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Inside Gaming: Pursuit of Green Catalyst for Truce

LAS VEGAS -- After a war of words broke out at the end of March between gaming magnate Sheldon Adelson and Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn, the dueling duo settled on an unidentified neutral confidante to broker a truce. No one will say who is conducting the high-stakes, secret negotiations, but scuttlebutt is that progress is being made. Both sides say all they care about is the appearance of Sands Avenue. The recent industrial look should be gone soon and lush landscaping will grace both sides of the street, sources said.

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What's up with the Castaways? The Nevada Gaming Control Board says there are no plans to fast-track licensing consideration for buyers of the Castaways. Randy Miller, Rich Gonzales and Rich Iannone, owners of the Longhorn and the Bighorn locals casinos, have signed an agreement to buy the 49-year-old landmark. But unlike Harrah's Entertainment when it was taking over Binion's Horseshoe, no one has approached the board for an expedited hearing. Meanwhile, there are more than 600 very nervous former workers waiting in the wings.

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Making the big time. Destinations know they've made it big when airlines start lining up for added service. With Sheldon Adelson opening his first casino in Macau this month, Air Asia and China South Airlines are both working on added service and code-sharing deals to up their service to the island destination. Officials at Las Vegas Sands, which Adelson owns, say 70 million Chinese live within a two-hour flight of Macau. Count the airplane seats you'd need to fill the rooms in the $10 billion Striplike resort Adelson has planned.

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In the eye of the beholder. The recent Bellagio power blackout may have been a black eye for the five-star resort, but some competitors say it was a marketing plus for them. Marketing gurus at other hotel-casinos can hardly contain themselves about getting to preview their own properties for displaced Bellagio guests -- and on the MGM Mirage tab. Hundreds of Bellagio regulars were put up all over town, from Caesars Palace to the Suncoast. The marketing honchos say it was the best chance to find qualified clientele they've ever had.

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Choking on costs. A study published in the Journal of Gaming Studies suggests the national cost of problem gambling could be as high as $900 billion a year -- or as low as $3 billion. That depends on whether the average cost per problem gambler is $52,000 -- the high estimate -- or $560 -- an industry estimate. And it depends on whether 2 percent or 6 percent of the population is afflicted. Either way, the cost is staggering.

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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