Walk softly, carry a Talking Stick

There’s a new symbolic benchmark for the economic importance of tribal gaming in the U.S. What was the US Airways Center, in Phoenix, home of the Phoenix Suns, is becoming Talking Stick Resort Arena. It’s a testimony to the financial clout of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and of “the new buffalo.” The tribe hopes to generate additional business at Talking Stick Cultural & Entertainment Destination, which isn’t just home to a casino but a golf course and baseball stadium, and the new name of the basketball stadium will be everywhere from business cards to the roof. Although the change will take 10 months, when completed it will be a very aggressive form of “messaging.” It also enables the tribe to symbolically reclaim former reservation land, although it will continue to be owned by the city.

* After agonizing extensively on l’affaire Dotty’s, the Clark County Commission slept on it before making its next move. A motion by Chris Giunchigliani to effectively declare the issue moot by grandfathering all slot parlors now in business was shot out of the sky. An amendment by Susan Brager to grandfather those predating 2006 looks like it has more of a chance. Giunchigliani took a libertarian view: “Government should never stifle competition. Go forward from today’s date, clarify bar tops and be done with it,” she said, referring to a Steve Sisolak fixation (bar top sizes).

In the meantime, there was much melodramatic verbiage from both sides, plus a heartwarming movie presentation by Golden Gaming‘s Steve Arcana. Tavern owners gnashed their teeth about supposedly ruinous reconstruction costs and Golden’s attorney wailed about “slot parlors on every corner.” (Ironically, then-Mayor Jan Jones was practically crucified for suggesting that slot routes be curbed within Las Vegas.) Given the number — 125 — of Dotty’s parlors and bars, this isn’t David against Goliath … although Station Casinos and Golden Gaming do have a lot of expertise with quasi-casinos, given their several off-brands. But the argument boils down to only 25 of Dotty’s locations, so the outcome — whatever it is — is unlikely to be as ruinous as Dotty’s COO Mike Eide makes it out to be. Everybody will live to squabble another day.

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