Blackjack Insider Newsletter, Oct. 2004, #57

Nevada regulators embarrass us again also
In what's become a tired old story, the Nevada Gaming Commission has embarrassed us again.  Let's take a look at what they've been up to lately:  Hassling the Hard Rock about some silly billboards. Untold thousands of dollars of taxpayer money has been wasted on stupid hearings, with more to come, even though the Commission finally dismissed some of the silliness on Friday.  The Commission fined MGM Mirage $5 million for not sending in some forms.  It fined Station Casinos more than $2 million for not sending in some forms.  But it fined Venetian only $1 million for cheating patrons in phony, rigged drawings.  What?  Yes, that's right. The fines for not sending in forms are bigger than the fine for cheating patrons! That says a lot about the priorities of the Nevada Gaming Commission.  It's way past time for Governor Guinn to clean house on the Gaming Control Board and the Gaming Commission, and appoint some regulators who have integrity.

As Stanford Wong was checking into Palace Station, the clerk gave him an agreement to initial and sign. He wanted initials by his check-in date, by his check-out date, and by a notice of a $4.95 for "hotel service fees." He quickly signed and got his room keys.

As he was walking to my room, he was thinking about the $4.95 fee. It was to cover local and 800 calls of 30 minutes or less, covered parking, use of the fitness facility, a line pass to all restaurants, incoming faxes, notary service, 20% off selected merchandise in the gift shop, scheduled shuttle service, and a "coupon book valued at $200.00." Those sound like things that should either come with the room or should be charged to only people who use them. The coupon book turned out to be a single sheet of paper with worthless offers. He used none of the service-fee items.

He complained when checking out, and the $4.95 was removed from my bill.

I think a hotel should be upfront about its prices. Luring him in by disclosing part of the price, and then surprising him with the rest of the price as he is checking in is wrong.

There is nothing I can add to this report.  Whoever thought up this petty scheme, and whoever at Station Casinos has allowed it to continue, should be embarrassed about it.

Palace Station sent the following response to my request for comments:

Dear LV Bear,

When a guest calls and makes a reservation, they are informed of the hotel service fee. Many hotels charge for services included in our fee.  The majority of our guests do not a problem with the fee so that they can make as many calls as they would like while visiting Las Vegas including hooking up their computers at no charge.  The shuttle bus service is a great offer so that they do not need to drive and fight the traffic of the Las Vegas Strip.  At many Las Vegas Hotels, you pay $15.00 per day to use their exercise equipment.

I'm sorry you do not feel these are benefits.  I believe it's a great offer with many benefits for our guests.  I was glad to hear that the front desk took it off (the) bill before departure.

Sincerely,

Trish Kraintz
Director of hotel Operations

Interestingly, the Palace Station website now mentions the fee, but still quotes room rates without including the fee.  I guess they didn't understand that the issue was not the fee itself, but rather the sneaky way of adding it to the room rate.

Las Vegas needs "Southern hospitality"
I recently completed a trip through some southern U.S. gaming venues.  What struck me more than anything else was the difference in attitudes between casino personnel in the South and in Las Vegas.  In the South, almost everyone is friendly.  The pit personnel did not continually harass players for their player's cards, and the overall  air of hostility and suspicion that is so "normal" in Las Vegas was not as noticeable in the South.  Players seemed to be more at ease, too.  Though good penetration is a rarity, just like in Las Vegas, there are still a few single deck games in the South that are playable at higher stakes without excessive pit harassment.

The overall atmosphere is so much nicer.  There was no Las Vegas-type toke hustling.  Las Vegas, with the tourist numbers growing and growing, has become lazy, complacent, and greedier than ever.  Las Vegas casino employees should go to Tunica, Biloxi, Vicksburg, New Orleans, and other outposts to learn how they SHOULD be treating their patrons.