Law Commons^™

How To Play Your Hand: Lessons For Negotiators From Poker, John Valery White, Joseph Asher, Russell Korobkin, Jack Binion, Howard Lederer, Annie Duke

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

A panel discussion on the topic of conflict resolution and negotiation strategies among internationally acclaimed poker players Annie Duke and her brother, Howard Lederer, UCLA professor Russell Korobkin, and leading Las Vegas gaming executive Jack Binion. The following transcript reflects the speakers' discussion.

The Pendulum Swings: Commerce Clause And Tenth Amendment Challenges To Paspa, Thomas L. Skinner Iii

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”) prohibits betting, gambling, or wagering on competitive games (“sports betting,” “sports gambling,” or “sports wagering”) wherein professional or amateur athletes participate or are intended to participate. Enacted in 1992, PASPA makes it illegal for any government entity or person to participate in or sponsor sports betting in all but a few states. Exemptions were carved out for parimutuel animal racing, jai-alai games, and for sports betting gambling schemes already in existence or that would become authorized within one year from the effective date of PASPA, provided that the municipality authorizing sports betting …

Gtl: Gaming, Territoriality, And The Law — Comparative Approaches To Online Gaming: Lessons For Ontario, Emir Aly Crowne, Anthony Andreopoulos

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

In 2010, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) – the Crown Corporation of the Government of Ontario (Canada) charged with regulating and administering lotteries, casinos, and race tracks in Ontario – announced its plans to launch an online gaming website. This article explores the Province of Ontario’s foray into online gaming, weighing the likely success of that venture against the regulatory approaches taken in jurisdictions like the United Kingdom (U.K.) and United States of America. Some “modest proposals” are also suggested.

Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas: The Nevada Gaming Regulatory Response To Sovereign Wealth Fund Investment, John J. Piro

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

The bulk of recent scholarly work surrounding sovereign wealth funds ("SWFs") is dedicated to assessing the federal regulatory systems’ adequacy—or likely, inadequacy—in dealing with issues unique to SWF investment. However, the federal regulatory system has not been the only regulatory body to deal with SWF investment in the United States. In 2008, one of the United Arab Emirates’ (“UAE”) SWFs, Dubai World, made a large investment into the Nevada gaming industry and was found suitable to purchase up to twenty percent of MGM Mirage’s stock. This article will address how the Nevada gaming regulatory system has found an effective way …

Why They Say "No" (Casi—"No"): Countries That Reject Legalized Casino Gambling, William N. Thompson

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

Most world venues have legalized casino gambling. Indeed, the numbers of venues has been growing rapidly. In 1986, seventy-seven nations permitted legal casino gambling; in 1996, 109; while recent reports indicate 132 countries have casinos. Nonetheless, there are several cases of jurisdictions rejecting the legalization of casinos.

This article seeks to find common reasons for the rejections, and examines the following ten venues: Bhutan, Brazil, Japan, Liechtenstein, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, and Norway. The study utilizes a framework from the book The Last Resort: Success and Failure in Campaigns for Casinos, by John Dombrink and William N. Thompson. …

When The Chips Are Down: Do Indian Tribes With Insolvent Gaming Operations Have The Ability To File For Bankruptcy Under The Federal Bankruptcy Code?, Corina Rocha Pandeli

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

Indian gaming has become increasingly popular in the United States, with casino and resort facilities on federally recognized Indian land rivaling the likes of Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos. Since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (“IGRA”), gaming activities on Indian reservations across the country have skyrocketed, providing a substantive source of revenue to once economically downtrodden tribes. The IGRA places Indian tribes involved in gaming operations in a unique position because it affords them federal protection and oversight with respect to gaming operations, whereas state law regulates private gaming operations. In a relatively short …

The Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act (Paspa): A Bad Bet For The States, Eric Meer

