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Inside Gaming: Mad Clash for Last License in Illinois

A battle of Las Vegas titans is shaping up over Illinois' 10th gaming license. Sources who seem to know what's going on predict the choice is between Park Place Entertainment Corp., soon to be Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Las Vegas. They admit the show's not over until the fat lady sings, especially with Isle of Capri, Harrah's Entertainment, a partnership of the Hyatt Hotel Corp. and Mandalay Resort Group, and KeyStone Gaming still in the fray. But they tell us Illinois decision-makers are taken by the glitz, glitter and gaming experience of Wynn and Caesars.

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Is it ego? We understand the need for patent, copyright and trademark protection. But where does it end? Late last year, Steve Wynn filed a trademark application for his iconic signature, soon to appear as the corporate logo on all collateral material and signage connected to his new Wynn Las Vegas. The application, which is pending, covers 41 international classes of usage and was filed for Wynn by Quirk & Tratos in Hughes Center.

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Slots for the ruling class. With a flourish of high-limit slot rooms, regulators in New Jersey are condoning casino tactics that keep the commoners outside looking in. New Jersey regulators for years acted on an unwritten policy of making the casino floor "open and available to as many people as possible." Now, every Atlantic City casino now has a separate high-limit slot room, with names like Diamond Cove, Platinum Place, Crystal Room, Sala Miralto and Gold Room, that they want treated as a private club. They might as well be a gated community restricted for high-rollers, and that's the point.

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Losing a horse race. Harrah's Entertainment lost out in its bid to buy Rosecroft Raceway in Oxon Hill, Md., outside Washington, D.C. The winner of the bidding war was Northwind Racing, owned by politically well-heeled Mark Ricigliano. Harrah's had been considered a favorite because it was the only national gaming company in the hunt, but word around Washington is that Maryland preferred the broad diversity of the chosen owner. Meanwhile, Park Place Entertainment Corp. filed a lawsuit last week claiming it already has exclusive rights to operate any slots at the track.

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Hard times. With all the bowl games being played, problem gamblers are said to be particularly vulnerable this time of year. So-called problem gambling expert Arnie Wexler says half of the 15 million at-risk gamblers in the United States bet on sports.

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.

Copyright GamingWire. All rights reserved.

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