{"id":14600,"date":"2014-09-19T10:18:21","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T18:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=14600"},"modified":"2019-04-15T07:33:19","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T15:33:19","slug":"vlts-come-to-texas-slots-inundate-illinois-gomes-honored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/vlts-come-to-texas-slots-inundate-illinois-gomes-honored\/","title":{"rendered":"VLTs come to Texas; Slots inundate Illinois; Gomes honored"},"content":{"rendered":"

Casino gambling has finally got its foot in the door of Texas<\/strong> (not counting a pair of tribal casinos on\u00a0the Mexican border). Late last month, the Texas Racing \"horse\"<\/a>Commission<\/strong> voted overwhelmingly to approve “historical racing” VLTs at Texas tracks, effective Sept. 28. Rep. Matt Krause<\/strong> (R) tried to block implementation with a lawsuit, which has j<\/a>ust been dismissed for a lack of standing. However, Judge David Evans<\/strong> — even as he sent Krause’s suit packing — noted that the TRC didn’t have the authority to approve use of the devices, in which punters bet blind on the outcome of previously run races.<\/p>\n

No, track owners aren’t in the clear yet, especially since they can’t unilaterally install the VLTs but must make their case to the Racing Commission first. Then there’s the small matter of 24 Texas nonprofits who are also filing suit to stop the cyber-ponies from ever running. Said plaintiffs’ attorney Steve Bresnen<\/strong>, \u201cWe know from experience in other states that this important source of charity support, which sustains more than 1,000 organizations all over Texas, will dry up virtually overnight if casino gambling is allowed and bingo cannot compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Sam Houston Park<\/strong> President Andrea Young<\/strong> focused on the positive.\u00a0\u201cWe thank Judge Evans for his ability to focus on the law in this case. While we disagree with some of the statements in the opinion, we agree with his ruling,” she said. One track that’s mulling an application for the VLTs is Lone Star Park<\/strong>. John Elliot<\/strong>, CEO of owner Global Gaming Solutions<\/strong>, hailed the commission’s ruling, saying, “assistance can be provided that is much needed to the racing industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

* “If O\u2019Fallon<\/strong> citizens feel strongly that gaming is not an appropriate form of entertainment, they should choose not to patronize the establishments that offer \"AC<\/a>it.\u201d So says Nancy Chase<\/strong> of O’Fallon’s St. Clair Bowl<\/strong>. Currently, slot routes are forbidde<\/a>n in the Illinois<\/strong> town, though they can be found in nearby locations earmarked for annexation. As Illinois slot routes observe their second anniversary, they have thoroughly pervaded the state: 17, 719 machines in 4,369 locations, producing $100 million in revenue — much to the chagrin of the traditional casino industry.\u00a0\u201cVideo gaming in Illinois has proved to be both a regulatory and technical success, as well as an important adjunct to State revenues,\u201d concludes an Illinois Video Gaming Board<\/strong> report.<\/p>\n

It’s also proven some of the Cassandras wrong. Shiloh<\/strong>, which routes its slot revenue into the police pension fund, reports no rise in crime related to the presence of gambling in city limits.\u00a0Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association<\/strong> President Mike Gelatka<\/strong> adds, “local economic benefits from revenues on the machines that are operating in participating communities [like Shiloh] have exceeded expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn’t stop\u00a0Illinois Church Action on Alcohol &\u00a0Addiction Problems<\/strong> Executive Director Anita Bedell<\/strong> from wringing her hands. “Local governments
\n\"Slot<\/a>get five cents for every dollar lost in the machines,\u201d Bedell says. \u201cThis won\u2019t begin to pay for the social and criminal justice costs of addiction, bankruptcy, crime, child abuse and\/or neglect, divorce, embezzlement and suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gelatka counters that slot revenue was the only thing that kept Lansing<\/strong>‘s American Legion<\/strong> post from closing. Lansing’s Veterans of Foreign Wars<\/strong> post wasn’t so lucky, closing down while waiting for approval of a slot route. The Legion and VFW posts in O’Fallon are stumping for slot routes in that town, in order to maintain upkeep. Slot routes may have failed to penetrate the greater\u00a0Chicago<\/strong> area, but they’re a success downstate and look like they’re here to stay.<\/p>\n

* Finally, a big “thank you” to Drexel University’s\u00a0Center for Hospitality \"Gomes\"<\/a>&\u00a0Sport Management<\/strong>, which has been renamed<\/a> the Dennis Gomes Memorial Casino Training Lab<\/strong>. Gomes was a legend in the industry both as a regulator and later as a flamboyant operator. “Through its casino management program, the casino training lab will provide live experience of slot machine protocols and mock customer interactions in real-time, allowing students to study the operational elements of electronic gaming equipment,” donated by Bally Technologies<\/strong>, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal<\/em>. It’s good to know that Dennis Gomes<\/strong>‘ name will live on in academia. He’s too important a figure to be forgotten.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Casino gambling has finally got its foot in the door of Texas (not counting a pair of tribal casinos on\u00a0the Mexican border). Late last month, the Texas Racing Commission voted overwhelmingly to approve “historical racing” VLTs at Texas tracks, effective … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[77,24,142,14,58,111,25,92,8,114],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14600"}],"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=14600"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23924,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14600\/revisions\/23924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}