Editorial: Integrity of gaming on the line

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006 | 6:59 a.m.

It is beyond us that state gaming regulators might consider a plan that would allow the payouts of computerized slot machines tailored to individual players. But that's the report from the Global Gaming Expo, as Las Vegas Sun columnist Jeff Simpson reported Sunday.

Gaming Control Board member Mark Clayton told a seminar that he would be willing to consider it, and we just don't understand it. Such a move would allow gaming companies to cater to high rollers, giving them better payouts than the everyday player, who would be stuck with tougher odds.

Sounds like a good business move - a slot club card on steroids that could not only give free spins but also better odds and thus more playing time - but it isn't. This would be a move that could undercut one of the foundations of the gaming industry.

The modern boom of the gaming industry was paved, in part, by strictly regulated casinos - posted odds, fair games and straight machines mean that players can trust the odds. The state's reputation for fair gaming is also what has kept federal officials out of Nevada.

If casinos start changing the odds based upon the person playing, the industry's credibility will suffer. We just can't understand why anyone would want to take a gamble on that.

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