Casino winnings are definitely lagging in Indiana, where they were down 5% last month from 2022 and 4% below where they were in 2019, thanks to Hard Rock Northern Indiana having diluted the market. Hoosier State casinos grossed $190 million. Hard Rock, no surprise, continued to reign supreme, despite being down 7% (business lost to Bally’s Casino in Chicago, perhaps?).
Continue reading Revenue roundup; Jottings for a Monday
Gone are the capering jesters of the 2023 Global Gaming Expo, dispersed for another year until they reconvene to shake their cap and bells. One of the benefits (aside from the obvious economic ones) of having 25,000 gaming professionals descend upon Las Vegas was that it gave Wall Street analysts a chance to chat up the big boys in person. One such was Deutsche Bank boffin Carlo Santarelli, who managed to meet with at least six major companies. We break down his reports as follows …
Continue reading G2E afterglow
Finally! It’s time to drop the puck on the 2023-24 NHL season! But before we get to that, it’s time to take one last victory lap celebrating the VGK’s Stanley Cup win. Eddie, Lindsey, Chris share their thoughts on an incredible pregame and banner-raising ceremony (complete with video), then get on to the business at hand, Game 1 vs. the Kraken. Not only did the VGK prevail, but there’s lots of other news!
When demand exceeds supply, prices go up. Odds get worse. In the world of Vegas casinos when they’re raking in a billion dollars a month, things are unlikely to change. And for those advantage players who experienced “the good old days,” it has gotten much much harder.
I just had another taste of this locally.
Continue reading Giving Good Gamble
Author’s note: This blog describes, among other things, Bonnie’s and my visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday, September 20. About two weeks after we were there, Israel was attacked and rockets are now flying where Bonnie and I walked. While we are a safe 7,400 miles away from the fighting had the attacks begun just a few weeks earlier, we would have been in the middle of it — or depending on the exact timing of the attack, the cruise ship certainly wouldn’t have docked anywhere in Israel because of the danger.
Continue reading The Old Man and the C (ruise) — Part II of II
Despite the efforts at damage control by Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Kirk Hendrick, damaging information about the cyber-raid on Caesars Entertainment continues to surface. The latest droplet of damnation comes from the attorney general of the great state of Maine. That office was informed by Caesars that 41,397 Ocean State residents had their personal data plundered by cyber bandits. That’s only Maine, not exactly the most thickly populated state. 49 other states plus God only knows how many overseas jurisdictions have yet to get the bad news. The class-action lawsuits we’ve seen to date are surely just the tip of the iceberg.
Continue reading Indecent exposure; Culinary caper
Having been around a quarter century, it’s about time Sunset Station got a facelift from Station Casinos. Not that we mean to imply the old gal has been neglected. Far from it. But she’s due for refreshing. And she’ll get it, too. Back when Sunset Station debuted, the place was protested by local do-gooders. They saw in Sunset’s imitation of the architecture of Antonio Gaudi intimations of satanism. Now, the Fertitta Brothers have made their fair share of Faustian bargains over the years but they’re good Catholic lads, benefactors of Bishop Gorman High School. Which is a fancy way of saying they got a bum rap.
Continue reading Station exorcism; Foul bawl; Urban One broke?This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.
Continue reading IS PROFESSIONAL VIDEO POKER PLAY REALISTIC?AC Says: Is it possible to play video poker professionally today? Good subject, and the article’s writer presents an honest evaluation. The message is, you won’t be able to do it, especially at low stakes, if all you’re doing is playing the best schedules—the dollar-per-hour return simply isn’t high enough. And when you move up in stakes, you risk the fluctuations that can take you out of the game. As suggested, playing avocationally is very possible and can be worth doing. Essentially, it means having a hobby that makes money, The article touches on playing progressives to get an edge, but doesn’t identify one of the most potent profi-makers, which is playing video poker promotions. An excellent description of this can be found in Million Dollar Video Poker by Bob Dancer. Las Vegas Advisor members can stay up on promotions as they come and go in our “Changes as They Happen” blog
Sherriff AP chucked it all to become a professional card counter. He had one of the worst losing streaks I have heard of, and I’m not just talking about losing money. Everything in his life seemed to all go wrong at the same time. I think most people would have quit, and never looked back, but he stuck it out.
Continue reading Podcast – Sherriff AP episode #9
[Editor’s Note: Here are some recent updates regarding the Formula One race. They were graciously provided by our F1 expert and LVA correspondent extraordinaire, Peter R.
Leftover F1 tickets are for sale at $200 a day for grandstand seating, but only for Nevada residents and, as far as we can tell, only today through midnight. The press release was utterly opaque, but news reports indicate that the $200 price ends exactly at the end of today. (Don’t quote us.) The former best price was $500 for general admission, standing room only, for all 3 days. Formula 1 is touting the lower price as compensation for locals who suffered through all the road construction and closures, but obviously it’s an attempt to get rid of unsold seats.
Continue reading Las Vegas Grand Prix Updates