That credibility-challenged, glacially paced casino project in Norfolk suddenly has 100% more viability. This morning it was announced that Boyd Gaming was stepping in to save the Pamunkey Tribe‘s bacon. After five years of rearranging the deck chairs, the Pamunkey are no closer to breaking ground on their Virginia pleasure palace—until today. True, the city council could still queer the pitch, but what are the chances it would balk at a deal that finally gets the casino built after so much tribal hemming and hawing. As Mayor Kenny Alexander said, “Bringing in Boyd—someone with the ability and the wherewithal and experience and more importantly the financial strength to build a world-class casino resort hotel—is exactly what we need.” True that.
Boyd gets 80% of parent company Golden Eagle Consulting, with the Pamunkey taking the rest and Tennessee plutocrat Jon Yarbrough totally out of the picture. It’s a $500 million project but Boyd won’t break a sweat financing it, especially not after being credibly tipped as being variously interested in the terrestrial assets of Penn Entertainment and two regional properties of MGM Resorts International. No longer, however, is the project to be Headwaters Resort & Casino. Something with more brand equity will probably replace it. Mused International Gaming Business, “In hindsight, that might have been a harbinger of the Boyd deal.”
The Las Vegans are now on the clock. They have only until November 2025 to get a temporary casino up and taking bets, since the new accord doesn’t re-set the clock. They’re also at serious risk of not getting shovels into the ground on the permanent facility until well after Hard Rock Bristol and Caesars Virginia open permanently. Heck, Hard Rock is hiring 700 people this week. Boyd may not have fancy new renderings to show but it does have a few things considerably more pertinent. Like a track record, believability and (most of all) money. Congratulations, Norfolk.
It may be the dog days of summer, as attested to by this stetson-wearing puppy seen near the Boardwalk, but there’s no shortage of news out of Atlantic City. As you can tell, the pooch was hanging out at Bally’s Atlantic City but was shit out of luck if it wanted the free Wednesday special at Longo’s, which has been discontinued, giving guests one less reason to visit. Also at Bally’s, we’re told the Players Club Lounge food is “finally acceptable.” How’s that for a ringing endorsement? At least the bowser probably won’t likely mind. Speaking of food at Bally’s, loyalty players have to use up all their comps now before any new $100/night food credits are issued.
At least the grumbles about Bally’s seem minor, especially compared to the veritable police blotter that is Tropicana Atlantic City. From an Atlantic Daily Voice e-mail blast: “Investigators said the man was approached by five males and one of the suspects held a large knife to his back as they demanded his belongings. The five suspects assaulted him and took his items before leaving the casino building.” And our Atlantic City correspondent was told by a player at Bally’s that—while at the Trop—she had her wallet stolen. She told casino security, she said, that she suspected the person at the next slot machine: “Trop security refused to look at their cameras and do something—easy to track if the person used a players club card.” But not so easy if you’re playing at a Caesars Entertainment property, it would seem. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again—Caesars, where the player almost matters.
If you wondered where the customers who should have been at Longo’s and Park Place Prime last Friday were, they were probably at the Golden Nugget, where Vic & Anthony’s was seen to have an overflow crowd. It’s nice to see at least one Boardwalk grind joint striving to stay out of last place. Not to beat up on Bally’s but if your steakhouse, casual-dining restaurant, Asian restaurant, and Player’s Club Lounge are all closed Mondays and Tuesdays, customers are going to start finding other places to gamble midweek. Or, as our roving scribe puts it, “If you want a decent dinner, go somewhere else.” And with lunch going for $20.24 and dinner for $40.24 at Atlantic City’s better restaurants during October’s “restaurant week,” you’ll have no shortage of alternatives.
July grosses are in for Ohio casinos and racinos. Punters spent rather less (-3%) than last year and quite a bit more (22%) than in 2019. As usual, MGM Northfield Park was way out in front with $26.5 million (-2%), pursued by Hollywood Columbus ($22 million, -4%), Jack Cleveland ($21 million, -4%) and increasingly potent Miami Valley Gaming racino ($20.5 million, +2%). Hard Rock Cincinnati ($19.5 million, -6%) belied the power of its brand name with a mediocre performance, while there was a dead heat between full-service Hollywood Toledo ($19 million, -4%) and slots-only Scioto Downs ($19 million, 6%). Despite summer weather, Jack Thistledown got walloped, tumbling 11% to $14 million. It was surpassed by the state’s star performer, +5% Hollywood Mahoning Valley with $14.5 million. Other racinos checking in were Hollywood Dayton ($13.5 million, +4%) and Belterra Park ($7 million, -3%).
Sports betting win shot up 49%, reaching $53.5 million on handle of $467 million. That’s some tight hold there. In an increasingly familiar pattern, DraftKings outdid FanDuel for handle share but came in second when the winnings were tallied. FanDuel had $21 million to DraftKings’ $18 million. Dark horse Bet365 logged $5 million, followed by BetMGM ($3 million), ESPN Bet ($2 million), Caesars Sportsbook ($2 million) and Fanatics ($1.5 million).
Quote of the Day: “We heard [Wayne Newton] try to sing in Vegas about 15 years ago. Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco. I don’t know where Wayne left his voice.”—our East Coast correspondent on Mr. Las Vegas, to soon be inflicted on patrons of Hard Rock Atlantic City. Must Vegas export all its problems?