Dotty’s debate leads to hearing

What began as a concern over the proliferation of the Dotty's Gaming & Spirits taverns throughout the Las Vegas Valley will come to head in two weeks.

Clark County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to discuss four competing proposals that would change language in the ordinance that covers tavern operations during a public hearing on March 15.

Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Steve Sisolak, the Nevada Resort Association and a group of tavern owners have submitted proposed changes covering distance separations between locations, slot machine requirements and whether taverns embedded bartop slot machines.

The Clark County Department of Business License is gathering the competing proposals, which have gone through several modifications ahead of the public hearing.

"I'm wondering how we got from Dotty's to every tavern in Clark County," Giunchigliani said.

The commissioner also asked her fellow commissioners whether the county should seek the Nevada Gaming Commission's guidance for defining whether gaming is incidental to a business's primary operation.

Dotty's, which has 68 locations in Nevada, has come under fire by rival tavern owners and the Nevada Resort Association, which represents large casino operators including Boyd Gaming Corp. and Station Casinos.

Opponents say Dotty's is nothing more than a glorified slot machine parlor, offering snack food and minimal alcohol while focusing solely on gaming.

The lack of a full kitchen allows Dotty's to avoid the voter-enacted smoking prohibition, which bans tobacco use where food is served.

Attorneys and consultants representing Dotty's, the resort association and tavern operators attended the ordinance introductions but were not allowed to address county commissioners because the meeting was not a public hearing.

Several of the large tavern operators and slot machine company route operation representatives also attended the hearing.

Dotty's locations do not have bartop slot machines and a Dotty's representative said the proposed ordinance changes could force the company to switch out 66 percent of its gaming equipment. A Dotty's spokesman said the company's customers prefer slant-top slot machines because they are lower to the ground and offer more game variety.

County commissioners also agreed Tuesday to leave a moratorium in place on the issuance of any new liquor licenses for taverns countywide until the public hearing.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871.