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The Battered Gaming Industry: A Case Study for Our Times?

In The Battered Gaming Industry, IGI Executive Director Bo Bernhard makes an interesting observation: the moment that the Las Vegas-based gaming industry finally "cleaned up" via strong regulation was, in retrospect, the very moment that gambling became globally popular (and massively profitable). Typically, economists associate "strict regulation" with "profit killing" -- but in the gaming industry the opposite was true. Both of these events (the regulatory cleanup and the meteoric rise in profits) took place in the mid-1980s, and though Las Vegas' popularity can be attributed to a number of factors during that period, one of these factors can be traced to the fact that once gambling became "clean," it became socially acceptable for a much larger population to gamble. And any time you can open your store's doors to a larger customer base, that is, by definition, a good business day.

Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D.

Industry Comment

An occasional opinion piece highlighting gaming industry issues

and insights, legal developments, economic aspects, and other topics of

concern to executives, managers and policy makers.

In this issue:

The Battered Gaming Industry:

A Case Study for Our Times?

Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D.

These are times of turmoil; ergo, these are times of finger-pointing.

The gaming industry has certainly been on the receiving end of its share of pointed

fingers. Take, for instance, this quote excerpted from the US national media:

Like a gambler on a prolonged winning streak. Las Vegas had the feeling

its run of luck couldn't end... but when the excitement died down, the

town looked at its new places where customers were scarce and the

betting light, and wondered: Has Las Vegas pushed its luck too far?

The headlines ofthe article are no less predictable: "Has Las Vegas Overextended

Itself? Gambling Town Pushes Its Luck."

The arguments in the article make some intuitive sense: like a gambler intoxicated

on his own success and overly confident that this bodes well for his future (laws of

probability be damned), the Las Vegas-based segment ofthe gaming industry finds itself

in a bind not unlike that of its less fortunate customers. Now, like an unlucky gambler

after a long losing streak. Las Vegas finds itself questioning its own foundations, and

indeed wondering about its own long-term sustainability.

The punch line here, however, is a temporal one, and one that is familiar to those

who have followed the industry through its ups and downs over the years. The date that

these seemingly timely accusations were published in the national news media?

June 20...

1955.

In a cover story in LIFE magazine, no less - a venerable journalistic institution that

was among the most influential and widely-read in its day. So certainly, the negative

attention that the gaming industry has received of late is not new.

This does not make it any less damning, however, and the most recent attacks come from

a surprisingly wide variety of voices - from the political right, from the political left, and

even from the new US president.

John McCain, himself a famously passionate casino gambler, made a point of giving

gambling a center-stage appearance on his presidential campaign's web site. As was the

case in 1955, his arguments have what researchers call "face validity" - they make sense

in our gut and on the surface. McCain vehemently decried the "casino culture" that has

replaced the (presumably Puritan) foundations of our national economy, and blamed the

current economic downturn on Wall Street types drunk on speculation (Mason, 2008).

These perspectives are not limited to conservative commentators. Even

York Times

conservatives are to be believed - has published an anti-gambling critique entitled "Keep

It in Vegas." And it comes from no less revered a voice than Thomas Friedman - perhaps

the most influential editorial columnist ofthe 2000s:

The Neweditorial page - purported to be the most liberal in the American media, if

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

• Volume 13 Issue I 55

Now is the time for coolly sorting out what markets can do best and

what governments need to do better... In sum, government's job is to

police that fine line between the necessary risk-taking that drives an

innovation economy and crazy gambling with other people's savings

in ways that threaten us all. We need to make sure that what happens

in Vegas stays in Vegas - and doesn't come to Main Street. We need

to get back to investing in our future and not just betting on it (A'lT,

September 16,2008).

Once again, few would argue with Friedman's logic: the fundamental question before

us requires "coolly sorting out what markets can do best and what governments need to

do better," and it seems to go without saying that "crazy gambling" is not the answer.

The "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" quote might have served as a cheap and easy

writing device, but the metaphor is clear even if it was not meant as a direct, literal attack

on the city.

