Casino for a healthy lifestyle

Reno Casino Petition Will Not Make Ballot in November

The petition for a Reno casino fails to meet its required number of signature. The proposed casinos outside Reno needed to reach 11,661 signatures to qualify for the Nov. 7 ballot.

Election officials reviewed the signatures. Many who signed the petition are invalid. Either the person is not a registered voter or is living outside the city. Only 10,615 signatures are valid, 1,046 signatures short of the required signature amount.

The officials of the proposed Station Casino along the Mount Rose Highway asked the voters to sign their petition. The approval of the casino would mean a donation the casino is giving to help pay off debt for the Reno Redevelopment Agency.

This petition drive was backed by the Culinary Union.

Lori Nelson, Station Casinos spokeswoman said, "We're obviously thrilled at the outcome," whose company was prepared to go to court to keep it off the ballot.

"This is yet another tactic by the Culinary Union in its shameless effort of corporate harassment against us," Nelson said.

The Union has been harassing the Las Vegas-based company for 15 years now because their casinos are nonunion.

Chris Bohner, Union spokesman, is disappointed that the ballot didn't qualify for Nov. 7 election. "We still think the issues remain. People in the south can look forward to a Las Vegas strip casino and taxpayers can look forward to finding a way of bailing out downtown debt.

"I don't think the issues will go away."