STATESIDE


taxes, Democratic political systems and unions with higher salaries and benefi ts. Unfortunately, these top fi ve states with shrinking populations also all have tribal and/ or commercial gaming within their borders. Growing state populations have a closer proximity to


different casinos, which potentially increases the customer count. Arizona and Idaho have impressive tribal operations, while Nevada speaks for itself. They are absorbing residents leaving California. I witnessed this migration fi rsthand in Southeast Florida, where Norman and I spent the winter. Many Pennsylvania and New Jersey friends are now snowbirds (seasonal travelers to Florida or other warm climates) or permanent residents. It makes our Jersey Shore region a lonely place. The exploding Florida real estate market benefi ts the Seminole tribe’s multiple casino and hotel properties. Buyers cashing out from northern states are scooping up homes, often sight unseen, for hundreds of thousands. The moving and storage companies report record activity from New York, Connecticut and northern New Jersey. Why the mass exodus from the Northeast and California? Is it just the weather? No, it’s a leadership void, higher taxes and lower quality of services. Modern technology makes it easier and eliminates having to tolerate it. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and California


Governor Gavin Newsom, who collectively represent 59 million people, are at the center of separate fi restorms. The FBI is investigating Cuomo for his Covid-19 policies from late Spring 2020; he mandated recovering Covid hospital patients be returned to nursing homes, a hotbed of vulnerability. Thousands died and Cuomo halted the program. Originally hailed as heroic, Cuomo’s administration is under scrutiny for faking the data. He also faces accusations of testing and medical treatment favoritism for his family and friends while the general public had limited access to supplies and personnel. Topping off his problems are accusations of sexual misconduct from nine women. Cuomo is battling calls for his removal and impeachment from many New York Democratic and Republican lawmakers. This same Andrew Cuomo delayed commercial casino re-openings for months, labeling them non-essential and dangerous. I think most New Yorkers would take their safety chances at the casinos. Newsom faces his own recall vote. Opponents have


collected more than two million signatures to force him out of offi ce. Critics call him a “do as I say, not as I do” chief executive who has mismanaged growing social problems statewide. California’s 65 tribal casinos and dozens of card


rooms generate billions. Newsom’s political survival or removal will affect the economies, legislation and management of those gaming facilities and their surrounding municipalities. We’ll see what happens.


H


appy Anniversary to Nevada, the state that began it all. Historically, in March, two of Nevada’s most signifi cant developments paved the way for gaming and decency. First was the 1931 statewide relegalization of


commercial gaming, which established a model for future American gaming halls. It took another 47 years before New Jersey, the second state, opened in May 1978. Once legalized gaming took hold on Indian lands, riverboats and racetracks in the 1990s, there was no stopping the trend. How would those early lawmakers view this prolifi c, highly-regulated industry that employs millions and encompasses so many types of venues and games? They would certainly be in awe of how 90 years has brought respectability and regulation to gaming.


March also marked a societal milestone in Nevada gaming history. At a press conference at the Moulin Rouge casino on March 26, 1960, Governor Grant Sawyer and other Las Vegas dignitaries announced a desegregation policy – the Moulin Rouge Agreement – at all city casinos. This pact ended prior Strip and Downtown segregation.


Following the 1930s Hoover Dam construction, Las Vegas had historically remained a segregated city. Downtown and Strip casinos and restaurants refused service and most jobs to Black customers and employees.


The Agreement lacked real enforcement power so


segregation continued into the late 1950s. However, popular entertainment giants like Sammy Davis, Jr. and Lena Horne compelled hotel acceptance, but with multiple conditions. The 1950s forced integration changes in education and the local community wanted national attention through protests on the Strip. After initially resisting, operators agreed to new desegregation policies since protests threatened convention cancellations of conventions. This announcement and those later supplemented by Supreme Court decisions and laws from Congress ended segregating nationally. However, equal opportunity in Las Vegas casinos became a true reality in 1971.


Time transforms everything. The 1960s babies are now grandparents; the generation from the 1940s/1950s may be great-grandparents. They’ve seen a lot of changes during their lifetimes.


Today, U.S. casino employment rosters include a diverse workforce refl ecting dozens of cultures, races, ethnicities and nationalities. America is a far better place for equal opportunity and improving each year.


If only the “grievance gangs” who look for problems everywhere would embrace that evolution.


APRIL 2021 11


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