Michael is correct ... one of the reasons that hotel auctions were no longer permitted by ordinance (from my recollection as Convention Chairman at the time) was because prior public auctions of jewelry, oriental carpets, art, etc., held at some Las Vegas hotels were rip-offs at which consumers were defrauded and once the operators left town with the money, there was no recourse to collect on shady transactions so the town enacted a blanket ordinance prohibiting such auctions.

The club owes a debt of gratitude to both Michael and Eric for their legal expertise and last minute involvement in this issue ... otherwise the club auction planned for that convention would never have taken place at the 12th hour ... and past precedence may have prevented subsequent CC & GTCC auctions from ever taking place.