Wednesday, April 9, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- State Sen. Mike Schneider is bucking big hotels with his proposal to allow wide-open gambling in time-share developments on the Strip.
And he wants to allow small casino owners with existing licenses the opportunity to move into neighborhoods outside gaming enterprise zones.
Schneider, D-Las Vegas, told the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday the gaming market is changing across the country and large companies are coming to Las Vegas to build time shares to bring in thousands of people.
Senate Bill 104 would allow a time-share project with more than 200 rooms to be considered on the same level as a resort hotel. But the time-share would have to provide only a snack bar or delicatessen that is open 10 hours a day.
Resort hotels are required to have at least one 24-hour restaurant with seating for 60 or more people.
Bill Bible, president of the Nevada Resort Association, said the proposed change in the law "substantially lowers the bar" for the state's legal definition of a hotel. He said resort hotels in Clark County are defined in the law to require a "variety of amenities" to attract customers.
This bill, Bible said "would detract from that."
He said the time shares currently can qualify for up to 15 slot machines.
Schneider envisioned a big time-share having 500 slot machines and a couple of table games. He said the time-share owner would probably have some drinks and play the machines but then would go out to hotels for meals, shows and gaming.
Las Vegas, he told the committee, "is the number one time-share (market) in the world."
"Our market is changing," Schneider said. "We need to be flexible."
The committee took no action, but there appeared to be little appetite for the bill among the members.
The committee also heard Senate Bill 271 to permit a business with an unrestricted gaming license to move into an area out- side a gaming enterprise zone. The bill would require those who were granted the permission to operate outside the zones to pay an extra 1.75 percent tax on any gross revenue of $134,000 a month.
Schneider said this extra revenue would go to a Clark County School District program for at-risk schools. A representative of the School District testified in support of the bill.
But Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, said she had concerns that a casino owner who qualified would go anywhere in the county. She said "people are buying homes in the neighborhoods. People don't want casinos."
Schneider said there were a couple of small casinos along the Strip that could be allowed to move to new locations.
"This would give them a second lease on life," he said.
Bible said the bill would allow any business with 16 slot machines to move anywhere in the county. The business could then expand with more slots and table games.
Schneider said the bill "is for the little guy." He said small casinos can't compete with the larger properties.
"This is an opportunity to move away and to make more money," he said.The committee took no action on SB271.
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