IN BRIEF

     Binion's lays off
     slot workers
     
      Binion's Horseshoe has laid off 12 employees in its slot department this week, as part of a reorganization that will lead to the temporary loss of 22 jobs at the downtown casino, said Mike German, Binion's director of operations.
      The shuffle was prompted by the start-up of a slot club at the hotel and casino, which also saw 10 jobs on the slot floor lost to attrition, as workers moved to other jobs, German said.
      The bulk of the workers were change makers and floor persons who assisted for customers.
      Binion's executives plan to restore the lost number of positions when they hire slot club hosts within the next month, German said.
     
     Lady Luck cuts
     Midwest executive job
     
      Lady Luck Gaming Corp. said it has eliminated the job of vice president of the Midwest and announced the departure of Michael Hlavsa, who held that post.
      Hlavsa continues temporarily as a consultant to Lady Luck. He was chief financial officer when the company made its initial public offering of stock in 1993.
      Lady Luck Gaming, based in Las Vegas, operates casinos outside of Nevada, but the Lady Luck in downtown Las Vegas is separately owned.
     
     BankAmerica Corp.
     names executive
     
      BankAmerica Corp., the San Francisco holding company with the largest amount of bank assets in Nevada, said it appointed the chief executive officer of MasterCard International to the newly created job of president of its global retail bank.
      H. Eugene Lockhart, the top executive at MasterCard, will be responsible for consumer and small business banking. Those areas report to Vice Chairman Tom Peterson, who is retiring this year.
     
     Nevada produces
     record gold levels
     
      Nevada gold mines produced a record 7 million ounces of gold in 1996, according to the Nevada Department of Business and Industry's division of minerals. It was the first time that any state mined more than 7 million ounces in a year, said Division Administrator Russ Fields.
      "This level of production will again lead the nation, helping keep the United States as the second leading gold producer in the world," Fields said.
      The record was set despite weakening gold prices toward the end of 1996. The price of gold averaged $388 an ounce for all of 1996, but since early December has fallen to about $365 an ounce.
      If gold prices remain low, it could cause some gold companies to delay or cancel plans to expand mining and gold exploration operations, Fields said.
     
     Investment seminar
     rescheduled for May
     
      Everen Securities postponed an investment seminar scheduled for today at UNLV because one of the speakers became ill and can't attend.
      The seminars with Rao Chalasani, chief investment strategist for Everen, and Kristine Coffey of the Securities Industry Association now are planned for May 5 and 6, according to a spokeswoman.
     
     Lawyer to discuss
     sexual harassment
     
      The Las Vegas chapter of Women In Communications will listen to a lawyer discuss sexual harassment. The chapter meeting starts at 11:30 a.m. today at Palace Station. Susan Benton-Powers, a graduate of the Boston University Law School, wrote "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace/A Guide to Prevention."
      Call Susan Schivo at 746-3750 for reservations.
     
     Center seeks
     job fair applicants
     
      The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Jean Nidetch Women's Center is taking applications from recruiters and businesses interested in participating in a Sept. 27 job fair. The fair attracted 1,500 job seekers and 100 recruiters last year. Call the center at 895-4475.