The dealers over at Wynn Las Vegas who are none too happy about supervisors taking a share of their tips also are ticked that they can't count their own tip money.

At most casinos, dealers appointed by a toke committee count the tips each day. That money is reported to the payroll department, which splits the money among dealers. When Wynn started giving floor supervisors, reclassified as "team leaders," a 40 percent share of the daily tips, he removed the counting duties from dealers and gave it to casino employees who typically count the house's money. Casino security, rather than the dealers themselves, collect the tips and take them to a count room.

In addition to counting tips, toke committees make decisions about such things as tips that go to pay dealers who are out sick or on vacation.

Dealers who have sued their employers over forced tip pooling agreements in years past have asserted that toke committees should have authority over how tips are distributed. Nevada courts have said that toke committees, which aren't labor organizations, are allowed at management's discretion and that their decisions aren't binding.

Wynn executives say they eliminated the toke committee, whose members are paid by dealers for their services, to save the dealers some money. Dealers say that decision was foisted upon them without their approval.

The Gaming Control Board doesn't get involved in tip pooling decisions or other agreements believed to be private contracts between employers and workers, nor do regulators monitor toke committees or require casinos to have them.

Dealers are sensitive to past incidents at other casinos where unscrupulous coworkers have skimmed tips in the count room, and they say they are now bothered, too, that tokes are being counted without dealers in the room to watch over the process.

Liz Benston can be reached at 259-4077 or at benston@lasvegassun.com. She also writes a weekly gaming column for sister publication In Business Las Vegas.

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