Category: Casino News

Regional gaming continues to be a gravy train. Maryland casinos grossed $168.5 million in August, up 9% from 2019. Just think how much better the take would have been had the month not been two weekend days shorter than August 2020. MGM National Harbor led the pack with $67.5 million, up 8%, while Maryland Live‘s 35% market share translated into $59.5 million in revenue, a 12% gain. Horseshoe Baltimore actually managed to lose ground, down 1.5% to $18 million. Ocean Downs neared $10 million, up 12%, while Hollywood Perryville grossed $8 million in a 21.5% leap. Rocky Gap Resort brought in $6 million for a 10% uptick.

Yesterday, Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli predicted a 19% upsurge in Ohio when August receipts were tallied. He overshot his mark … just barely. The Buckeye State rose 18% to gross $194 million. Wrote JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff, “We note that results for the full month indicate that rising delta variant infection rates have not yet negatively impacted visitation/revenue, consistent with recent commentary from operators.” Slots-only MGM Northfield Park led the state with $23 million, up 12% and edging Hollywood Columbus‘ $21 million (+10.5%). Hollywood Toledo made $19.5 million, up 13%, but Scioto Downs came on fast, +22%, to win $20 million. Even the smaller fry were prospering. Hollywood Dayton grossed $12.5 million, a 25% leap, Hollywood Mahoning Valley captured $13.5 million, hopping 21%, and Belterra Park gained 9% to $8 million.

Late yesterday Bloomberg broke the news that Blackstone Inc. is shopping The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas … for a $5 billion minimum price. What’s even more incredible is that apparently it has suckers, er, corporations already on the hook. Why is the asking price so absurd? Consider that the Cosmo was built for $3.9 billion back in 2010 and that Blackstone obtained it from Deutsche Bank for a fire-sale $1.7 billion. We’re talking some serious profiteering here, folks. (Ya ever hear of depreciation, Blackstone?) Consider also that the Cosmo has 3,027 rooms while $4 billion Aria has 4,000 and $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas boasts 3,506. So Blackstone wants more money for a smaller property. They’ve got some nerve.

Even crazier is that Apollo Management, not yet having taken the $6.25 billion keys to Venelazzo, is already circling the Cosmo and that MGM Resorts International might splurge on the megaresort, perhaps with a view to augmenting CityCenter. Does Bill Hornbuckle light cigars with $100 bills? Between a $9 billion commitment to Osaka and a potential $5 billion-plus indulgence on the Cosmo, MGM hardly seems the epitome of carefully targeted investment. (Remember that the Japanese casino can only occupy 3% of the megaresort’s total square footage.) At Blackstone’s initial put, one would have to generate a near-impossible $600 million in annual cash flow to have a prayer of a 15% return on investment. In other words, it would have to be THE GREATEST GAMING JUGGERNAUT OF ALL TIME. And if you believe that, let me sell you this bridge in Brooklyn … Apollo may cover its ass by going halves with Vici Properties but we’re still talking a helluva heavy lift. Normally it would be cheaper to buy than build on the Strip but these are far-from-normal times.

Caesars Entertainment must have decided it was poor optics to be hosting a convention of anti-vaxxers at brand-new Caesars Forum as Coronavirus cases spike. Or maybe it blanched at the potential deep-cleaning costs after the event. Either way, QAnon-espousing “Patriot Double Down” will have to find somewhere else if it wants to play Vegas this October. (Have they called the Fertitta Brothers?) Event organizers must be scrambling for a new venue to infect, er, book. The Associated Press reported that it was presently unclear if the show “would be moved, postponed or canceled. Event officials did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages.” But with a top ticket of $3,000, we don’t expect Double Down to just fold its hand. There’s money to be made! Given QAnon followers’ eschatology, we’re frankly surprised they’d choose Sin City for their “Great Awakening” but so be it. (Good luck getting them to comply with mask mandates.) We’re talking about a city where Las Vegas Raiders fans would rather forfeit their tickets than get vaccinated. Nor does it seem like one can hold a public meeting in Clark County without being inundated with screaming anti-vaxxers. Las Vegas has so many already it scarcely needs to import more. Meanwhile, the number of Sin City vaccination mandates continues to grow, a laudable trend.

Gulf Coast casinos are currently weathering Hurricane Ida and can be optimistic—at least in Mississippi—that it will not be a replay of Hurricane Katrina, now that all the coastal casinos are onshore. However, garages are flooding and casino doors are being sandbagged and reinforced, so this isn’t being taken lately. Most Biloxi-area casinos were proactive about shutting down on Saturday afternoon, although tardy responses from Golden Nugget and Island View Casino are to be noted. We’ll provide further news as it arrives but Ida’s bark appears to have been worse than her bite, thank God.

Two sports betting licenses remain up for grabs in Arizona. But the full tribal complement of 10 has been issued by Gov. Doug Ducey (R). Winners include WynnBET (San Carlos Apache Tribe), Westgate Las Vegas (Fort Mojave Indian Tribe), Golden Nugget (Hualapai Tribe), Tonto Apache (Churchill Downs), two tribes going with no-name outfits and four tribes—including the doughty Tohono O’odham nation, flying solo. Sports teams dealt in included the Arizona Cardinals (BetMGM), the Arizona Diamondbacks (William Hill), the Phoenix Suns (FanDuel), the Phoenix Mercury (Bally’s Corp.), TPC Scottsdale (DraftKings), Phoenix Speedway (Penn National Gaming), the Arizona Rattlers (Rush Street Interactive) and the presently unaffiliated Phoenix Coyotes. Left out in the cold is the Gila River Indian Nation, which partnered with BetMGM but to no avail.

Caesars Entertainment is holding a fare sale across its non-Las Vegas properties, a possible signal that the stimulus-fueled recovery may be cooling (in economics, what goes up must come down). In Atlantic City you have your choice of such starting prices at $54/night at Harrah’s Resort, $59 at Tropicana Atlantic City and $64 at Caesars Atlantic City. Elsewhere in the Roman Empire the bargain destination is Tropicana Laughlin at $35/night. Surprisingly pricey is Harrah’s Cherokee at $169. Up there on the price ladder are Lumiere Place ($159), Isle Waterloo ($105) and Isle of Capri Boonville ($99). Bargain hunters have their choice of—ick!—Circus Circus Reno‘s $39 but we’d advise spending a bit more and staying down the street at Silver Legacy for $49. Harvey’s Lake Tahoe is wallet-friendly at $49, as is Harrah’s Gulf Coast at $75. With prices like those who needs Vegas, especially right now?