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.
As for the fancy new look, it will exorcise much of the Gaudi influence in favor of something far more modernistic. Out goes the existing sports book, to be supplanted by a rebranded STN Sportsbook. We are told this “will feature a 150-foot video wall for prime viewing, comfortable lounge-style seating, and race and sports betting kiosks,” etc. An improvised book next to the Rewards Center will tide bettors over during the renovation, while the Madrid Club will be commandeered for game-watching parties four days and nights a week.
Also, keno is out and high-limit slots will be taking its place on the gaming floor. The rest of the casino will be getting a phased re-do, laying the ghost of Gaudi and going with more of the look seen above. (The painted “sky” will remain, however.) Or, as Station’s PR release put it, “The iconic slot floor update will feature all-new carpet, improved lighting, updated façades, and modernized restrooms. Guests will soon be welcomed to an elevated experience as the property’s beloved Spanish-style theme is seen with all-new modern touches.” In a parting shot at Boyd Gaming, Station’s PR peeps wrote that “continued reinvestment into its properties sets Station Casinos apart from its competition. ” Ouch.
When the Houston Astros teed it up against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, the ceremonial first pitch was to have been thrown by John “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who’s got money riding on the Astros. However, that isn’t the reason that McIngvale got bumped from the mound. Nor was it because he’s the most famous sports bettor in America. After all, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred lurves betting on baseball and wants more of it (except by players). No, McIngvale’s crime was to be guilty of free enterprise. Seems that rival Mattress Firm is an official sponsor of MLB and took umbrage at a rival vendor being given prominence at a baseball game. Foul ball, you might say.
Mattress Firm is also guilty of getting Mattress Mack dumped from a stint as a judge of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Pretty thin-skinned, these folks. And shame on Mack’s beloved Astros for, having been to ones to invite McIngvale, then disgracefully and cravenly rescinding the invitation. As the man himself said, “What we need to do is promote better sleep, not snipe at our competitors.” Amen.
Whilst on the subject of sports, the local dead tree of record asserts that bettors got hosed yesterday by casinos for predominantly picking the inept New England Patriots to beat the merely mediocre New Orleans Saints. Maybe those punters were driven by misguided animus toward Saints QB Derek Carr (whom the Pats made look like an All Pro), late of the hapless Las Vegas Raiders, 1-3 and sinking fast. Whatever the case, bettors deserved to get cleaned out by the books, as New England made a near-irrefutable case for being the absolute worst team in the NFL. Led [sic] by miserable-looking Mac Jones, the Patriots offense has been impotent in its last two games and the much-vaunted defense is AWOL over the same stretch. The Pats can’t find the end zone with both hands and a flashlight. CBS invoked a sort of Pop Warner mercy rule and gently delivered us to “a more competitive game” (our Pittsburgh Steelers upsetting the Baltimore Ravens) as garbage time neared.
Next Sunday’s late slot on CBS is exclusively devoted to a matchup between the Patriots and Raiders. We can write the advance copy ourselves: “Two wretched teams enter—but only one can lose!” Such are the consequences of the NFL rigging the 2024-5 schedule to give the Raiders as many prime TV slots as possible, ensuring civic embarrassment for Sin City.
Now we know why the powers behind Urban One partnered with deep-pocketed Churchill Downs to develop a potential casino in Richmond … and perhaps why it got such a sweet, no-bid deal from the city. According to Global Gaming Business, Urban One’s finances are a shambles. So much so that a Nasdaq delisting is threatened. Remember, while Churchill Downs has only a 47% equity stake in the would-be casino (subject to voter approval), it brings the overwhelming majority of cash on hand and borrowing capacity, so Urban One is effectively fronting for CHDN.
Of Urban One’s predicament, Harris Financial Group Managing Partner Jamie Cox said, “it’s sort of the end of the line of a series of missteps over the past six or seven months.” By the media company’s own admission, it has missed deadlines for filing both its 2022 annual report and 2023 first-quarter one. This lack of transparency ought to give Richmond voters pause now that Urban One is on the November election ballot, especially since Urban One managed to miss a Sept. 23 extended deadline for filing its financial statements. It is no great reassurance that, in the words of GGB, the collapse is blamed in part on “accounting errors associated with investing in the Richmond Casino in 2021.”
Urban One has punted the delisting problem into late October and could put it off until March, leaving voters with a very risky bet on their ballots. Cox said of Urban One throwing its accounting firm under the bus, “It’s not like the company is sitting there doing nothing. They’re trying their best to make the case that there was some legitimate reason for the issues at hand, and we all hope that that’s the case.” Of course, by the time we find out, voting may well be over. “It does really raise a lot of red flags when you have this type of reporting irregularity for such an extended period. This is not something that just came up yesterday,” Cox allowed.
Churchill Downs isn’t saying much, leaving Alfred Liggins III to twist in the wind. It did remark that the Urban One predicament “does not have any bearing” on November’s plebiscite. In other words, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.