty program will also be honored at the Hoover Dam Lodge. Too bad management doesn’t feel a similar loyalty to its employees.
Keep dreaming. That’s the memo from Howard Stutz to Sheldon Adelson, regarding the latter’s “new holy war” against Internet casinos. As Stutz writes, “Congress can’t compromise on a lunch sandwich order, let alone agree on complex legislation.” He then breaks down the covert (i.e., business-driven) motivations behind Sheldon’s little jihad. Let’s just say there’s not enough ROI in them thar Sands dunes to warrant panning for Web gold.
Mohegan Sun isn’t even waiting for the votes to be recounted in Palmer before hopping into bed with Suffolk Downs, and that’s rubbing some people the wrong way. But not only was the opportunity too good to pass up, Mohegan Sun figured its chances in Palmer were less 50-50 and — with the deadline for casino applications looming on Dec. 31, the moment to cut a deal in Revere was now, especially with the City of Palmer taking its own sweet time to recount those votes. This whole mess is going to leave some hurt feelings, but the Mohegans’ change of mind is perfectly understandable.
There’s an excellent primer in the New York Times on how casino expansion would be implemented in New York State. It appears that the Cuomo administration 
learnt from latter-day screwups in casino regulation in New York and its making doubly sure the process is squeaky-clean this time. Contrary to what local politicians and wannabe casino developers have been saying, “Las Vegas companies have indicated they are not interested in developing casinos upstate, instead holding out for the possibility of a casino in New York City that could be authorized in the future.” Can they wait seven years? Are they that patient? History says otherwise.
In the meantime, anyone prepared to go into the New Hampshire market had better be prepared to do it in a big way. We’re talking a 5,000-slot commitment here, folks. I can’t wait to see what the proposed tax rate is going to be. Nothing cheap, I would imagine.
