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Inside Gaming Column: California May Spell Bet Growth b-i-n-g-o

LAS VEGAS -- Top brass at Harrah's Entertainment hope to leap full force into Class II gaming some time very soon. That's "electronic bingo gambling," and word out of California is that if Arnold Schwarzenegger throws cold water on American Indian gaming expansion when he assumes the governorship, tribal leaders are set to go full-bore into expanding operations outside the scope of the compacts. Top executives say that Class II expansion also promises to take gambling where it's never gone before.

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Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority boss Manny Cortez last week said at a Treasure Island 10th anniversary panel discussion that Las Vegas needs visitors, but doesn't necessarily want those visitors to live here. "We'd like to have 'em come here and visit and go home," he said. "Instead they're moving here." His possibly glib comments fly in the face of conventional wisdom that more residents spell economic development. The cost of schools, transportation and housing have to be taken into consideration, Cortez suggested.

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Despite widespread reports the monorail will bypass the Stratosphere, Icahn Gaming Chief Executive Officer Rich Brown is "certain" that a station at his property is no dead duck. Brown says he'll land a monorail stop on the downtown leg planned to link Fremont Street with the current terminus at the Sahara. "Our position is, and has always been, that the monorail could and would help the Stratosphere and the city," Brown said last week. "I have 110 percent anticipation that there will be a Stratosphere (station) on the monorail."

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Dave Jonas, Harrah's senior vice president of Atlantic City operations, last week called remarks aimed at him by Aztar Corp. Chairman Paul Rubeli irresponsible. "Paul Rubeli does not have any clue what our reinvestment is and what programs we shaved to pay for this," he said. "He must have a lot more patient shareholders than we do who expect a return from Atlantic City. My job is to make sure those returns happen." Rubeli had criticized Jonas for potentially sparking a market-share war by doubling company's Tropicana Atlantic City casino's cash-back rewards to premium gamblers. More to come?

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The newly opened Borgata is struggling to find its niche in the Atlantic City market, neighboring executives say. Competitors are crying "uncle" as the impact of the Borgata's advertising campaign sinks in. However, the honchos say the Borgata can't keep up the ad campaign because of the cost in the New York and Pennsylvania markets. When it cuts off, the question will become whether the $1 billion resort has really helped grow the market, or not.

The Inside Gaming column is compiled by Gaming Wire Editor Rod Smith. You can contact him by phone at (702) 477-3893, fax (702) 387-5243 or e-mail at rsmith@reviewjournal.com.

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