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

Sports gambling is a multi-billion dollar industry in America today, but state and local governments, by and large, do not benefit in any way. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), a 1992 federal law, restricts all but a handful of states from legalizing sports gambling. This has allowed a thriving shadow economy of mob-associated bookies and offshore websites to operate with virtual impunity. PASPA’s restrictions have not received much attention—until recently. The severity of the recent recession has forced state governments to get creative and find new sources of tax revenue, and many states have turned to sports …

Improving The Odds: Changing The Perception Of Problem Gambling And Supporting The Growth Of Problem Gambling Courts, Amaia Guenaga

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

This Note will examine what problem gambling is and demonstrate the parallels between problem gambling and substance abuse. The Note will then explore the development and expansion of problem-solving courts for substance abuse and mental health and explore the pros and cons of problem gambling courts, in the end offering support for the further creation and development of problem gambling courts.

Regulation Of Gaming Device Software Development: Nevada’S Paradigm Shift On Independent Contractors, Dan R. Reaser

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

On April 22, 2010, the Nevada Gaming Commission (hereinafter the “Commission”) adopted a number of amendments to Regulation 14 governing the manufacture of gaming devices. A subset of these amendments were promulgated pursuant to changes to the Nevada Gaming Control Act (hereinafter the “Act”) during the Seventy-Fifth Session of the Nevada Legislature. The rules relate to “control programs” and the independent contractors who design, develop, program, produce, or compose software, source language or executable code compiled into the control program of a new gaming device or of a modification to a gaming device submitted for approval. These particular rules became …

Not Out Of The (Fox)Woods Yet: Indian Gaming And The Bankruptcy Code, Emir Aly Crowne, Andrew Black, S. Alex Constantin

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

The recent economic downturn has caused Foxwoods Resort Casino, one of the largest casinos in the world, to seek a restructuring of nearly $1.5 billion in debt. Ordinarily, bankruptcy proceedings are triggered when a typical commercial enterprise defaults on its debt. Under these proceedings, creditors step in and collect monies owed to them before any residual equity is dispersed amongst owners. The rub here is that Foxwoods is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Western Pequot Tribal Nation, a sovereign nation under U.S. federal law. This triggers questions of paramountcy; namely, whether tribunal sovereignty can trump federal bankruptcy law.

These …

Has The Time For Large Gaming Property Involved Reits Finally Arrived?: A Review Of The Potential For Reit Investment In Destination Gaming Resort Properties, Simon Johnson

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

Destination gaming resorts demand massive amounts of capital in order to fund their investment in real property, much of which comprises areas where they realize predominantly passive business, including the hotel tower. Consequently, they generate substantial income from passive business, such as fees for hotel occupancy, even as most of their income is attributable to active business, such as gaming and personal services. Because they blend separable passive and active real property, a REIT can theoretically acquire all or some of the real property, realizing income under an operator lease with a substantially unrelated gaming or hotel lessee. Alternatively, a …

Keeping It Clean: Richard H. Bryan And Nevada Gaming, Leslie M. Niño

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

When Nevada legalized gaming in 1931, few observers could have predicted the extent to which the gaming industry would grow and evolve. The modern gaming industry has expanded across the globe, and is now regarded as a dynamic avenue of commerce. However, during the industry’s infancy, many Americans denounced gaming as a pariah. Legalized gaming was not viewed as a legitimate industry; rather, it was a haven for swindlers and cheaters. How did Nevada turn this negative perception into a positive one? Legislators and regulators resolved to create and enforce gaming regulations with the highest standards of ethics and integrity, …

Can A State Seize An Internet Gambling Website's Domain Name? An Analysis Of The Kentucky Case, Kirk D. Homeyer

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

The newly developed Internet gambling forum has produced myriad legal issues affecting state, federal, and international law. The difficulty in addressing the issues arises from the ubiquity of the Internet. Based on an analysis of the Kentucky Case, this Note argues that a state cannot seize an Internet gambling website’s domain name for violating that state’s laws. First, Kentucky did not have personal jurisdiction over the gambling domain names’ registrars to have authority to seize them. Second, Kentucky’s gambling statute violates the Commerce Clause. Part II provides background to and the facts underlying the Kentucky Case and its procedural …