LAS VEGAS CASINO DEALERS WERE GIVEN A STARK LESSON in the way our state operates when they traveled to Carson City last week to testify on the tip-pooling bill. As readers know, a dispute erupted last year after the Wynn decided dealers should pool their tips with casino floor supervisors.

The dealers, many of whom left great jobs to work at the Wynn, felt they were being screwed since allowing certain casino managers to get a piece of the action has caused dealers' income to drop quite a bit.

I was amazed to hear that dealers were told they could not mention the name of the casino where they work, or of its owner. Nevada citizens who travel on their own dime to testify before their elected representatives in a public building about a pending piece of legislation are prohibited from mentioning the name of their casino?

Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, warned the dealers that they'd better not mention the forbidden names. Those who slipped and mentioned their place of employment were gaveled to silence and told to leave. Anderson, who's always seemed like one of the cooler heads in Carson City, said through his staff that he only wanted to be fair to other casinos.

This scenario is simply unbelievable. Wynn is perhaps the most famous person in the entire gaming industry, save for a floppy haired rival named Donald Trump. Readers of the Review-Journal voted a few weeks ago and decided he is the person they want to know more about. The guy isn't exactly a shrinking violet when it comes to publicity.

I do not believe for one second that He Who Shall Not Be Named called Anderson and insisted no one be allowed to utter the banned syllables, which suggests the idea came from Anderson himself, who must have thought he was doing that unnamed bigwig a favor by keeping his name out of the media. Some favor.

If the dealers thought they had a shot at getting what they wanted out of the Legislature, this little lesson in politics should alleviate them of their fantasies. If lawmakers won't even allow them to mumble a name, how do you think they are going to vote when the bill hits the floor?

Don't you just love it when public entities spend your tax dollars to help convince you that either a.) they're doing a great job spending your money, or b.) they want your OK to spend more of it?

George Knapp is a veteran investigative reporter for KLAS-TV Channel 8. You can reach him at  gknapp@klastv.com.