Licensing recommended for Resort at Summerlin project

CARSON CITY - The Nevada Gaming Control Board recommended Wednesday that a subsidiary of a Swiss holding company be licensed to run a $300 million hotel-casino at Summerlin in Las Vegas.

The board's parent Nevada Gaming Commission, meeting here April 29, will have final say on licensing the Resort at Summerlin. The property intends to open a day after getting its final approval.

Swiss Casinos of America Inc. already had prequalified by getting a slot distributor's license. That condition stemmed from an agreement with the Howard Hughes Corporation, developer of the booming Summerlin community on the northwest side of Las Vegas.

The club, which will target golfers who like to gamble, includes a casino with 1,270 slots and 40 table games, including seven high-stakes baccarat games.

The resort includes two hotels, the 255-room Regent Grand Palms and the 286-room Regent Grand Spa. It's surrounded by five golf courses and within 15 minutes of several more.

The Grand Spa features a 40,000-square-foot spa while the Grand Palms is in a setting featuring some 1,000 palm trees, lush gardens and pools.

The resort is situated on a 54-acre site near the scenic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and will offer a panoramic view of the Strip, 11 miles away.

In other action, the Control Board delayed action on a request by John Leon Ascuaga, son of Sparks Nugget owner John Ascuaga, to be licensed as executive vice president for gaming operations.

Board members said they want further investigation into parlay card betting by a California woman who had brought hundreds of cards to the club every week - and got paid by the bettors for placing their bets while getting "comped" by the club.

John Leon Ascuaga said it was a business decision to take the bets - a possible violation of rules against messenger betting - and that prompted Control Board member Bobby Siller to say it looked like "profit was more important to you than ethics."

The Control Board was also told there's no immediate plans for a Nevada resort venture involving Ladbroke Group PLC, a multi-billion-dollar British company allied with Hilton Hotels Corp.

Ladbroke, which runs betting parlors, race tracks and hotels, two years ago got a routine Nevada endorsement for a future, unspecified public offering. That was seen as the first step needed for a possible Las Vegas resort project.

But Dennis Gallagher, representing Ladbroke, told the board there's nothing in the immediate future - although Ladbroke is keeping its options open.

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