No slot ban proposed by mayor's committee

A compromise reached between Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and a committee of gaming and retail experts she appointed several months ago to study non-casino gaming in the community likely will do nothing to stop the proliferation of gambling in grocery and convenience stores.

The committee's much-anticipated findings in a report released Wednesday were disappointing in that they addressed things that already are mandated by state law, city ordinance or common sense. And they were a far cry from Jones' proposal in February to limit slots in future grocery and convenience stores.

"Of course it is (different from the original proposal)," Jones said after the meeting. "It's a compromise -- a fair compromise. It protects our children, helps clean up the air and takes enforcement more seriously. We came up with a solution that addresses the public's concerns and protects our neighborhoods."

The committee's findings included:

Jones, the Democratic candidate for governor, appeared to not only soften her stand on grocery and convenience store gaming, but also downplayed the issue she had raised about slot route operators being exempt from the 6.25 percent tax that casinos pay on gross gaming revenues.

Jones said she was pleased that the first step -- the compromise -- had been reached and that issues like the gaming revenue tax can be "fought another day."

Jones attracted widespread attention in February when she proposed to limit neighborhood store slot machines -- a move that angered area business operators, some of whom feared it was the first step toward banning them altogether.

After the store owners said the restrictions could put them out of business, Jones formed the committee to study the matter.

Kenny Guinn, Jones' Republican opponent, went on record as saying he supports slots in supermarkets and convenience stores because they provide operators with needed revenues.

Sean Higgins, president of the Nevada Retail Gaming Association, said he believes the compromise is a good one for the community.

"Store owners are residents of Las Vegas who also are concerned about the quality of life here," Higgins, who also serves as general counsel for Terrible Herbst convenience stores, said. "I have been a local resident since age 4 and I have two children. We want to try to make this a better community, too.

"(The compromise) will make slots less prominent. But slots are part of Nevada's heritage."

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