A sudden barrage of commissions has been getting between me and S&G. At the very least, I can get a few quick hits in before the weekend. For instance …
Earth to Vegas.com … while I realize that Las Vegas isn’t exactly Key West with slot machines, you’d expect Vegas.com to be approximately somewhere in this century when compiling its list of ‘LGBT hot spots.’ The press release gilds the lily with some apparent misinformation:”Piranha Nightclub, known for its 180 degree Piranha filled fish tank …”
Don’t they have gay best friends at Vegas.com? I forwarded the list to mine and he was quick to spot several errors. To wit: A) “Suede has been long closed.” B) “So has Ramrod.” C) “No actual piranhas in the tank at Piranha.” Sounds like Vegas.com either needs to develop more reliable sources or let its staff out of the building occasionally.
Stan Fulton, former slot-maker, sometime philanthropist and general nuisance (he once tried to get the UNLV president sacked, in a towering fit of pique) is in the news again. Seems the Jemez Pueblo tribe is reservation-shopping for a casino site in New Mexico near old Stan’s Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has studied the economic impact and concluded that while Sunland Park would sustain a deep near-term hit, it would recover in two to two-and-a-half years, as business and population in the area grew. (Cold comfort if you happen to be employed at Sunland Park.) Fulton and his allies are not having it. “The project will adversely impact not only horse owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys and backside employees, but will have a ripple effect on the ancillary businesses supported by the racetrack industry,” warned a spokesman for the horsey set.
By that logic (curbing one industry [casinos] to protect another [horseracing]), the federal government should have banned television because of the “ripple effect” it had on the movie industry. Normally, this argument wouldn’t stand up but … since Washington has to sign off on the Jemez Pueblo casino, it’s in the position to “play God” with the New Mexico economy. So whose viewpoint do you trust: the New Mexico Horsemen’s Association or the B.I.A.? It’s a tough call but the pro-tribal tilt of the current administration makes the conclusion all but foregone.
Quinn to the rescue? While the Illinois Legislature seems to be awash in imbecility where gaming is concerned, perhaps Gov. Pat Quinn (D) has his head screwed on right. Rumblings from the governor’s manse are that the state’s economically suicidal gambling-expansion bill is headed for a gubernatorial smackdown. To the extent that one can translate what Quinn means by “top heavy,” it sounds like he wants the Lege to ditch as many as four of the five new casinos — Chicago excepted — and the racinos, too. (Since the airport slot parlors would be inside the prison secured area, they’re not exactly competitive with, say, Harrah’s Joliet or the Grand Victoria riverboat in Elgin.)
Not coincidentally, Chicago-based real estate magnate Neil Bluhm is putting the finishing touches on his pricey new Des Plaines casino (above), one which would effectively become besieged on all sides if racinos were suddenly legitimized. In addition to being a “favorite son” casino owner, Bluhm also writes big checks to the Democratic Party. That’s smoothed his path considerably in Pennsylvania and it could be a key factor motivating Quinn to reach for the veto stamp. It’s good to have “juice.”
Home-schooling in Vegas. It’s not just for Creationists anymore.
Horse racing is terminally ill. Every day horseplayers die off, and there are no new kids waiting to take over their spots at the OTB. Two decades ago the rumblings about aging players were beginning to be heard, but nothing was done to market racing to the younger crowds. I used to be a complete racing junkie, until a wise man told me to just let em run.
Sunland Park casino desperately needs the competition. The casino is terribly stingy (see the extremely short-pay video poker offerings) and offers mediocre dining options. A full-size, full-amenity tribal offering on par with those in the Albuquerque area should be a welcome addition that would be easily supported by the nearly two million people in the El Paso/Juarez metroplex. My guess is that you won’t hear much of a stink from the locals to protect Sunland Park, especially with the Speaking Rock debacle that occurred in the not-so-distant past.
Mr. Fulton needs the competition. Besides he’s a Nevada resident. He doesn’t own this land. What’s more, who would want to go to that Hell-Hole of a casino? My sister, husband and I were there just once and that was one time too many. It reeked of cigarette smoke, the location is pathetic and in general, the place is atrocious. This new casino would provide more jobs; something it seems that the Republicans don’t want to happen. My husband and I would go there in a heartbeat. It’s a bit closer for us than going so close to El Paso.
You big money-makers are just plain selfish.