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PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES

RENO, NEVADA — Come
to Reno, come to Vegas.
Come one, come all. Come
joyously to the sound of
cymbals, bringing gifts of
camels, gold, apes and
ivory.

This is Baghdad in the
Sagebrush. This is the place of

1,001 stories of the Arabian

Nights. They're not true, but does

anybody care? '

This is the place where anybody
can become rich, It helps if you
own the casino, but here and
there, now and then, a randoin
arrangement of bars, cherries and

: Oranges will lift some flea-ridden
camel herder into such wealth as
‘will set all fis relatives to fighting |

for 20 years. ‘

I respect you, Reno, although |
have contributed only moderately -
to your prosperity,

I respect your big sister, Las

” Vegas, even if not as much
becuse she is blowsy and a litde
coarse, .

President Clinton should respect
you also, and use your talented
executives to make other Ameri-
can industries competitive because

this state of Nevada nourishes

some of the purest forms af come .

petition in uke world.

Almost bereft of natural
resources since it dug up the tast
of its silver deposits, Nevada sells
iHusion and the merchants com-
pete fiercely for the privilege,

“BREAKFAST, 41,99, 2.4
Hours"

“PRIME RIB DINNER, $4.79"

“GUARANTEED WINS"

Does a customer ask himself if
a gambling house cas make a
profit while guaranteeing the cus-
tomer wins? .

In fact, it’s a safe guarantee to
offer, No one can gamble long |
without winning at least one hand.

There are even guaranteed wins
at the tourist information office,
and they can’t expect you to play
until you lose.

Spin the dial. Ht will come to
rest on some quadrant that pays a
cap, a bumper sticker or a deck of
playing cards.

FREE, FREE AND ALMOST
FREE!!!

The big, modern Riverside
Hotel at Laughlin advertises
rooms for $16 a night with as
many as four guests sharing the
cost, ;

Casinos send Cadillacs to air-
ports to greet high-stake gam-
blers. There are champagne flights
from L.A, .

It is an tusion too grand to be
deflated, even when its own peo-
ple speak honesdly about it.

Harold’s Club, one of Reno's
aldest, has this billboard at every
entrance: ,

“RENO CASINOS BUFFETS
ARE THE BEST FOOD
BARGAIN IN THE WORLDJIN
FACT, CASINOS LOSE MIL-
LIONS OF DOLLARS EACH
YEAR PROVIDING CHEAP
FOOR FOR THEIR CUSTOM.
ERS,

“AT HAROLD'S CLUB WE
PUT OUR MONEY INTO
SOMETHING YOU LIKE BET-
TER: THE LOOSEST $1 SLOTS
IN TOWN,

“JAN, 22, 23,
& 24 ONLY

AT THE OTHER PLAC
BUFFETS AND PLAY QUR
SLOTS."

The words ‘Vaosest stois™ may
convey the notion that the
machines are rickety and son:
times spew eut thousands of
dollars by niistake.

Do not try suing Harold's if
you don't find then that way. In
law, foase has no meaning.

Neither challenge the casinos
boasting slats with "98.5%
Payout.”’

Hearken to a young casino
employee who seemed to have
more brains than money:

“Ask yourself what it means?"
he said. “Is i: 98.5% payout on
every slot machine in the casino?
On half of them? On 16 of them?
On one of them? :

“Over how tong a period docs
the machine pay 98.5%? A year?
A day? An hour? *

Some machines, | said, pay
10,000% over a two-minute
period,

Exactly, he said, you can do
anything with statistics, *

Car dealers may need a 20%
markup. Bunks can’t live without
20% und more on credit card
debts.

Buta well-run casino can profit
on 1.5%, Hall has to do with the
velocity.

If the money moves fast
enough, the customers playing five
coins at atime and operating a
machine in both hands, 1.5% can
do nicely, thank you,

Even a half per cent edge over
gamblers who play Basic Strategy
at Blackjack guarantees that any-
body who plays long enough must
lose his maney, :

IC he ean count cards and wins,
the casino may bar him. Nevada
law says no casino has to play
against persistent winners.

In no other industry of North
America is the margin of profit
shaved so thin or the inducement
1o ihe customer to buy so inflated

‘Refers to Fabricland
Sawing Club Members

BUY 1 GET.
2 FREE

BLOWOUT
> CONTINUES <
Nae

ba

OF $0 Successful,

fo my motel room is a wad of
tickets (0 freebies:

A couple of free plays at the

‘Blackjack table, provided | match

with my own bets. A second
prime rib roast cut free. A Cree
cocond cocktail and a free try for
anew car and $10,000, after lve
been Uiree hours in the casino,
Free parking, if the cashier wha

changes my Canadian money ata
mere 22% penalty stamps my
ticket.

OF course there is no free lunch.
I don't care. [shall go down
among the quivering bright lights
and thy betis and play Blackjack
until | lose enough,

1 might even lose too much,
ARATE I AERO ASE)