STATESIDESTATESIDE


Watch out for a post-holidays dip, says Sharon Harris


orman and I joined family for Thanksgiving in California, where Los Angeles has terrific weather and beautiful scenery. The daily tradeoff is nightmarish traffic, exorbitant taxes, increasing crime rates and inflation


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


NI Stateside


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


that is crushing average people. We topped off the tank with regular gas before returning


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


consultants to formulate a security plan


our three-day car rental. The cheapest was $4.85 per gallon; the highest was $6.39. Are they crazy? Gas here in New Jersey is under $3.39. I don’t live there so does it really matter? Yes, because people with less discretionary money must prioritize and often sacrifice recreational spending. Although California has its own tribal gaming


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.


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


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


Image: Fannyes/Adobe Stock 8 OCTOBER 2017 rawf8/Adobe Stock 8 DECEMBER 2021


Stateside


properties, it is the major drive-in “feeder” state for Nevada. With less financial freedom, consumers will hesitate before driving hundreds of miles across the desert or around the mountains. It’s more than a four-hour drive from Los Angeles to Las


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


It is long overdue for casinos to incorporate


Vegas, or from San Francisco to the northern Nevada border’s Lake Tahoe, Reno and Carson City. Every visit means another four hours’ drive home. This scene will repeat itself across America. Necessities do and should come first. That is why the early 1900s nickelodeons and arcades thrived…they were inexpensive mass entertainment and required little sacrifice. Besides soaring driving expenses, I’m uncertain how airline travel will fare after the holidays. Casinos should


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


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.


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