However figurative these kinds of arguments might be, though, they still can have

real effects on the actual gaming industry. To see this, of course, we need only observe US

President Baraek Obama's recent off-hand comment that during these times of trouble,

he did not want to see stimulus package dollars supporting Las Vegas jaunts - a statement

that sent Goldman Sachs, among others, scrambling for less offensive (and ironically,

significantly more expensive) meeting locations such as San Francisco (Friess, 2009).

What is so often missed in the race to "point" and blame, however, is the (admittedly

more tortoise-like) quest to understand. But understanding is vital in the gaming industry -

perhaps now more than ever, as in 2009 and beyond, the industry (and many others) may no

longer have the luxury of relying upon a "consumption-consumed" customer base.

So let us try to invoke the spirit of research - let us try, through sober empirical

inquiry, to understand. To start, let's put forth a simple proposition that runs exactly

counter to the spirit of these media attacks: perhaps the gaming industry provides a "howto"

map rather than a "how-not-to" admonition for our times.

Rather than pointing fingers at "gambling" or "Las Vegas" or "casinos" as illustrative

of what is

illustration of some things that are

right now. If Thomas Friedman is correct (and I think he is), the

key question of our day is this: what can markets do best and what

can governments do better? And I would modestly propose that the

gaming industry is one industry that has been surprisingly effective

in forcing a graceful "dance" between its allegedly nimble

private sector interests and the presumably awkward government

metronomes that dictate the beat.

To explain why this might be the case, it helps to tum to the history of this oftmaligned

industry in the United States. This history is dotted with sparkling examples of

eye-catching moments of entrepreneurial genius - sprung forth from the minds of famous

dreamers from Bugsy Siegel to Steve Wynn. More quiet but no less important, however,

was the behind-the-scenes transformation ofthe government's role in regulating this

industry. "Quiet pioneers" such as Grant Sawyer, Shannon Bybee, the not-so-currentlyquiet

Harry Reid, and even our own International Gaming Institute's Patty Becker helped

develop a regulatory model admired the world over for its thoroughness, effectiveness,

and perhaps most importantly, what we might call its "cleanliness." The victories in this

sphere were alternately plodding and sudden, and have been outlined in greater detail

elsewhere (see

of these quiet pioneers). Unquestionably, these efforts reached a vital pinnacle in the

mid-1980s, when the last remnants of organized crime were removed from the executive

suites on the formerly dusty boulevard known as the Las Vegas Strip.

Looking back with the benefit of hindsight today, here's what's noticeable about

the mid-1980s in the gaming industry: it was from almost exactly this moment that

wrong in America right now, we might be better off fingering this industry as anright -^ and "right" in ways that are remarkably timelyNevada Gaming Law, 3rd edition for a summary authored by several

Perhaps the gaming industry

provides a "how-to " map rather

than a "how-not-to " admonition

for our times.

56

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal • Volume 13 Issue 1

The Battered Gaming Industry: A Case Study for Our Times?

the industry took off, and indeed became a truly global economic force. Now to be

clear, this "takeoff' happened for a lot of reasons - from the aforementioned Wynn's

entrepreneurialism to relatively monopolistic market conditions to the transformation

of access to capital (another development that looks different today with the benefit of

hindsight). But

effectively "cleaned up" via govemment regulation.

Here's why this happened: for the gaming industry, cleaning up was not just a

masterful govemmental stroke - it proved to be a brilliant stroke of marketing genius.

Once the Nevada-based gaming industry began to demonstrate that it could operate and

regulate cleanly, it became more socially acceptable for, say, conservative church-goers

to dip their toes in Las Vegas' alluring waters (and then to return to their pews and tell

their fellow congregants about it). Somewhat unwittingly, this opened Las Vegas' doors

to a much larger market - one that included a much bigger swath of the population. There

are few ironclad "laws" in business, but this might be one of them: anytime you can

dramatically broaden your market, this tends to be a good business "thing" for virtually

any business entity. In this case, gaming opened up, and the world in tum became

more open minded, at least as it pertained to gambling as a socially and economically

acceptable activity.

