Senator revives Boyd Gaming's bill on neighborhood casinos

CARSON CITY -- A key senator resurrected a bill allowing Boyd Gaming Corp. to build two casinos in neighborhoods now generally off-limits to casinos.

Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, reversing a decision he made Thursday, said Friday his committee will hear Assembly Bill 522 on Tuesday.

The bill would open the door for Boyd to develop resorts near its competitor, Station Casinos Inc., on Rancho Road and Boulder Highway.

James had said Thursday he would not schedule a hearing on the bill, which had passed unanimously in the Assembly. The bill, he had said, would make "Swiss cheese" of legislation passed two years ago restricting construction of new casinos in certain neighborhoods.

But Friday he reversed himself, saying: "There's been a whole bunch of people who said it's not fair not to let them (the Boyd group) have a hearing, including members of the committee.

"Members of my committee said it isn't fair for one person to decide on something that came out of the Assembly unanimously, not to have a hearing at all," James said.

The bill is opposed by Station Casinos and several other locals' gaming operators. James said he was still "adamantly opposed" to opening the door to more casinos in the neighborhoods and would fight the bill in committee.

Tom Skancke, lobbyist for Station Casinos, said he was surprised by the reversal of James on the hearing question. "But I guess this is the democratic process," he said. "Hopefully the committee will act judiciously and not revisit Senate Bill 208," the 1997 law restricting gaming casinos in certain neighborhoods.

"This is not about two gaming companies who are opposed to each other," Skancke said. "It's about the residents of Clark County."

Helen Foley, representing Boyd, said the goal "is to right an inequity." She had lobbied hard to get a hearing from James. "We wouldn't have requested a hearing if we didn't think we had support. There may be heated debate but that's what this is all about."

Foley, who served as campaign manager for James in his election race last year, applauded him for changing his mind. "The Boyd group has a strong case," she said. Boyd has property near the Texas Station and Boulder Station. These are casino areas, she said.

When the law was passed two years ago limiting gaming in these areas, Boyd thought it had been "grandfathered" in, she said. But it discovered only later that it had not gained an exemption on construction in certain neighborhoods.

The bill had a lot of debate in the Assembly Judiciary Committee but was passed unanimously both by the committee and the full House.

Skancke said other property owners are starting to surface who also want the exemption to build casinos in these areas. "Once you give people the opportunity to come back in, you will see a lot of people coming in and asking for the exemption," he said.

Asked about the feeling on the committee, James said, "The members I've spoken to don't support it."

Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, a committee member, said he has not made up his mind. He said he wants to hear the testimony first.

Boyd officials say that two years ago, Scott Nielsen, executive vice president and general manager of Station Casinos, was able to get the Legislature to carve out an exemption to permit Station to build across the street from Boyd's Sam's Town on Boulder Highway.

Politically, James is in the middle on the issue. Nielsen is a good friend of his. Foley ran his campaign for him. He said this comes down to doing what his citizens want. Boyd contributed $2,500 to James's campaign. Station and its clubs chipped in $11,000 to help finance his campaign.

"Under the circumstances an open public hearing is appropriate," James said Friday. "But it doesn't lessen my absolute and complete opposition to this in any way."

James Porter

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