Nevada state law requires that every
establishment with gambling MUST stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! That includes
casinos, bars and lounges, and even convenience stores with slot machines and video poker.
Think about it. Any business with even a single slot machine must ALWAYS stay open! This
is the reason why you can drive around Las Vegas at 4:00 am and see dozens of gas stations
and 7-11s open. There are hundreds of small businesses scattered all around town with just
a couple of slot machines.
The economics of keeping a business going 24/7 goes to show just how
lucrative these devices are. When you consider the high cost of operating a business
around the clock, seven days a week -- slot machines must make up for that hefty cost.
That's a lot of quarters.
When it comes to "convenience gambling" -- defined as having
easy access to slots inside grocery stores and in neighborhoods -- I must admit I am
divided on this question. As a strict libertarian, I believe people should be
responsible for their own actions, and if they can't handle easy access to gambling,
then that's too bad. Yet the other side of me sees people destroying themselves.
Two quick stories:
I was driving home last night and stopped in for some orange juice at
about 5 am in a Circle K. Four people were sitting there pumping the machines full of
quarters -- not one of them looked like they could afford to lose a dollar. This is a
typical sight in Las Vegas, off the Strip.
(2) A few days ago, I went to the convenience store up the street and
saw what looked like a poor immigrant (Latino) sitting at a machine and playing video
poker. After he was out of money, he got up and walked over to the bus stop to catch the
city bus. Sad.
