Bemoaning a phantom “onslaught of frivolous lawsuits,” the AGA’s Miller is mounting a second charge up Capitol Hill, calling for corporate immunity from Covid-19 litigation. Citing Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s recent capitulation to the Nevada Resort Association, Miller proclaims, “As the gaming industry responsibly reopens across the country, it continues to adapt in incredible ways to protect the health and safety of workers and customers. Gaming properties, led by our deep-rooted culture of compliance, continue to follow, and often exceed, government reopening guidelines nationwide.” In the main he is right but we’ve certainly some bad actors and not just along the fringes. Calling the casino industry’s plight “a national crisis,” Miller continues, “Capacity restrictions and significant safety expenditures are already taking their toll. This bill helps to mitigate the costs of burdensome litigation that will ultimately affect state and local taxes and jobs.”
Miller promises the indemnity will be “temporary” (hey, we weren’t born yesterday) and is only meant for “frivolous lawsuits.” But is not frivolity a matter for the courts inherently to decide, on a case-by-case basis? In closing, Miller notes that 10% of commercial casinos remain closed, as do 17.5% of tribal ones. Some of those are in New York State, where four casinos built on a mixture of hope and hype (mostly hype) fear that their continued closure by the government will be the final nail in their coffins.
It’s Harris … As you may have heard, California Sen. Kamala Harris (D), seen above with Unite-Here prexy D. Taylor, has won Joe Biden‘s veepstakes. She led wire to wire on the futures markets, for those who cared to bet, and the Biden campaign is hoping she can do the same for them.
This Miller fella spends way too much of his microphone time on corporate lobbying that amounts to valet parking level money, lunches and liability mean squat if the average Joe has no cash to spend… Yes corporate travel is a huge factor, but its a lagging indicator when you compare it to consumer spending and confidence. The economy needs more stimulus, Miller has connections to the politicians who are balking, gaming companies will get thrashed if current trends continue… This is not rocket science, when you pay lobbyists to lobby you handicap your own interests when they focus on pet issues.