Anderson Banished From Present Arena

As Wednesday's government deadline approaches to halt doing business with indicated auditor Arthur Anderson LLP, two casino companies have already changed accounting firms and two other casinos will follow suit. In a government securities filing, MGM Mirage revealed that they already made the switch from Anderson to Deloitte & Touche.  

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. said they did the same a few weeks ago. Frederick Kraus, Sands Casino general counsel, said that GB Holdings Inc., the owners of Sands Casino Hotel, are already in the process of hiring a new auditor. This was stated last week at a board meeting.

Along with Sands Casino, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts Inc. plan to employ a new auditor by mid-June. This was disclosed in a federal securities report last week. Due to the ongoing investigations of Anderson's firms obstruction of justice charge in the Enron Corp., the Casino Control Commission decided to banish Anderson from the present arena, declaring a May 15 deadline to "stop doing business" with Anderson. The firm is now waiting trial in Houston, and no definite disclosures expect to be reached any time soon.