Miller says Control Board not influenced by Culinary

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.

Gov. Bob Miller does not believe state gaming regulators investigating the Frontier Hotel for alleged cash-reporting violations have been influenced by the Culinary Union, a spokesman said.

"The governor is satisfied that the Control Board is conducting its investigation like any other and is not being subjected to outside influences," press secretary Mike Campbell said Wednesday.

Miller summoned the three members of the State Gaming Control Board - Bill Bible, Tom Roche and Steve DuCharme - to his Las Vegas office Wednesday to discuss the Frontier probe. He met individually with each of them for about 15 minutes.

The discussions took place following an unusual meeting Saturday between Miller and about 35-40 casino operators who expressed concern that a Culinary Union videotape was having a bearing on the cash-reporting probe.

The tape, "Abuse of Privilege, Law-breaking at the Frontier," which is being distributed nationwide, urges the Control Board to impose tough sanctions on the Frontier.

Last October, the Control Board filed a complaint against the Frontier, embroiled in a bitter strike with the Culinary Union, alleging it had uncovered $550,000 in cash-reporting violations at the Strip resort over a 30-month period.

Campbell said Miller did not want to discuss the details of his discussions with the three board members.

But Bible, the board's chairman, said today the governor mainly asked questions about procedures involved in investigations like the one of the Frontier.

"There was no discussion that would have an influence on the outcome of the disciplinary process," Bible said.

"In my experience, the governor has never intervened in the regulatory process, and he did not this time, either."

Campbell said the governor does not know: whether he'll inform the casino operators about his discussions with the board members.

Among those on hand for Saturday's meeting with the governor were Bill Boyd of the Boyd' Group, Jack Binion of Binion's Horseshoe and Michael Gaughan of the Gold Coast, who have been ardent foes of the Culinary Union in the past.

Earlier this week, a top Culinary Union official asked the casino operators of trying to muscle the governor and setting the industry back decades by staging the meeting.

The Culinary Union has denied trying to influence the Control Board's Frontier probe.