Hot August Nights riots may have hurt Reno casinos

The number of nightly gamblers counted in local casinos during the Aug. 7-9 festival of 1950s cars and music fell 10.1 percent from the same period last year.

"That's a big number," said Richard Wells, president of Wells Gaming Research in Reno, which counts gamblers for 28 local casinos.

He said he thinks the rioting in downtown Reno late Aug. 8 and early Aug. 9 may have prompted the decline.

As problems escalated, some casinos allowed only their hotel guests to enter buildings, which would have cut casino traffic.

How the count affects gaming revenues won't be known until October when the state releases August figures.

Despite the riot and fact the event doesn't attract many high rollers, most casino officials hope Hot August Nights continues.

"I think there's a real value to the community having the event (and) it would have a definite effect on our bottom line if we didn't have" it, said Andy Asselin, senior vice president of the Flamingo Hilton.

The Silver Club Hotel/Casino in Sparks enjoys "very good" gambling action during the event, said general manager Randy Carter. "It's our best week of the year."

But Dean Richard, marketing and sales director of Circus Circus Hotel Casino, said he hopes steps will be taken to eliminate problems at future celebrations.

"We do not like what Hot August Nights has transformed into," he said.

Police blamed more than 2,000 gang members from around the West for starting the riot.

An estimated 1,000 people took over one downtown intersection, many jumping on cars. Bottles were thrown at police, who donned riot gear and used pepper spray to quell the disturbance.

But property damage was minimal and fewer than 20 people were treated for minor injuries, city officials said.

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