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Jacky Rosen Finally Called Winner of Nevada US Senate Race

US Sen. Jacky Rosen, D, was called the winner on Friday night in the close race in Nevada against Sam Brown.

Jacky Rosen
Jacky Rosen, pictured above. She won her Senate race. (Image: Jacky Rosen campaign)

News of her victory was projected by the Associated Press at 9:15 p.m. PT. Other news organizations had declared her the winner earlier this week.

She was leading Brown, R, by 20,571 votes, according to news reports. That’s a difference of approximately 1.4%.

Naming her the winner came after Clark County processed late mail-in ballots, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

To be counted in the race, mail-in ballots needed to be postmarked by Election Day, which was Tuesday.

Second Term for Rosen

This marks the second Senate term for Rosen. She initially was elected in 2018.

Previously, she was elected to House of Representatives in 2016.

Brown, a former Army officer, was endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump.

Initially Too Close To Call

The Rosen vs. Brown race was considered a toss-up by pollsters and then was too close to call after the polls closed on Tuesday.

As of Thursday, Rosen led Brown by 12,699 votes, based on numbers reported by the AP.

Rosen was leading then with 47.6% of the votes, which totaled 644,471, as of Thursday morning. Brown had 46.7% of the votes totaling 631,772.

Rosen was projected on Thursday to have won against Brown by Decision Desk HQ, The Hill reported. But other news organizations were hesitant to call the race given the number of ballots that had yet to be counted.

Many votes cast in Nevada still have questionable signatures. Voters have until Tuesday to verify their signatures on these ballots. As of Wednesday, 12,736 mail-in ballots had problematic signatures.

In some of Tuesday’s Senate races, the Republican candidates benefited from the historic victory seen by former President Donald Trump (R) over Vice President Kamala Harris (D) on Election Day.

Republicans had hoped Brown would capture the Senate seat, to boost the Republican majority in the Senate. The Republicans now have 53 seats in the Senate, while the Democrats have 46. The Arizona Senate seat has yet to be called.

In Arizona, Kari Lake, R, still trailed Ruben Gallego, D, on Friday in the close Senate race. As of Friday night, Lake trailed Gallego by 1.1% with a 32,779-vote difference, according to AZMirror, a regional news site.

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Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort Agrees to $250K Settlement With Nevada Gaming Commission

The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno has agreed to pay the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) a quarter of a million dollars to settle a regulatory complaint stemming from an incident last year.

Grand Sierra Resort Nevada Gaming Commission
The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno has agreed to pay $250K to settle a regulatory complaint brought by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This week, the Nevada Gaming Commission signed off on the resolution. (Image: Grand Sierra Resort)

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) brought a complaint against MEI-GSR Holdings, LLC, doing business as the Grand Sierra Resort, after one of its agents reported being denied prompt access to the property’s Grand Theatre during a routine inspection.

Michael Somps, a senior deputy attorney general in the Nevada Attorney General’s Office who represented the state in the matter, told the NGC that a Gaming Enforcement Division agent arrived at the Reno casino on Dec. 19, 2023. During the agent’s inspection, casino security approached the agent after he bypassed a metal detector outside the theater’s entrance.

Casino security told the agent, who had his NGCB badge and credentials displayed, that he had to relinquish his firearm before entering the theater. After about six minutes, higher-ups with the resort informed the security personnel that the gaming agent could enter the theater with his weapon.

Rare Occurrence

All establishments licensed by the Nevada Gaming Commission are subjected to routine inspections. State gaming agents are to have immediate and full access to “all portions of the premises,” with the definition of premises being “curb to curb,” said Somps.

The senior deputy attorney general explained that gaming agents review areas off of the casino floor to ensure that no illegal gambling or other unlawful activity is occurring inside the licensed gaming facility.

While a brief delay for access is sometimes common, a delay of six minutes, which the agent disputed and said was longer, is an outlier according to Somps. Paired with a similar incident in 2021 where a third-party security guard hired by the Grand Sierra blocked a gaming agent’s immediate access until he was wanded, Somps said a $250K penalty against the resort was warranted.

Licensees have a long history of complying and granting Board agents immediate access to all portions of the premises. The Board views the Grand Sierra Resort’s violation seriously and maintains that licensees and their employees understand that any Board agent be given immediate access to any portion of the premises of the gaming establishment after they display their credentials,” Somps said.

