Fair enough. One can certainly question his involvement, given how shady the family generally is. But one has to also understand that Las Vegas, though considered a relatively large city, is still a very "small town." Everyone knows everyone and there are a lot of close ties between people in the casino industry and every other major profession in Nevada. Believe me when I say that to the outsider, virtually every legal transaction made by the gaming industry would appear to be a conflict of interest because the entire economy of this town (and possibly the rest of the state) is driven by the gaming industry. You won't find this is the case anywhere else in the country--at least not to the same extent.
I also just wanted to make sure that people understand that, for the most part, FinCEN violations are generally pretty common in the casino industry (not just in Nevada) due to the huge amount of cash transactions that flow through them--there are bound to be oversights.
Still, I appreciate all of the research efforts you have made. It certainly does shed light on the need for further insight.
Your point is well-taken and I agree with the need to point things like that out to put things in perspective. Thanks for providing some informed commentary on that.
Incidentally another thing about Lady Luck I'd mention is the fact that it was doing business outside Las Vegas as well, so the economics and politics of other regions where it was doing business are also factors to consider. Lady Luck's venture into Mississippi was part of a broader expansion of the casino industry into that region in the 1990s. This hasn't gotten as much attention as the expansion of the Indian casino business during that period but I find it equally interesting, and I wonder what state and national politics were involved in that.