Casinos in Atlantic City were up 2% in August, reaching $280 million. Slot winnings were 3% higher, on a commensurate increase in coin-in. The gambling halls weren’t so lucky at the tables, where 5% higher wagering translated into flat win. There were a few have-nots, with Bally’s Atlantic City ($15 million), Tropicana Atlantic City ($25 million) and Resorts Atlantic City ($17.5 million) all slipping 4.5%, while Harrah’s Resort ($24.5 million) ceded 2%. Both Hard Rock Atlantic City ($51 million, +11%) and Ocean Casino Resort ($39.5 million, +8%) were turbocharged, and put even further distance between themselves and the Caesars Entertainment threesome. The only one of the latter to post a gain was Caesars Atlantic City ($22 million), up 1.5%. Borgata, of course, was the dominant property with $73 million to its name, a 1.5% uptick. Golden Nugget remained stuck in last place with $13 million but also gained 1.5%.

Continue reading Atlantic City rebounds; Sibella dumped; NFL suspicions

During this morning’s stint on KNPR-FM‘s State of Nevada, we were only able to cover a fraction of the scheduled questions. So we had the idea of answering here what was not asked there. Let’s take it away …

Why do you think hackers targeted a major casino company over, say, any other multibillion-dollar company?

Because, as Willie Sutton famously said, “That’s where the money is.”

What MGM Rewards member data might the hackers be so interested in?

What aren’t they interested in? Every bit of personal data that they can get their grubby mitts onto. If we were an MGM Rewards member, we’d be changing computer passwords, etc., nonstop today.

Continue reading On and off the radio

In a new kind of September 11 attack, MGM Resorts International was felled by a massive cybersecurity breach. From disabling digital room keys to kneecapping credit card systems (forcing transactions to be made in cash), it sent MGM back to the mid-20th century. The company Web site had to be taken offline, internal communications were disrupted and—worst of all for some—slot machines were silenced by the thousands. The higher the tech, the worse the vulnerability. For once, nostalgia for Olde Vegas was justified. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas was spared because it hasn’t been fully integrated into MGM’s master systems yet.

Continue reading MGM paralyzed; DraftKings debacle; Mount Airy wins

New York City will be stuck with failed casino owner Donald Trump‘s name on an overpriced public golf course until 2035 … unless Bally’s Corp. can swing a deal to buy the obstreperous mogul out of his lease with the city. This means Bally’s is pivoting back to its first, controversial site choice: Trump Golf Links Ferry Point. Comptroller Brad Lander has already given his thumbs-up to the deal, effective Sept. 21, which gets it over a significant hurdle. After all, the Bill DeBlasio administration had wanted Trump out of their sooner rather than later and the current regime doesn’t seem any less ill-disposed toward the unsavory millionaire. So it’s a done deal, right?

Wrong. The horse is still a long way from the stable. Back in the 1990s, Trump reneged on a franchising deal with the Rank Organization that would have seen Trump Castle rebranded as a Hard Rock casino, an accord that probably would have saved the struggling property. In a fit of caprice (some would say instability), Trump quit the agreement on the night before it was to be announced. The Castle would become Trump Marina, then the Golden Nugget. Could history repeat itself? Given Trump’s insufferable ego, he may well bridle at being quietly ushered out a side door and sabotage the Bally’s agreement. Keep your fingers crossed that he plays well with others this time.

Continue reading New York: Trump out, Bally’s in; North Carolina Lege flops