Legislators: State should not dictate when casinos close arcades

Tuesday, June 3, 1997 | 11:32 a.m.

"There has to be some point when government lets up and personal responsibility comes in," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Mark James, R-Las Vegas. "If government has to tell you not to leave your kids unsupervised in an arcade in the middle of the night, we are in a sorry state as a society."

Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, added, "Are we going to penalize businesses because parents weren't paying attention to their children?"

But Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and Perkins favor at least discussing with casino owners the problems of unsupervised children remaining in casino arcades in the middle of the night.

"Certainly if we are so concerned about children's safety, which is a big issue this session, looking at all-night arcades would be appropriate," Titus said.

Sherrice Iverson, 7, was raped and strangled at the Primm Valley casino May 25. Videotapes showed the Los Angeles girl was playing hide-and-seek at 3:48 a.m. in a casino arcade with a young man who later followed her into a restroom, where she was killed. Jeremy Strohmeyer, 18, of Long Beach, Calif., has been arrested as a suspect in the slaying.

Casino officials said security officers repeatedly complained to Sherrice's father, LeRoy, who was gambling, that his daughter was unsupervised.

Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington, and David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Assembly Infrastructure Committee, generally echoed James' comments about the state staying away from dictating hours for arcades.

"The Legislature has no role in this," Goldwater said. "It's an ordinance kind of thing of local concern."

"Large casinos are like baby-sitting services," added Dini, who operates a small casino in Yerington. "I think they may need tougher security."

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, said the problem of unsupervised children congregating in all-night arcades might be dealt with through curfew bills already before the Legislature.

AB517, sponsored by Assemblyman John Lee, D-Las Vegas, would require county commissions to abate chronic nuisances. The bill describes places where excessive noises and violations of curfew occur as nuisances.