For their part, other governments watched these successful developments and

gradually warmed to the possibility of offering gaming in their jurisdictions. This

process took place over and over, and arguably reached its zenith in 2006, when even

the prohibition-prone government of Singapore -

purchase chewing gum and bans all sorts of "deviant" behaviors - decided to open up its

doors to welcome two of the largest, most spectacular casinos on the planet.

While many economists tend to assume that the equation is straightforward, and

more aggressive government regulation inevitably leads to lesser profits for the regulated

industry, for the gaming industry it did not exactly work this way. The industry figured

out an effective balance between govemment regulation and free market principles

- or put more precisely, govemment provided the appropriate (but make no mistake,

more stringent) regulatory framework that in tum allowed the free market to do what it

does best. It bears re-emphasizing that this is a gross oversimplification, but it remains

a useful one: the gaming industry's historical chapters without serious, effective

government regulation yielded a relatively small-time, shunned industry. The chapters

when the industry got serious about regulation, meanwhile, have helped usher in an

era of unprecedented global economic growth. As was the case in the Progressive Era

of the early twentieth century, govemment and business worked together to produce

regulation—and the end result, while hardly perfect, emerged as a marked improvement

over the past.

Rather than pointing to the industry as an example of what's wrong, then, perhaps we

might use it as an imperfect-but-informative "how to" case study in academic, research,

and policy settings. Today, those who criticize America's "gambling problem" might

be well advised to take a closer look at the targeted industry itself. What they may see

is a highly-regulated industry, where customers have been protected from unscrupulous

operators. In contrast, regulators of the banking and securities industry are accused

of, at a minimum, misfeasance in allowing toxic assets, sub prime loans, complicated

derivatives, and credit swaps to run wild (and essentially unregulated) — while its

customers have stood by largely unprotected by govemment or industry. If you are one

of the many consumers who has misplaced her confidence in 2009, which of these two

approaches inspires trust?

And while the gaming industry no doubt faces massive challenges today (with

too much debt and not enough inflows in a time of precipitous economic declines

worldwide), this broader, longer historical trajectory remains clear. This is why today's

gaming leaders are often quick to point out that theirs is the rare US industry that

one clear reason why the industry was able to take off was because itSingapore, where it remains illegal towants

strong regulation. Put simply, this is an industry that has effectively grappled with

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

• Volume 13 Issue I 57

the complex dance between government and the free market - or to put it in Thomas

Friedman's terms, this is one sector that has to a significant degree addressed the key

question facing our times. This is especially ironic given that in one breath, Friedman

aims his editorial sword at "crazy gambling," and in the next, he wonders where on earth

we might find a sober answer to the government-private sector quandary that baffles our

best minds today.

If we want to "coolly" figure out what the private sector can do best and governments

can do better, we could start by coolly studying gambling.

And that, for readers of this journal, is pretty... well, "cool" as my students might say.

References

Friedman, T. (2008, September 16). Keep it in Vegas.

March 15, 2009 at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/opinion/17friedman.html

Friess, S. (2009, February 14). Las Vegas sags as conventions cancel.

Times.

html?_r= 1 &scp=3&sq=obama%201as%20vegas&st=cse

Gambling town pushes its luck. (1995, June 20).

The New York Times. RetrievedThe New YorkRetrieved March 15, 2009 at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/us/15vegas.Life.

Lionel Sawyer & Collins. (2000).

authors.

Mason, J. (2008, September 18). McCain, Obama seek reform amid economic turmoil.

Nevada gaming law (3rd ed.). Las Vegas, NV: The

Reuters.

idUSN12345561200809]7

Retrieved online March 15, 2009 at http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/

Acknowledgement I

for their thoughtful critiques of earlier drafts of this essay.

58

would like to thank Bill Eadington, Tony Lucas, and Michael GreenUNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal • Volume 13 Issue 1

 

Las Vegas and Houston: Global Command Centers in the Sun Belt

 University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Copyright 2011

Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D., Mikael Ahlgren, Ph.D. (candidate)

Download PDF | Read Press Release (PDF)

UNLV International Gaming Institute Report Urges Las Vegas to Embrace

Global Gaming Ventures, Invest in Intellectual Capital

LAS VEGAS—November 18, 2011— Las Vegas could learn a lot from Houston.

