STATESIDESTATESIDE


Sharon Harris laments the passing of time… And explains what she writes about each month. Very meta.


Stateside I Stateside


Sharon Harris asks what can be learned from recent events in Las Vegas


t was unimaginable that on the very week our global gaming industry converged on Las Vegas for G2E, the unthinkable could happen. As many had already arrived, or were arriving, a madman shattered the Las Vegas allure on October 1.


While 22,000 were enjoying an outdoor concert


at the chic Mandalay Bay, shots peppered the crowd from the 32nd floor. Within minutes, dozens lay dead and hundreds were wounded, some with lifetime injuries.


Wynn called Las Vegas a “target rich” environment in November 2015 and recruited top law enforcement and military


consultants to formulate a security plan


I 8 OCTOBER 2017 8 APRIL 2022 With tens of thousands of G2E attendees in town, a


large group probably stayed at the Mandalay Bay. How does one react or prepare for this type of nightmare?


Over time, we have learned this mass shooter, who


killed himself rather than be caught, methodically planned every detail of the carnage. A rich, heavy gambler, he did not fit any “standard“ profile.


Ironically, my


recently met a woman who wanted to know what I could possibly write about in the gaming industry that would have kept me busy these past 28 years. It is valid since most people do not understand the complexities and intricacies of the casino world. Consider this…anyone who owns a business like a shoe store, linen shop or even an invitation/gift shop (like my own sister) faces standard business issues. They pay their taxes, maintain their locations/inventory and hire staff. Casinos do it all, and the giant operators really do it all in spite of frequently having little control or say into circumstances that regularly impact them. When I think about areas of operation, I would include labor issues, taxes, employment, food, gaming, amenities and entertainment, security, governmental relations/ regulations and legislation. That is a basic list, but there are subsets under those that extend beyond these. Operating a casino successfully is a mind-boggling


Casino International article in September‘s G2E issue specifically focused on casino crimes. Ex-FBI agent Tom Raftery, one quoted source, warned that many within the gaming industry have not adequately addressed possible onsite terrorism.


Tragically, the


Mandalay Bay learned otherwise and has now hired a


task, especially since in a 24-hour environment. So, over these three decades, I not only have had plenty to


New York crisis management public relations firm. The lawsuits against them are just beginning to determine possible negligence by security personnel.


write about, but have had to regularly update the issues over time. Probably nothing has such an immediate personal effect on gaming and its customers than economics and taxes. These aren’t cerebral, behind-the-scenes concepts. Instead, they are in-your-face issues that can change plans in short order. For example, April is the dreaded tax deadline in America. Paying taxes on some good luck at casinos seems unfair to me, especially in light of a recent report. In 2021, 57 percent of US households paid NO federal income tax at all. That’s a political conversation for another day, but


It is long overdue for casinos to incorporate


terrorism preparedness into employee training. This killer brought guns into his hotel suite and installed cameras that monitored his room and the hallway. He then used heavy-duty hammers to smash the windows and take aim. Not that guests’ luggage or drawers be searched, but dozens of weapons take up a lot of space.


Many question the relative ease in getting such an


how much should those in every other tax bracket have to pay? It could be less going forward since relief may finally be in sight for gamblers who win. On March 3, the American Gaming Association (AGA) announced and advocated for bipartisan legislation introduced in Washington by Congressional Gaming Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA). Their proposed bill would finally increase the obsolete slot tax threshold to $5,000. The language also includes a mechanism to adjust the future rates, based on inflation. In 1977, as gaming expanded beyond Nevada with the legalization of casinos in New Jersey, federal regulation mandated that a slot machine be temporarily deactivated when a player wins a jackpot of $1,200 or more. The patron must then complete a W-2G tax reporting form to be submitted to the IRS. Inflation has increased the reportable jackpots and


arsenal to his suite. Conditions will certainly change since the bar altering our very behavior keeps shifting. So far, gaming has pretty much escaped these events, which is amazing considering these 24- hour businesses have dozens of open doors and entry points that never close.


required paperwork in four-plus decades. This inefficient process has negatively impacted casino operators while flooding the IRS offices. Congress has directed the US Department of the


Treasury (Treasury) to investigate potentially updating the slot tax threshold through regulation. As of now, Treasury has not submitted that report to Congress. Things work slowly in a governmental bureaucracy, so who knows what will happen in an election year. Does anything in anyone’s life still cost the same as it did in 1977? Of course not, so why has this never been adjusted for inflation?


Image: Fannyes/Adobe Stock


Aevan/Adobe Stock


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