Friday, Feb. 26, 1999 | 10:50 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday approved the MGM Grand Inc. takeover of Primadonna Inc. and also issued a license to the $1.2 billion, 3036-suite Venetian, set to open in mid-April on the Strip.
MGM Grand, when the deal closes Monday, will take over the three casinos at Primm -- Buffalo Bills, Whiskey Pete's and Primadonna -- near the California border. It will also assume full ownership of New York-New York, in which it now holds a 50-50 percent interest with Primadonna.
Primadonna Chairman Gary Primm was questioned about security at the Primadonna, where a 7-year-old girl was killed in a restroom by Jeremy Strohmeyer in 1997. Primm said security has been stepped up and the children's arcade has been moved to the second floor so security can keep a better watch on it. The victim, Sherrice Iverson, was playing in the arcade before her death.
The Venetian will have 2,500 slot machines, 115 table games and 4,000 employees. Anthony Cabot, attorney for the resort, said the personnel structure will "in no way impact" the right of employees to unionize.
There's been a running war between Venetian developer Sheldon Adelson and the Culinary Union over Adelson's refusal to recognize the union based on a card count of employees.
Gaming Commission Chairman Bill Curran said it was not the job of the commission to get involved in labor relations and any union organization effort at the Venetian.
Robert Goldstein, senior vice president of the Venetian, said there were 113,000 job inquiries and it is now concluding 30,000 interviews.
William P. Weidner, chief executive officer, said the strategy is to attract mid-week business using its two convention facilities.
A pedestrian overpass of the Strip between the Venetian and Treasure Island has been put on hold, pending a traffic study, hotel officials said.
Other non-restricted applications from Clark County that were approved included:
Gary Selesner to participate in the operations at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Forrest Woodward II as president of the Holiday Inn Casino Boardwalk.
Best Bet Products Inc. as a manufacturer, distributor and operator of a slot machine route.
Roger and Dee Fuller for up to 150 slot machines at the Speedway Casino in North Las Vegas.
A license for the new Terrible's Lakeside Casino in Pahrump, to be operated by the Herbst family.
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