Sam’s Town slot claim being eyed

Thursday, April 19, 2001 | 11:12 a.m.

The state Gaming Control Board is investigating claims made in a newspaper advertisement that the slot machines at Sam's Town hotel-casino in Las Vegas give gamblers a better chance of winning.

Dennis Neilander, chairman of the Gaming Control Board, said regulators routinely review the claims made in ads by casinos and that the Sam's Town ad is one of several under review. He would not say what other casino ads are under scrutiny.

"This is a fairly competitive market in terms of advertising and we go through cycles where we see some questionable claims," Neilander said.

The Control Board could fine Boyd Gaming Corp., the owner of Sam's Town, if the ad is found to be deceptive.

The Sam's Town ad most recently appeared in the March 25 joint edition of the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Review-Journal. Under a headline that said, "Sam's Town attracts more players than any Las Vegas casino," the text says, "When slot players come to Sam's Town, they find what they're looking for, 'slots that are looser than all those tight machines on the Strip and downtown.' That's a fact. Figures released by the State of Nevada Gaming Control Board confirm, that on average, the slots at Sam's Town are much looser than those found in casinos on the Strip and downtown."

Neilander indicated it's the seeming endorsement by the Control Board that is under review. Statistics released monthly by the board do not disclose slot win figures by casino property.

But Boyd Gaming Corp., which owns casinos on the Strip and downtown in addition to Sam's Town, say the claims are based on the company's figures as well as board statistics.

Rob Stillwell, a spokesman for Boyd Gaming, said the Control Board's statistics substantiate the company's own research and the claim is true.

"It isn't a lie," Stillwell said. "The report supports what we claim. It's absolutely true."