Hearing set on Mountain View Casino gaming license

LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Gaming Control Board is scheduled to hear an application for a non-restricted gaming license by Herbst Pahrump Acquisitions LLC for the Mountain View Casino at 1750 Pahrump Valley Boulevard, at 9 a.m. today in the Grant Sawyer Building, Room 2450.

The non-restricted license permits table games and more than 15 slot machines, though the application is for slots only.

It marks a re-emergence of the Herbst family back into the Pahrump casino market. The Herbst family opened Terrible’s Town Casino in June 1996 and Terrible’s Lakeside Casino in December 1998. The Nevada Gaming Commission gave its approval for Golden Gaming Inc., owners of the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino, to take over both properties from Affinity Gaming in February 2012. Affinity Gamiing had acquired the assets of the Terrible Herbst Company, which declared bankruptcy after acquiring three casinos in Primm.

At the same meeting where the gaming commission granted approval of the Golden Gaming Inc. acquisitions, the commission granted the Herbst family a non-restricted license for Terrible’s Searchlight Casino and a restricted license for a slot route at 86 convenience stores with 626 slot machines, including the Country Store at 1801 S. Highway 160 and the Lakeside Casino convenience store at 5870 S. Homestead Road.

Tim Herbst is the manager of Herbst Pahrump Acquisitions LLC and holds 100 percent Class A membership units in the company, Rochelle Marie McCaw holds 100 percent Class B membership units. Tim Herbst has applied for licensing as the sole manager, while Troy Herbst has applied to withdraw his license application as manager.

Troy Herbst is part of a group applying for a medical marijuana license in Clark County. The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn’t permit gaming license holders to be involved in the medical marijuana business.

The original Mountain View Casino burned down in April 2003, a smaller casino was later rebuilt on the property. Founder John McCaw died in 2006. A sign advertising “Terrible’s coming soon” has teased passing motorists since the beginning of this year.

The deed for the property was recorded in May of 2013 to Herbst Pahrump Acquisitions LLC.

A couple of other corporate restructuring items are also on the Gaming Control Board agenda. Herbst Pahrump Acquisitions LLC has applied for registration as an intermediary company, the Timothy P. Herbst Gaming Trust has applied for registration as a holding company and for a finding of suitability as the sole trustee and beneficiary.