The Meruelo Group, the parent owner of the Grand Sierra Resort controlled by billionaire Alex Meruelo, did not contest the fine in agreeing to settle the complaint.

The $250K fine comes just days after Meruelo’s Grand Sierra donated $15K each to the Robert Mitchell Elementary School and Vaughn Middle School, both of which are part of the Washoe County School District.

Where the Money Goes 

The Nevada Gaming Commission and Gaming Control Board are responsible for the strict regulation of all persons, locations, practices, and activities associated with the state’s gaming industry. Nevada’s gaming law allows the NGC to impose fines on licensees found to be non-compliant with its regulations.

Fines received by the state gaming agency are directed to the Nevada General Fund. The $250K fine against Grand Sierra slightly offsets another decision made on Monday that determined that Nevada Restaurant Services Inc., the parent of Dotty’s gaming taverns, was owed a $3 million tax refund.

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Nevada Casinos Report Net Income of $3.44B in Fiscal Year 2023

Nevada casinos generated record revenue of $29.86 billion during the state’s 2023 fiscal year, but net income slid because of billowing inflation, interest, and overall administrative costs.

Nevada casinos abstract income revenue
The Resorts World Las Vegas casino floor is bustling in a file photo. Nevada casinos reported net income of $3.44 billion during the state’s 2023 fiscal year on gross revenue of $29.86 billion. (Image: AP)

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) on Friday unveiled the 2023 Gaming Abstract for the 12 months ending June 30, 2023.

During the fiscal year, 300 casinos grossed at least $1 million on their gaming floors. Only casinos that generated over $1 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) are included in the annual report that provides a financial analysis of the state’s nonrestricted gaming licenses.

The nearly $30 billion in revenue includes gaming win and sales from hotel rooms, food and beverage, entertainment, spa services, and other resort attractions. Gaming represented about 37% of the revenue, or $10.92 billion.

On the $29.86 billion in sales — 8.9% higher than the 2022 fiscal year — the 300 casinos reported net income of $3.44 billion. Net income dropped over 21%, with higher borrowing rates, labor, and materials and goods costs blamed for the decline.

Net income refers to the amount of revenue retained by the casinos after expenses have been paid but before federal income taxes are deducted and extraordinary expenses are covered.

2023 Still Solid

Nevada casinos experienced their second-best financial year in 2023, as 2022 was a banner performance.

Clark County, home to Las Vegas, accounted for the most revenue at $26.86 billion, which was a 9.5% year-over-year increase. Net income for Southern Nevada casinos was $3 billion, a 21% drop but the market’s second-best year.

Strip casinos generated $20.48 billion of the revenue and $1.37 billion of the net income. Downtown casinos reported revenue of $1.55 billion and net income of $259.17 million. While Strip casinos saw net income slide almost 34%, downtown resorts said net income fell 4%.

Every metered area in the state report incurred a net income decline from the 2022 fiscal year. But each market still reported positive net income aside from Lake Tahoe’s South Shore.

The positive net income came despite interest expenses surging 23% to nearly $449 million, rent increases of 70%, or $248 million, and general expenses climbing 17% to $613 million.

2024 Outlook

Nevada casino execs aren’t expecting costs to subside anytime soon, so revenue must continue to increase. Many expect that to happen, including MGM Resorts International President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle.

2023 was an amazing year. We’ve got some headwinds, particularly with labor costs, but there’s enough programming and enough momentum that we think we surpass,” Hornbuckle said on the company’s earnings call last week.

Last fall, the Culinary Union that represents resort workers up and down the Strip struck new labor terms with several casino operators, including MGM, Caesars Entertainment, and Wynn Resorts. Some 50,000 Las Vegas casino employees are receiving wage increases as a result of the new five-year union contracts.

The 12 months in 2023 were a record year for Nevada casinos, as GGR climbed to a new high of $15.5 billion. Union leaders successfully campaigned that their members deserved a bigger piece of the financial pie by way of increased pay and more robust benefits.

