Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, are investigating a discovery of what they are saying is the deadly poison Ricin in a hotel room. Authorities were called to an Extended Stay America hotel around 3 p.m. PT Thursday after a man brought a bag with a small container to the manager’s office. The man said he found it while retrieving items from a hotel room. Preliminary tests show the substance is Ricin, authorities said, but other tests to confirm it are under way. The mystery is WHY the substance was in there in the first place, “We don’t know who the ricin belongs to or why it would be here at this time,” stated Capt. Joe Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The FBI, which is assisting in the case, said it saw no link to terrorism, according to spokesman Richard Kolko. Altough officers who found the deadly poison ricin in a Las Vegas, Nevada, extended-stay hotel room also discovered firearms and an “anarchist-type textbook” with an entry about ricin bookmarked, police said Friday.

Three hotel employees and a fourth person who came to the room to retrieve some items went to the hospital as a precaution, Officer Ramon Dendy said. Three police officers who entered the room also are under watch at the hospital. All have been decontaminated, and none of the seven have shown symptoms of Ricin poisoning, which can include anything from severe vomiting, fever, cough, difficulty breathing, nausea, sweating and dehydration.

“We did have enough ricin to be of concern,” Lombardo said. “At this point, it has been contained and processed where it’s not a threat to anybody”

America’s Las Vegas Sands Corporation has purchased two airplanes and is retrofitting them to serve as private jets ferrying high-rollers from Hong Kong to the company’s two Nevada casinos.

Although a 1994 law appeared to remove any possibility of legal gambling on by disallowing the operation of gaming devices on flights in or out of the United States, several loopholes have developed allowing Sands to potentially begin play on its charter flights for high-rollers.

Several airlines had experimented with in-transit gambling before the law was enacted. However, the crash of Swissair Flight 111 was attributed to the electronic gambling entertainment package inside the aircraft, which apparently caught fire. This, along with the law, chilled airline plans for gambling.

Harrah’s attempted to develop an electronic system for aircraft, but discontinued the project due to recurring technical problems. MGM Mirage had not pursued the idea, as the company thought the law explicitly ruled out all forms of gambling. Steve Wynn also considered the idea, but dropped it.

Gambling on private aircraft is viewed as similar to cruise ships and the casino may only be open while the craft is in international waters. The company has already filed a Foreign Gaming Notification Statement with the Control Board stating that it planed to conduct foreign gaming in international waters over global airspace.

MGM- MIRAGE has reopened the Monte Carlo Hotel today (2-20-2008) and guests can now enter the resort’s casino, hotel tower, restaurants, showroom and meeting facilities.

The majority of guest services also reopened today, including the Monte Carlo Casino, meeting and convention facilities, the wedding chapel and the Spa & Salon Monte Carlo. All food and beverage outlets are open, with the exception of the buffet and the Monte Carlo Brew Pub, which will open as business demands, but no later than February 22.

“Today we celebrate the spirit of Monte Carlo,” stated Monte Carlo President and COO Anton Nikodemus. “After three weeks of hard work and dedicated effort, we are back where we belong — doors open, staff at their posts and welcoming customers. Today is a day of celebration for our Monte Carlo resort family, our guests and our employees alike.”
1,300 rooms are still closed and will become available by February 22, allowing the resort a 2,500-room inventory. 500 rooms will remain closed while undergoing more extensive redesign.

Donald Trump’s gold-plated luxury condo tower in Las Vegas is set to open on March 31.  The hotel will join sister properties in New York and Chicago as the founding hotels of the so-called Trump Hotel Collection.