That’s what Dr. Miriam Adelson and Las Vegas Sands declared on the state of Texas in their (over)zealous pursuit of a casino. The charmlessness offensive was rolled out like a fleet of Sherman tanks, as Sands argued its case over the airwaves, in print and in person. Sending over 100 lobbyists to Austin to club the Lege into submission was obvious overkill, even before it happened.
Ultimately, the strong-arm tactics backfired. As reporter Forrest Wilder said, “One person told me just being so aggressive that it kind of came across as bullying.” There was no escaping Sands’ relentless push, whether through ubiquitous TV ads, the army of lobbyists or the overreaching attempt to build a casino in Irving at a time when gambling halls are still illegal in the Lone Star State. Given the anti-Sands backlash, they’re not likely to be legal anytime soon. Sands has not only screwed its own pooch, it’s queered the pitch for anybody else wanting to pursue the lucrative Texas market.
Not that Sands appears to have learned anything by trying to beat Texas senseless and failing. According to Wilder, the company continues to regard Texans as so many Third Worlders waiting to be colonized: “They say they’re not going away; they are unintimidated and are going to keep pressing forward. But from what I heard from a wide array of sources on all different sides of this issue is that they took a big step back and that they’re going to have to kind of go back to the drawing board and figure out how they can move forward at this point.”
One mistake that the Widow Adelson and son-in-law Patrick Dumont will never, ever be able to rectify was the foolish giveaway of Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that rankled Mavericks fans deeply. Wilder puts it well when he says, “Overseeing the wildly unpopular trade was like introducing oneself to Texas by peeing on the Alamo.” Sadly, the Adelson clan is seemingly addicted to public urination.
As happened in many other states, casinos in Massachusetts enjoyed a strong month of May. Monetarily, Encore Boston Harbor was out front, with $63 million for a 3.5% gain. Slots-only Plainridge Park fairly exploded, jumping 15.5% to $16.5 million while MGM Springfield leapt 13.5% to $25.5 million. Sports betting yielded $82.5 million from handle of $656 million (an astronomical 13% hold). Native son DraftKings galloped away with $42.5 million, trailed by FanDuel ($23.5 million), Fanatics ($6 million), BetMGM ($5 million), ESPN Bet ($2.5 million) and Caesars Sportsbook ($2 million). BallyBet failed to make the cut.
That’s all, folks. Sorry, it’s a slow news week.