STATESIDE STATESIDE
F
or this G2E issue, I needed to write something profound in advance of press time. I will not be in Las Vegas this year, but expect panels of the most important current topics to be informative. Technology and the necessities of the past two
years will mean many programs will again be broadcast virtually. Those I plan to watch. Throw in the 25th East Coast Gaming Congress (ECGC),
formerly the Mid-Atlantic Gaming Congress, in late September and you have a month of comprehensive learning. Hundreds, including me, attended at Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Casino. How much learning can one person take? Never enough because the complex issues affecting gaming constantly change. After 29 years at this job, I have rarely seen any real repetition of questions, controversies, victories or defeats. If there were, they always had a new twist. Legislation,
I
Wynn called Las Vegas a “target rich” environment in November 2015 and recruited top law enforcement and military
consultants to formulate a security plan
8 OCTOBER 2022
Statesi Stateside
Sharon Harris asks what can be lear recent events in Las Vegas
Sharon Harris comes up with a profound column just in time for G2E. Phew!
address at the ECGC. He promises to sign legislation if and when it comes to his desk. I don’t think it was ever on the G2E schedule.
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
business conditions, external forces and each individual region’s distinct economy continued to evolve and change. Take these two critical issues of today as examples: --The ECGC abruptly canceled its indoor casino smoking
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.
ban panel just days before the conference began. Count me among those who don’t get it, given the national anti- smoking campaign’s decades-long drum beat to finally get this accomplished. The “Gaming Revenues Going Up In Smoke?” panel
large group probably stayed at the Mandalay Bay. How does one react or prepare for this type of nightmare?
would have included heavy hitters from both sides like Resorts Casino Hotel President & CEO Mark Giannantonio, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) Foundation President & CEO Cynthia Hallett and Greenwood Racing (PARX Casino) CEO Eric Hausler. PARX, Pennsylvania’s leading casino in suburban Philadelphia, became smokefree once the casinos reopened in 2020. The busy gaming property has thrived since then. Ironically, 35-year casino veteran Giannantonio recently
assumed the Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) presidency in August. The trade group, along with other coalitions nationwide, strongly opposes any smoking bans. Did Giannantonio face internal pressure from his members? Who knows, but I believe the movement will ultimately win out. It is too big to ignore, proven by a quickly scheduled employee protest on the Boardwalk after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s keynote luncheon
Ironically, my
Casino International article in September‘s G2E issue specifically focused on casino crimes. Ex-FBI agent Tom Raftery, one quoted source,
Sunshower Shots/Adobe Stock 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.
According to ANR Advisor and former American Gaming Association (AGA) staff member Chris Moyer, more than 20 states with casino gaming prohibit indoor smoking, as do hundreds of tribal properties. “The positive economic impact of a smokefree casino
has turned conventional wisdom on its head. People think twice about where to spend their money. New Jersey has broad bipartisan legislative support to close the smoking loophole. Neighboring states like Delaware, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania have compelled New Jersey to evaluate their position,” says Moyer. To be continued…
New York crisis manageme The lawsuits against them determine possible neglig
It is long overdue for ca With tens of thousands of G2E attendees in town, a
-- The nationwide shortage of hospitality employees is all too real. Businesses continue to close due to lack of help. In response to threatened summer strikes by employees at the nine Atlantic City casinos, Hard Rock International announced a new payment plan. The company will award more than $100 million in significant raises to 10,000 non-tipped employees nationwide. These 95 job classifications include cooks, housekeepers, front desk clerks, security workers and cage cashiers who are based primarily in the U.S.
terrorism preparedness in killer brought guns into h cameras that monitored h He then used heavy-duty windows and take aim. No drawers be searched, but a lot of space.
Many question the relat
arsenal to his suite. Condi since the bar altering our shifting. So far, gaming ha these events, which is ama hour businesses have doze points that never close.
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