The new Indian casinos are not the same as what they have been. They are indistinguishable from Nevada casinos in many ways. What they will never have is the cluster factor. When your luck turns sour, it's nice to be able to walk across the street. One Indian casino cannot provide the "destination vacation" experience and the variety of a gambling town. And because of their slot machine limit (2000), they'll be crowded all the time. But many people that used to go to Reno for a guick fix may now opt not to drive over the mountain, especially in winter. Reno has to grow it's market, offer more, do more if it's going to survive as a tourist attraction. There is a lot of positive momentum downtown, and people willing to invest in the town's future.

Then there's the people who want to dig a ditch through the heart of downtown and turn Reno into a major construction zone just when the enemy is appearing on the horizon. These are the same people who brought us that great vacant lot at the corner of First and Virginia. I guess putting tracks in a freeway corridor is just way too obvious to merit consideration.