They can do that? I mean, it’s like they’re putting themselves between and rock and a Hard Rock. (Okay, that cliché isn’t working as I hoped.) But really this is strange news that’s making me re-read to try to figure who is suing who. Okay, so, the Orlando-based Hard Rock Cafe and restaurant chain (offices located not far from me) is suing the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (not apparently the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, which is a little further down the road from me.) Now there is apparently some complexity in the ownership of these two businesses that allows for the lawsuit. It seems that founder Peter Morton retains ownership in both and as part of the agreement to use the Hard Rock name, the Las Vegas Hard Rock agreed to protect the goodwill of the trademark.

That “protecting the goodwill of the Trademark” is where the Hard Rock is running into trouble with the Hard Rock or where Vegas is having trouble with Orlando. Does that help? Okay, Vegas is running a reality TV campaign “Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel” on truTV. Ah, reality TV, how we love you. According to Orlando (do you know how many conservative Christians live in Orlando? Lots!) the show promotes drunken debauchery and that’s just for a start. They also accuse the show of portraying the Hard Rock (Vegas, baby) as reveling in “acts of vandalism, sexual harassment, violence, criminality, and a host of other behavior” that reflects badly on the Hard Rock brand. (In other words - it’s your typical Reality TV show.)

So, the Hard Rock wants to end its relationship with the Hard Rock! Who will win? And who gets custody of the kids?

Coffee Quote: Chocolate, men, coffee - some things are better rich.  ~Author Unknown

Now, let me start this off by saying that I like Las Vegas. It’s a great city that provides wonderful vacation experiences for adults. And where we don’t have to worry about hoping the kids will like it. Frankly, Las Vegas lets us indulge in a little adult greed now and then and we need that. Because then we can go back to work and kids and school drop offs without going insane.

But I also enjoy online gambling. Because it’s convenient. All I do is turn on my computer and it’s right there. I don’t see online gambling and a trip to Las Vegas as the same thing. Just like watching the Travel Channel isn’t really the same as going to Disney World. But casinos in Nevada have this fear that if we can all gamble online, we’ll stop visiting them all together. (Disney meanwhile just buys lots of ad space on the Travel Channel.)

But Nevada casinos are worried because Nevada senate leader Harry Reid has said he’s in favor of Barney Frank’s gambling bill HR 2267 (Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, how’s that for a name). Now Reid has said that he’s only in favor of the bill as far as legislating online poker. Online poker rooms are just a tad less controversial in Las Vegas since the casinos only make a profit on the “rake” (a percentage of the pot) rather than on a house edge. A poker game takes up more space and time than other games and just aren’t as profitable as say a floor filled with slot machines. Also, there is debate that poker is more a game of skill than luck and therefore doesn’t fall under the same gambling rules as slots.

But none of this is reassuring Nevada casinos who see any form of online gambling as a way to open the door for full fledge online gambling. But supporting the desires of the brick and mortar casinos means offering fewer choices to the American public. Who, frankly, are already gambling at online casinos. Which no one in Vegas or Washington seems to be able to figure out.

Coffee Quote: I’d stop drinking coffee, but I’m no quitter.  ~Author Unknown