GINA B. GOOD / PVT May 1, a ribbon-cutting marked the official opening of Club MVC, Mountain View Casino's new poker room. From left: Eileen DeCosta, Ms. Senior Golden Years 2008: Shelly McCaw, the casino's president and CEO; Lucy Ivins, executive director of the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce; Jim Crelia, controller of the casino; Dave Uthoff, chamber director and Lynnette Schlager, Miss Senior Nye County 2009. Advertisement

Mountain View casino officials cut the ribbon last Friday, marking the debut of Club MVC, billed as an intimate lounge, dominated by two, large, automated poker machines that seemed to confuse some novice players.

Club MVC was created by shortening The Summit restaurant to make room for the small lounge.

Patrons were offered a chance to gamble free to try out the Poker Tech machines. Some gamblers stared at the machine; looking a little confused, others preferred to play the traditional, video poker machines along the bar.

"We just wanted to bring something new and exciting to Pahrump and this was definitely one of the avenues that we could do that," said Jim Crelia, Mountain View chief financial officer and controller. "We're really excited about bringing the first and only off-strip animated poker room to Pahrump."

The restaurant in the casino is now only half the size it was, but Crelia said, "Before it was half-empty, now it's almost full. So we look at it as a positive thing. We cut it in half. We just basically took the restaurant, put a wall down the middle and increased our gaming floor. We're still running the same number of patrons through the restaurant that we always have."

The Pahrump Regional Planning Commission had to approve a conditional use permit for expansion of the casino floor area by 1,300 square feet, which was a slam dunk at an April 15 meeting.

The planning department recommended approval since there is more than sufficient parking to accommodate the expansion as well as neighboring businesses. The casino is a legal, non-conforming or grand-fathered use, since it was established prior to the adoption of the conditional use permit process.

The Mountain View Casino was destroyed by fire at the end of April 2003. It was rebuilt and reopened in early December 2004.

Casinos constructed after Sept. 1, 1995, with more than 15 slot machines or any table games are required to also have hotel rooms. Lee said the original casino was licensed in 1989.

John and Debbie McCaw bought the building that was formerly the Double B Bowling Alley in December 1987. They embarked on a $2 million expansion two years later.