Boyd Gaming asks Nevada lawmakers for new casino sites

CARSON CITY - Las Vegas-area homeowners say they want lawmakers to keep their promise to prevent new casinos from being built in residential neighborhoods.

Angered by what they see as a breach of a 1997 law, several residents testified against AB522 during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

Boyd Gaming Inc. asked for AB522, which would allow them to develop two properties they say were accidentally left out when lawmakers drew boundaries for casino development districts in the Las Vegas area.

Boyd owns property near the Texas Station casino in North Las Vegas and across the street from the Boulder Station club on Boulder Highway.

Under the 1997 law, companies have to meet strict new requirements to gain approval for casino projects in residential areas.

Boyd Gaming, Inc. president Bill Boyd said the company is only asking for a technical correction to the law, adding, "These properties are in areas that have clearly emerged as gaming areas."

The bill allowing Boyd to build is narrowly defined so it includes only those two properties, which were owned by Boyd before the 1997 law.

Las Vegas homeowner Eva Paulussen lives near the proposed casinos and objected to allowing exemptions from the law.

"We have enough casinos. They're in our supermarkets, stores, everywhere we go. Our children are not allowed to game until they are 21. So why put casinos where our children are?" she asked.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Mark James, R-Las Vegas, said he was concerned that granting the exemption would open the door for other casinos asking for similar bills.

That seemed to be the case during the hearing.

Scott Nielson, general counsel for Station Casinos, proposed an amendment to get his client's property approved too.

"If AB522's going to be approved, that's fine. I won't argue. I'll simply recognize that those are the rules," he said.

Las Vegas and Clark County officials testified against the bill, as did the Nevada Resort Association, which represents major casinos in the state.

In other casino-related matters, the full Senate gave unanimous approval to AB651, a bill that stems from a spat between major casinos and slot manufacturers.

Casino executives have said the growth of Megabucks and other networked slots could undermine the profitability of Nevada resorts and reinforce a monopoly enjoyed by the world's biggest slot maker, International Game Technology of Reno.

The original version of the bill, sought by the association, would have forced the manufacturers to offer such leased games for sale. But that requirement was amended out of the bill.

The resorts' gripe was that lease agreements for slot machines allow manufacturers to make money from the slots without assuming any of the risks associated with actually running a casino.

Though it's watered down, the bill still mandates that slot manufacturers pay their share of state taxes based on the amount of money the machines generate.

The bill now requires that slot manufacturers offer the same games to small casinos that they offer to larger, mega-resorts. Also, it spells out in law the regulations already adopted for such slots by the state Gaming Control Board.

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