One word - "MoneyTV".
As for how hard a license was, the 100+ licenses granted in North LV alone suggest it wasn't really a big deal.
And the denials in Las Vegas suggests they weren't as buttoned up as their competitors who were granted licenses.
Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups of selfish individuals.
E. O. Wilson