{"id":12749,"date":"2014-02-14T10:51:23","date_gmt":"2014-02-14T18:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=12749"},"modified":"2014-02-14T10:51:23","modified_gmt":"2014-02-14T18:51:23","slug":"casinos-behaving-badly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/casinos-behaving-badly\/","title":{"rendered":"Casinos behaving badly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Reno<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Peppermill Casino<\/strong> is going to be $1 million lighter in the wallet, after it &#8216;fessed up to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/business\/peppermill-casino-owners-agree-1-million-fine-over-use-slot-machine-reset-key\" target=\"_blank\">spying on other casinos&#8217; proprietary data<\/a>. Peppermill <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/web1_jackpot-key_3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12751\" alt=\"web1_jackpot-key_3\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/web1_jackpot-key_3-300x237.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/web1_jackpot-key_3-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/web1_jackpot-key_3-150x118.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/web1_jackpot-key_3.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>analyst <strong>Ryan Tors<\/strong> was caught at the <strong>Grand Sierra<\/strong> using a tool known as a reset key to unlock the secrets of rival casinos&#8217; slot machines. He &#8221;\u00a0<em>was able to learn certain diagnostic information about the slot machine, such as play history, hold percentages, event logs and game configuration<\/em>.&#8221; Peppermill management has admitted that it condoned and encouraged Tors&#8217; malfeasance, and now will get a spanking.<\/p>\n<p>Tors was lucky. He&#8217;d been snooping on competitors&#8217; slots since 2011 and was only busted recently. The key gets its name from its use to <!--more-->reset slot machines following large jackpot payouts. The Peppermill&#8217;s skullduggery would be amusing were it not flagrantly unlawful and brazen. That seven-figure fine was well earned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dan Gilbert<\/strong> may own the <strong>Cleveland Cavaliers<\/strong> but that&#8217;s no excuse for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Cincy-casino.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-4354\" alt=\"Cincy casino\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Cincy-casino-300x139.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"139\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Cincy-casino-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Cincy-casino-150x69.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Cincy-casino.jpg 485w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>cavalier extension of credit at his <strong>Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati<\/strong>. The joint drew a $75,000 fine after it was discovered to have &#8220;<em>failed to collect complete application and credit check information before extending credit to some visitors<\/em>.&#8221; Horseshoe <a href=\"http:\/\/news.cincinnati.com\/article\/20140212\/BIZ\/302120096\/?nclick_check=1\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\">staffers will be required to obtain additional training<\/a> and General Manager <strong>Kevin Kline<\/strong> happily pushed them under the bus, saying, \u201c<em>We are taking the necessary steps to refine our policies and further train our team on these important internal control requirements<\/em>.\u201d The buck sure doesn&#8217;t stop at Kline&#8217;s desk.<\/p>\n<p>According to state Sen. <strong>James Whelan<\/strong> (D, right), <strong>Caesars Entertainment<\/strong> is trying to flip the <strong>Atlantic Club Hotel<\/strong> &#8230; but with a catch. A deed restriction <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whelan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-12750\" alt=\"Whelan\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whelan.jpg\" width=\"120\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whelan.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Whelan-102x150.jpg 102w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 120px) 100vw, 120px\" \/><\/a>on the sale would <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pressofatlanticcity.com\/news\/breaking\/whelan-wants-regulators-to-prohibit-caesars-from-restricting-atlantic-club\/article_b530683a-94d0-11e3-b3d1-0019bb2963f4.h\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\">strip the property of its gaming entitlement<\/a>. Whelan told <em>The Press of Atlantic City<\/em> that Caesars&#8217; gambit <em>&#8220;supports his stance that the gambling giant has too much control of the Atlantic City market<\/em>.&#8221; He&#8217;s spoken to a realtor who&#8217;s fielded multiple offers for the property, Whelan says.\u00a0Assemblyman <strong>Chris Brown<\/strong> (R) backed up Whelan, calling Caesars&#8217; actions &#8220;<em>shortsighted and counterproductive.\u00a0Our mutual goal from Atlantic City should be to maintain an inviting and open market for more investment, no matter what form it take<\/em>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Caesars wasn&#8217;t talking about the matter. However, we should have seen this coming when the company bought the <strong>Atlantic Club<\/strong> and promptly turned it into an hollow hulk. CEO <strong>Gary Loveman<\/strong> can be illogical but not to the point of owning a bunch of empty buildings. Besides, the move had precedent in Caesars sale of the <strong>Claridge Hotel<\/strong>\u00a0<em>sans<\/em> gaming entitlement last year.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/atlantic-city-hilton-casino-resort.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-7042\" alt=\"atlantic-city-hilton-casino-resort\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/atlantic-city-hilton-casino-resort-300x240.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/atlantic-city-hilton-casino-resort-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/atlantic-city-hilton-casino-resort-150x120.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/atlantic-city-hilton-casino-resort.jpg 415w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Noting that Caesars has a 38% share of the Atlantic City market, Whelan wrote to the <strong>Division of Gaming Enforcement<\/strong>, &#8220;<em>Shouldn&#8217;t we allow the market to dictate if and when this property could become a casino again, not have Caesars restrict competition?\u00a0I don\u2019t think you want any company, but particularly a company with this much debt, trying to monopolize Atlantic City<\/em>.&#8221; He&#8217;s counting on the &#8220;undue economic concentration&#8221; cause in casino licensure to stay further growth by Caesars. However, what&#8217;s &#8220;undue&#8221; is governed by a dozen criteria, some of which border on the subjective.<\/p>\n<p>If you think the rhetoric is heated now, just imagine what will happen if Caesars wins the bidding war for <strong>Revel Resort<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reno&#8216;s Peppermill Casino is going to be $1 million lighter in the wallet, after it &#8216;fessed up to spying on other casinos&#8217; proprietary data. Peppermill analyst Ryan Tors was caught at the Grand Sierra using a tool known as a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/casinos-behaving-badly\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23,154,7,71,25,79,157,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12749"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12752,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12749\/revisions\/12752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}