Words matter.
That's a lesson Fremont Street's Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel learned after it posted a sign that had a lot of words but the largest print was simply: "No Color Policy."
And while the sign spelled out exactly what the casino meant. many visitors to the iconic downtown property opted not to read the smaller print.
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People who saw only the large print of the sign from a picture expressed outrage and concern to Las Vegas's KSNV.
“Is that about people not being allowed to wear colored shirts or colored skin? What is that about?” said a mom and daughter from Canada.
“That’s up-front racism,” said Bryan, visiting from Chicago.
The full sign does explain what the casino was trying to convey, but the policy is still controversial.
Image Source: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A Look at the Full Binion's Casino Policy
The full sign shows that the policy is an attempt to stop patrons from wearing gang colors on Fremont Street and in the various casinos that surround it.
"No person while on the premises of the Fremont Street Experience Member Properties shall exhibit, or make visible to the naked eye, on his person[,] apparel, accessories, vehicles, or any emblem, decal, insignia, badge, kerchief, or sign that states, suggests, displays, endorses, supports for, membership in, or endorsement of any motorcycle club, gang, association, or organization."
That's clearer than just looking at the "No Color Policy" part of the sign, but it's still controversial.
Binion's General Manager Tim Lager told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the casino put up the sign after a briefing from the Metropolitan Police Department about the potential for bikers coming into town.
“It’s what everyone does when you get intel from Metro that there is going to be biker activity,” he said.
The casino, he said, forgot to take the sign down after the period the police warned about had passed.
Metro police spokesman Ofc. Bob Wicks told the newspaper that the language on the sign Binion's posted has been used for more than 15 years.
Questions About the 'No Color' Policy Remain
A number of social-media posts and people who spoke to Las Vegas-area media questioned whether it was fair or legal to regulate what color clothing people wear.
One avid motorcycle rider, identified only as Josh, told KSNV that "no color" policies are meant to stop tension from building when members of rival clubs find themselves inside the same venue. He thinks the sign is fair.
“I do to an aspect ... they don’t want the club colors there because it's almost like a gang. You don't want Bloods and Crips in the same vicinity with one another,” he said.
He was concerned, however, about discrimination against people who ride motorcycles.
“There’s always going to be that stigma of anybody that rides a motorcycle is in that group and that’s not true. It's just kind of grouping all people together,” he added.
And while the Binion's sign names the Las Vegas police, the police department did not ask it to post the sign but it does "suggest this policy" to avoid any conflicts, Fox 5 Las Vegas reported.
"We don’t have anything to do with that sign as far as their private policy,” Wicks, the Metro police spokesman, told the Review-Journal. “They’re allowed to have whatever restrictions they want.”
The Las Vegas police do not operate inside casinos. They could, however, be called if a person violated the policy and was unwilling to leave. At that point, the person would be trespassing and police could be called in.
