Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Every Customer and event is important to our economy

MIKE O'CALLAGHAN is executive editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, we have been receiving more complaints from hotel-casino customers about ill treatment. Some of the complaints had little or no substance, other than the way they were treated. Very simply, some of the complaints result from employee actions which wouldn't be tolerated by the owner of a department store or restaurant in most American cities.

A couple of the most recent complaints from visitors were checked out by Sun reporter Steve Kanigher. Here's the beginning of one report from him:

'Regarding people who are asked to leave casinos:

"First, the general issue:

"I talked with two Las Vegas attorneys from opposite ends of the legal spectrum. Anthony Cabot, a prominent gaming attorney with Lionel, Sawyer and Collins, and Jonell Thomas, an associate of Dominic Gentile who is on the local ACLU board. Both agreed that, as a matter of common law, casinos are private property. Casinos can, therefore, refuse service to anyone and demand that they leave for any reason. They said this is generally true of any place of business.

"Both agreed the only exception is cases of discrimination, including race, gender and disabilities. A casino cannot refuse service or throw someone out based on discrimination.

"Cabot said the No. 1 reason people get thrown out of casinos is for cheating or suspected cheating."

The complaint that Kanigher was investigating resulted from four people, two couples, being asked to pack up and leave a hotel-casino. The complainant was highly incensed, but probably didn't know that his friend's wife is included among the people listed as known card cheats in the Griffin Book.

Another complaint came from a journalist in Texas, who summarized a three-page letter: "In summary, we were arrested, detained, accused, embarrassed, threatened, and I personally was put in medical jeopardy and suffered an extraordinarily large business loss as a result of the actions of the employees. The image of Las Vegas has been sullied by these actions. If, as I believe, detaining us without calling the police is a criminal offense, I will press charges so that future visitors will not be so abused as were my friends and I."

A summary Kanigher gave me came from the hotel attorney, who told him that the complainant and his buddies were initially thought to have taken a champagne bottle without paying for it. According to the attorney, the men were confronted by hotel security at the valet area and questioned about the bottle. But, because the hotel employee who made the allegation said he wasn't sure that the complainant and his friends were the culprits, the allegation was dropped on the spot. He added that the party left the hotel on their own and weren't tossed off the property.

Even closer to home are a couple of cases that challenge the power of a hotel-casino to permanently bar a person from its premises without notice, hearing or opportunity for review. Although one district court judge has already ruled against them, you can bet there will be an appeal.

Maybe we are hearing more complaints because of the rapid growth of the gaming industry. On the other hand, it's possible that a little employee sensitivity training may be in order for some of the hotels. Only one of the hotels we have had complaints about is on the Strip.

Over a long period of time, enough complaints, either right or wrong, will eventually catch up to any business, no matter how large or small. It's also possible that these complaints have always been out there but the Sun's complete news coverage, both in the newspaper and electronically, is attracting more attention and is drawing more comment from across the nation.

I would suggest that these may be isolated sore spots that mean very little in the large picture, where millions of people are entertained every month. But don't tell that to our sister city up north. A recent editorial in the Reno Gazette-Journal complained about that city losing the International Chili Society World Championship Chili Cookoff to Las Vegas.

The chili cookoff may sound like a small thing to some people but, long ago, Las Vegas learned that enough small and moderate-size affairs soon become a solid basis for economic success. The Reno editorial writers also share this view but evidently some of its business people haven't come to the same conclusion.

The editorial summarized: "Now with competition increasing from Las Vegas and from out-of-state gaming, the Truckee Meadows needs to attract visitors in any way it can. Of course, the gaming industry needs people who gamble. But people who come here and gamble moderately are better than people who do not come at all. The industry seems to grasp this reality now. Still, it is good to pause a moment and contemplate how the chili cookoff was lost."

Yes, several special events added together can keep a lot of people working and help an economy grow. Likewise, might I add, a dissatisfied customer here and an angry one there can also add up to bigger problems. In our economy, there's no problem so small that it shouldn't be handled with sensitivity.

archive