The Nevada Gaming Commission agreed Monday to pay $3.1 million to Dotty’s slot parlor for overpayment of gaming taxes. It also accepted the company’s offer to forgo nearly a quarter-million-dollars in interest.
The Commission’s action, however, doesn’t close the deal. Dotty’s will be asking the gaming regulators to reimburse it another $1.8 million.
Owned by Nevada Restaurant Services, Dotty’s had the right to seek interest payments under state law, even though Commission members previously balked at the prospect, given that Dotty’s made the mistake on the overpayment.
The $3.1 million refund is the tax on $46.9 million in gaming revenue or about 6.75% of that amount. The interest payment had been accumulating daily at $446 and calculated at 4¼%. The interest, recalculated every six months, was to be paid at the Prime Rate plus 2%.
Commission member Brian Krolicki, the former state treasurer, suggested paying interest would be unfair to taxpayers, because Dotty’s might get paid more than the state made on its interest when it had the gaming revenue in its accounts.
The problem dates back to a Konami casino-management system that didn’t note the exclusion of cash promotions that aren’t considered gaming revenue. If $5 was given to the player and won back by the operator, for example, it was supposed to be excluded from taxation.
The claim paid out Monday went back to August 2021. The second claim for a refund goes back two more years to 2019. Since there’s a five-year statute of limitations, Dotty’s will be unable to recover millions of additional dollars prior to that timeframe.
The Commission on Monday also approved a license for Gerard Crosby, officer, director and general manager of Konami. Crosby appeared via Zoom from Sydney, Australia. He said he visits the U.S. four to five times a year and was in Las Vegas to attend the Nevada Gaming Control Board meeting and G2E.
When asked by the Commission about that experience and his take on the industry, Crosby replied, “Konami had a very positive show and the industry as I can see is quite buoyant. Everyone is looking forward to continuing to grow the business in the U.S., Australia, and elsewhere.”
The Commission also approved a race and sports book license for William Hill to operate at the Tahoe Nugget at Stateline, Nevada. The casino opened in August. It has operated under several Nugget names going back decades, but had in recent years been used for non-gaming purposes before the building was acquired by northern Nevada gaming operator David Tate. The sportsbook consists of a William Hill kiosk placed at the property.