Much like Las Vegas, Houston was a one-industry town. When Houston’s main

economic engine – oil production – moved overseas, the city suffered an economic

downturn. However, Houston’s slump ended when it began exporting its intellectual

capital.

Las Vegas should look to Houston for cues on how to get itself out of economic peril,

according to a new study published by Bo Bernhard, executive director of the

International Gaming Institute

Bernhard and Ahlgren’s report is available in this month’s

Review Journal

With Houston’s oil and reserves depleting, the study notes, companies began searching

internationally for business opportunities. Houston capitalized on its expertise in

manufacturing, operations, engineering and finance developed around the oil industry.

Houston’s strategy worked and Las Vegas is well poised to follow suit, Bernhard said.

Las Vegas’ casino-resorts have developed a rich base of local executives and industry

experts.

Las Vegas’ international influence is apparent, Bernhard said. Las Vegas has established

relationships with Macau and Singapore – both of which have adopted Las Vegas’

casino-resort model and iconic architectural design and have flourishing tourism

economies. Now, Las Vegas could leverage its gaming expertise abroad by investing

locally in career, cultural, and educational programs that would spur intellectual

development, Bernhard said.

“While many lament that the gaming industry seems to have moved overseas, this is not

necessarily a sad historical chapter for the city,” Bernhard said. “Las Vegas’ integrated

casino resort model is admired the world over, and local executives, government

officials, and companies are seen as the most qualified experts to develop these types of

gambling assets.”

Already, much of Macau and Singapore’s revenues are linked to Las Vegas-based

companies. According to the report, Las Vegas-based companies now generate 40

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Page 2 of 2

percent of Macau’s casino revenues. Las Vegas Sands has a market share of 15 percent,

while Wynn Resorts has 13 percent and MGM has 11 percent of the share.

But Bernhard urges Las Vegas to do more to attract talented individuals who will want to

work and create a home in Las Vegas. He urges officials to invest locally in career,

cultural, and educational programs that would further spur intellectual capital.

According to the report, below is an overview of Houston’s turnaround:

UNLVand UNLV hotel college graduate student Mikael Ahlgren.UNLV Gaming Research and.

•

Companies began to search internationally for new business opportunities

•

manufacturing, operational, engineering and financial knowledge

Houston invested in intellectual capital and capitalized on its expertise in

•

Alternative energy firms like wind and solar power came to Houston

•

Downtown offered four major sports teams in brand new arenas

•

Houstonians adapted to globalizing economy

•

Houston became a global command center for international energy industry

•

Leaders invested in civic/cultural programs to improve quality of life for residents

According to the report, below are ways Las Vegas can follow Houston’s example:

•

complexity of the gaming/entertainments industry’s future

Invest in educational programs that will develop local talent to handle the

•

companies that would like to create a stronger online gambling presence

Build upon technology base already established with gaming manufacturing

•

a region likely to increase gaming activity

Boost airport connectivity to Asia, where gaming is thriving, and to Latin America,

•

local arts and cultural programs

Commercial gaming industry could attract a higher level of talent by investing in

The report is available online on

###

IGI’s web site.

UNLV is a doctoral-degree-granting institution of 27,000 students and 3,300 faculty and

staff. Founded in 1957, the university offers more than 220 undergraduate, masters and

doctoral degree programs. UNLV is located on a 332-acre campus in dynamic Southern

Nevada and is classified in the category of Research Universities (high research activity)

by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Media Contact: Afsha Bawany, UNLV Office of Media Relations, (702) 895-5515

LEARNING FROM HOUSTON: HOW LAS VEGAS CAN

TURN ITS ECONOMY AROUND

Research

Internet Gambling in Nevada

 University of Nevada, Las Vegas | April 2007

Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D., Anthony F. Lucas, Ph.D., and Elena Shampaner, Ph.D. (candidate)

Download PDF

UNLV International Gaming Institute Report Urges Las Vegas to Embrace

Global Gaming Ventures, Invest in Intellectual Capital

LAS VEGAS—November 18, 2011— Las Vegas could learn a lot from Houston.

