NIMBY in Massachusetts; Hard Rock goes local

Anti-gambling forces in Massachusetts gained an ally yesterday when attorney general candidate Maura Healey (D) came out against casinos and for the repeal of their enabling healey_mauralegislation. This puts her at odds with Attorney General Martha Coakley (D), who holds that to reverse course at this point would be an illegal taking of contractual property. Healey’s primay opponent, Warren Tolman (D) opposes repeal. Arguing against Coakley, Healey wrote, “The opinion stated that it is improper to shut down the licensing process now that several casino operators have applied. But voters made a decision to shut down the greyhound tracks with a ballot question and that was an industry that had been running for years.” She reasons that casino operators should have been prepared to get kicked out at any time.

Singing from the liberal do-gooder hymnal, Healey blogged, “Casinos don’t lay a foundation for diverse economies, they take over.” If her allies lose in court, Healey wants casinos to pay for the best lawyers available, so that they can be policed. She also promises to put teams of investigators on site full-time ‘to monitor for abusive or predatory practices,’ which may cross the line from regulation to Big Brotherism. However …

… the polls might be swinging back against Healey and her ilk. A Western New England University Polling Institute survey found that 59% of Bay Staters favored casinos — just not in their towns. If it’s a question of having a casino where you live, the numbers swing to 55% against, 42% for. Further cause for worry is that 57% of likely voters oppose casinos. “Among voters who view this issue as very important to them personally, opposition is much higher and support is much lower compared to the entire sample,” reads the accompanying press release. So if you live in Massachusetts and favor casinos, let’s hope you’re motivated to get out and vote.

hrhlvIn a hard left turn, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is pursuing the locals market in a big way. It’s inked a deal with Golden Gaming to offer loyalty points through 43 P.T.’s– and Sierra Gold-branded taverns. Now Golden Rewards points can be redeemed at the Hard Rock’s Reliquary Water Sanctuary Spa & Salon, as well as through several HRH restaurants. There’s more: “The agreement offers the PT’s and Sierra taverns opportunities to host Golden Rewards player events throughout the year at Hard Rock venues, including the Paradise Beach Pool, concerts at The Joint and Vinyl, and invitations to quarterly slot tournaments.” Northern Nevada taverns, as well as slot routes, are excluded from the promotion.

Golden was unusually candid about the deal, basically saying that it stemmed from customer discontent with the bonuses available through Golden Rewards. Ironically, Golden formerly ran the HRH, which is currently managed by Warner Gaming. It’s hard to say whether business is hurting at the Hard Rock or whether this was simply a coming together of Station Casinos alumni like William Warner and Blake Sartini, but the Hard Rock should henceforth be reclassified as a locals casino, part of its ongoing identity crisis. Whatever the case, it’s astute marketing.

In a step towards making its casino a fait accompli, Hard Rock Sioux City (another Warner project) took delivery of 116 Konami Gaming slots part of a 850-slot bouquet that will be harvested from a variety of manufacturers, having been chosen on the basis of nine months of research. Weighing 300 pounds each, they’re reposing offsite while the casino is completed. Director of Slot Operations Kelly Pace certainly ought to know what players want: He put in 16 years at Argosy Sioux City, which is currently fighting to avoid being squeezed out by Hard Rock.

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