A state of war exists in Las Vegas between casino operators battling over the limited supply of highly skilled workers. It's a war among tuxedoed executives, but sadly it's being waged in the gutter.

The latest salvos are coming from Arte Nathan, chief hiring officer for Wynn Resorts Ltd. He's firing off 72,000 extraordinary letters to applicants denying that his company will rat on applicants from competing casino companies.

"Dear Wynn Las Vegas Applicant: As the head of Human Resources for Wynn Las Vegas, I hear all of the stories and rumors about our recruiting efforts. One that is especially interesting is what our executives will be telling their counterparts who are applying or being hired from other casinos."

It sounds as if one or more competitors are taking some cheap shots, although no one has owned up. Big surprise.

Nathan held his fire for weeks, but felt compelled to retaliate after getting confidentiality pleas from more than 500 applicants who have been made to feel by employers that their current jobs are on the line.

In his letter, Nathan admits the rumor-mongering could have a chilling effect on attracting talent, but denies any of it is true.

"While interesting, and certainly chilling, it is definitely not true. All of us at Wynn are gratified by the number of applications we have received, and are mindful of our responsibility to treat you and this information confidentially. You have my word that we will never divulge any applicant information to anyone but the applicant themselves. I know that these rumors are not true and hope that this memo will put them to rest."

This war over workers started when Steve Wynn in November set out to hire 9,000 workers for Wynn Las Vegas, the $2.5 billion megaresort set to open April 28.

Many guessed 80 percent of the hires would come from other operators, and as many as 2,000 from MGM Mirage, much of which Wynn operated as Mirage Resorts until it was sold five years ago.

Many operators had already started tying up their troops with noncompete contracts and bonuses for executives who promised to stay. Raises, promises of advancement and stink talk about Wynn picked up pace to keep the rank and file manning the barricades.

All is fair in love and war, but try a little common sense. Why would Wynn welsh on prospective employees, especially when he needs so many? And why shouldn't workers explore their options, especially when so many have worked for Wynn in the past and profited from the experience?

Industry insiders say it looks as if somebody is more consumed with Wynn-envy than in improving conditions for his own employees. They add the community might be better off if everyone took care of his own back yard first.