The case against Wynn Casino Resort, in which dealers are seeking to stop management from allowing dealers and casino floor supervisors from sharing in the tips pool, has progressed so far that advocates for dealers have turned their cause into a legislative bill. Although Wynn has gotten his way with dealers so far - having already enforced the new tip sharing scheme - it may not be long before things have to go back to the way they were.

The original bill, Assembly Bill 357, was spearheaded by Nevada State Assemblyman, Bob Beers. This bill, however, died in the Assembly over a week ago because there was not enough time for Assembly members to agree on its provisions. Reviving the provisions on Tuesday, agreement on the bill was settled and it was added to Assembly Bill 248. The bill then received a majority vote of 32-10, with all twenty-seven Democrats and five of fifteen Democrats voting in its favor. Although Republicans typically do not believe the government should tell companies how to do business, the Assembly members apparently did not receive the amendment until thirty minutes prior to the vote. Some members felt it would not be fair to vote for the bill without consulting gaming industry "people" beforehand.

The provisions of the bill reinstate what has always been practiced at Wynn Resort and other Las Vegas Casinos - that casino employees (including dealers) who receive tips for providing patron services may combine their tips into a single pool equally shared by other workers providing the same services. However, the bill goes one step further by exempting anyone who does not regularly receive tips (such as supervisors) from reaping said tips from the pool.

The motivation behind the legislation is certainly justifiable. Dealers are not exuberantly paid, and so depend on tips for living expenses - especially in Las Vegas, where the cost of living seems to be growing day by day. Steve Wynn's argument is that floor supervisors, who obviously are the dealers superiors, are barely getting paid more than dealers themselves. However, instead of paying the supervisors more money, which God knows he could afford doing, Wynn thought it best to take money away from the dealers pool. The final say on the matter will come from the Nevada Senate, who must vote on Assembly Bill 248 now that it has passed through the State Assembly.