Lanni is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for MGM Mirage and, according to the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, was at odds with Loveman over a proposal by a Nevada teachers union to raise the state's room tax by three percentage points with the money going specifically to education.
Harrah's backs the plan but Lanni stated that he would rather raise money for the State general fund through a room tax increase plus a rise in Nevada's business payroll tax. “Why education should only be paid for by visitors I've never quite understood,” said Lanni. “Businesses that operate here should be willing to fund education.”
However, Lanni stated that he had quit the gaming trade group because of time commitments and not because of any personality or political conflicts. “I needed time from the AGA to focus on trying to find a solution to the bigger problems of this state,” said Lanni. “We need to find some better answers than the one on the table. It's going to take a lot of my time.”
Lanni is also busy campaigning for Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain as one his fundraising chairmen in Nevada and stated that MGM Mirage would remain a member of the AGA and participate in various committees such as one on corporate diversity.