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Ex-Raiders Player Henry Ruggs Remains in Nevada Prison Camp During Super Bowl

As Henry Ruggs III’s former Las Vegas Raiders teammates watched Super Bowl LVIII this past Sunday, he continues his sentence at a Nevada prison camp with dorms rather than jail cells.

Henry Ruggs III
Henry Ruggs III, pictured above in a Las Vegas courtroom. He’s now serving a sentence at a Nevada prison camp for a deadly DUI. (Image: La Presse)

Ruggs, 25, is incarcerated at Stewart Conservation Camp, which is described as a minimum-security complex in Carson City, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

No word if he watched the iconic football game played at Allegiant Stadium.

Nowadays, he’s been earning $2.50 an hour at a job that has him work off-site for government offices, KLAS reported.

Transfer From Prison

First, he was incarcerated at High Desert State Prison, after pleading guilty to two charges stemming from a deadly collision.

In September, he reportedly was transferred to the minimum-security facility.

Ruggs was sentenced in August to at least three years in prison. He could be granted parole in August 2026.

In November 2021, Ruggs was driving up to 156 mph on Rainbow Boulevard in Las Vegas. He crashed his Corvette into a Toyota RAV4, driven by Tina Tintor, 23. She and her dog, Max, both perished in the fiery collision.

Ruggs’ blood-alcohol level after the deadly incident was 0.16, authorities revealed. That’s double the legal limit.

Initially, he was charged with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in bodily harm, two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, and possession of a firearm while under the influence.

Ruggs faced up to 50 years in prison if he had been convicted of dropped charges, prosecutors said.

But he pled guilty to reduced charges of DUI resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter.

The firearm charge was one of those dropped counts even though a loaded gun was found in his Corvette after the crash.

Ruggs was socializing at TopGolf in Las Vegas hours before the crash.

Courtroom Apology

Before being sentenced, Ruggs last year apologized to Tintor’s family, his former team (the Las Vegas Raiders), and his relatives.

“To the parents and family of Ms. Tintor, I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021, have caused you, your family and those who knew Ms. Tina and Max,” Ruggs said in the courtroom.

I let my family, my teammates and those who believed in me down with my actions and hurt so many.”

After the crash, Ruggs was released by the Raiders. He had signed a four-year NFL contract reportedly worth more than $16M.

He was a first-round NFL Draft pick. Ruggs led the Raiders in receiving yards in 2021. The former Alabama standout had 24 receptions, 469 receiving yards, and two touchdowns through seven games.

His sentence has been questioned by former NFL star and celebrity O. J. Simpson, who believed it to be short, compared to his own sentence for armed robbery, which was between nine and 33 years.

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Casino Chip Grabber Nominated to Nevada ‘Black Book’

A man accused of stealing fistfuls of chips from tables and casino patrons has been nominated to Nevada’s so-called “black book,” its list of individuals who are forever banned from all casinos in the state.

A copy of the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s so-called ‘black book’ of excluded persons is displayed at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. (Image: Mob Museum)

The Nevada Gaming Control Board nominated Neal Ahmed Hearne to its List of Excluded Persons at its Wednesday meeting, after watching surveillance videos of a man identified as Hearne grabbing chips from a table game at Aria in Las Vegas in January 2018.

Hearne was convicted of a crime related to the incident.

Hearne met three criteria for inclusion on the list, Senior Deputy Attorney General John Michela argued during the meeting:

  1. a prior felony conviction
  2. a conviction of a crime of moral turpitude
  3. a judicial order banning him from a casino

Gaming Control Board Chair Kirk Hendrick added that nominating Hearne for inclusion was necessary because his “brazen” actions could easily escalate into dangerous situations.

If the five-member Nevada Gaming Commission votes to concur at a future meeting, then Hearne will become the 37th person added to the black book.

A Dishonor Just to be Nominated

Hearne will be notified of his nomination and given the opportunity to request a hearing before the commission to oppose his inclusion. He can choose to be represented by legal counsel who can gather evidence to counter the allegations.

Last month, the commission unanimously voted to add Shaun Joseph Benward, a Mississippi illusionist who allegedly uses his knowledge of distraction to scam roulette dealers, as the black book’s 36th excluded person.

Every few years, the attorney general’s office will review the whereabouts of individuals on list and seek a regulatory action to purge the names of those they can confirm have died.

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