Much like Las Vegas, Houston was a one-industry town. When Houston’s main

economic engine – oil production – moved overseas, the city suffered an economic

downturn. However, Houston’s slump ended when it began exporting its intellectual

capital.

Las Vegas should look to Houston for cues on how to get itself out of economic peril,

according to a new study published by Bo Bernhard, executive director of the

International Gaming Institute

Bernhard and Ahlgren’s report is available in this month’s

Review Journal

With Houston’s oil and reserves depleting, the study notes, companies began searching

internationally for business opportunities. Houston capitalized on its expertise in

manufacturing, operations, engineering and finance developed around the oil industry.

Houston’s strategy worked and Las Vegas is well poised to follow suit, Bernhard said.

Las Vegas’ casino-resorts have developed a rich base of local executives and industry

experts.

Las Vegas’ international influence is apparent, Bernhard said. Las Vegas has established

relationships with Macau and Singapore – both of which have adopted Las Vegas’

casino-resort model and iconic architectural design and have flourishing tourism

economies. Now, Las Vegas could leverage its gaming expertise abroad by investing

locally in career, cultural, and educational programs that would spur intellectual

development, Bernhard said.

“While many lament that the gaming industry seems to have moved overseas, this is not

necessarily a sad historical chapter for the city,” Bernhard said. “Las Vegas’ integrated

casino resort model is admired the world over, and local executives, government

officials, and companies are seen as the most qualified experts to develop these types of

gambling assets.”

Already, much of Macau and Singapore’s revenues are linked to Las Vegas-based

companies. According to the report, Las Vegas-based companies now generate 40

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Page 2 of 2

percent of Macau’s casino revenues. Las Vegas Sands has a market share of 15 percent,

while Wynn Resorts has 13 percent and MGM has 11 percent of the share.

But Bernhard urges Las Vegas to do more to attract talented individuals who will want to

work and create a home in Las Vegas. He urges officials to invest locally in career,

cultural, and educational programs that would further spur intellectual capital.

According to the report, below is an overview of Houston’s turnaround:

UNLVand UNLV hotel college graduate student Mikael Ahlgren.UNLV Gaming Research and.

•

Companies began to search internationally for new business opportunities

•

manufacturing, operational, engineering and financial knowledge

Houston invested in intellectual capital and capitalized on its expertise in

•

Alternative energy firms like wind and solar power came to Houston

•

Downtown offered four major sports teams in brand new arenas

•

Houstonians adapted to globalizing economy

•

Houston became a global command center for international energy industry

•

Leaders invested in civic/cultural programs to improve quality of life for residents

According to the report, below are ways Las Vegas can follow Houston’s example:

•

complexity of the gaming/entertainments industry’s future

Invest in educational programs that will develop local talent to handle the

•

companies that would like to create a stronger online gambling presence

Build upon technology base already established with gaming manufacturing

•

a region likely to increase gaming activity

Boost airport connectivity to Asia, where gaming is thriving, and to Latin America,

•

local arts and cultural programs

Commercial gaming industry could attract a higher level of talent by investing in

The report is available online on

###

IGI’s web site.

UNLV is a doctoral-degree-granting institution of 27,000 students and 3,300 faculty and

staff. Founded in 1957, the university offers more than 220 undergraduate, masters and

doctoral degree programs. UNLV is located on a 332-acre campus in dynamic Southern

Nevada and is classified in the category of Research Universities (high research activity)

by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Media Contact: Afsha Bawany, UNLV Office of Media Relations, (702) 895-5515

LEARNING FROM HOUSTON: HOW LAS VEGAS CAN

TURN ITS ECONOMY AROUND

Responsible Gaming Device Research Report

Prepared by the International Gaming Institute


University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Copyright 2006

Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D., Anthony F. Lucas, Ph.D., and Dongsuk Jang, Ph.D. (candidate)