Posted on Leave a comment

Gambling revenues still looking up; Mega-Jottings

Maryland aside, gambling revenues continue to trend upward. Even in Iowa, where they nudged only 1% higher from last year (undoubtedly due to new competition from Nebraska) but were high heavens (+38%) over 2019, aka the good old days. Indiana’s gain was also a modest 1% from 2022 for a $199 million haul. Hard Rock Northern Indiana surged 9% to $34.5 million, while Horseshoe Hammond‘s decline slowed to 1.5%, bagging $28 million. Ameristar East Chicago slid 8% to $16.5 million and Blue Chip was up 4.5% to $11 million. To the south, Horseshoe Indianapolis galloped 8% faster, winning $26 million, while Harrah’s Hoosier Downs cantered +1.5% to $17.5 million.

Best of the non-racinos (other than Horseshoe Hammond) was Caesars Southern Indiana, grossing $21.5 million for a 9.5% gain. Bally’s Evansville peaked at $14 million and a couple of its competitors got hit hard. Rising Star fell 20.5% to $3 million and Hollywood Lawrenceburg tumbled 14% to $13 million. Belterra Resort rounded out the unfortunates, down 7.5% to $6.5 million. French Lick Resort climbed 8.5% to $6.5 million, enabling us to end on a positive note.

Continue reading Gambling revenues still looking up; Mega-Jottings
Posted on 3 Comments

Full House flopping; The bull case for gaming and Vegas

We tweeted after the opening of The Temporary at American Place (yes, that’s its cumbersome nomeclature) that it was “a hit.” We were wrong.

According to Full House Resorts CEO Dan Lee and CFO Lewis Fanger, The Temporary eked out just under $1.5 million in gaming revenues during its first two weeks of operation. (The State of Illinois says $3 million.) That’s $80 per gambler per day in the first week, $97 in the second, according to Lee. Full House is trying to spin these numbers as average for an Illinois casino. Trouble is, the company led us to believe The Temporary (and its eventual permanent successsor) would be above average, especially as it sits in prosperous Lake County, with outmoded, antediluvian riverboat casinos its nearest competitors. So you will forgive us if we are underwhelmed by its debut.

Stock boffins were treated to a fair amount of revisionist history by Full House. Now, for instance, opening without an Illinois database is realized to be a severe handicap. And we were told that Chicago denizens don’t drive to Lake County if they can help it. So why is Full House splurging on billboards along the expressway from downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Aiport? We’ve seen them.

Continue reading Full House flopping; The bull case for gaming and Vegas
Posted on 3 Comments

Maryland dips; Boardwalk bulletin; Biden/BIA overreach

February was moderately unkind to Maryland casinos, which were down 3.5% from last year to reach $157 million. Top-grosser of course was MGM National Harbor, flat at $65.5 million. Reliable runner-up Maryland Live was close behind at $56 million, but suffered a 6% drop. Horseshoe Baltimore faded 8% to $16 million, which seems to be the floor but also very near the ceiling for this casino. The only revenue-positive casino was Ocean Downs, up 4% to $7 million, so owner Churchill Downs knows something everyone else doesn’t. Hollywood Perryville slid 7% to $7 million and Rocky Gap Resort was down 3% to $5 million. Are we entering a cooling-off period? It’s still too soon to say.

Continue reading Maryland dips; Boardwalk bulletin; Biden/BIA overreach
Posted on Leave a comment

Caesars, MGM impress The Street; Less drag at Golden; Police blotter

After hanging out with CEO Tom Reeg and Senior Vice President of Finance Brian Agnew, analyst Joseph Greff of J.P. Morgan came away “upbeat” about Caesars Entertainment. His optimism centered on three salient points: “Las Vegas strength and momentum”; “a path towards meaningful profitability” for CZR’s digital assets; “appealing free cash flow generation.” In Sin City, Caesars appears to be making money hand over fist. Attrition in group bookings has fallen to pre-pandemic levels, ADRs are much higher (think double digits) and occupancies average 95% or so. Given the absence of such 2022 headwinds as high utility costs, Omicron and a good-but-not-great event calendar, 2023 looks as though it will be very good indeed, leading into the 2024 Super Bowl, whose benefits should be obvious.

Continue reading Caesars, MGM impress The Street; Less drag at Golden; Police blotter
Posted on Leave a comment

Wynn, Golden report; Excalibur kitty caper; PointsBet busted

Citing “very encouraging” trends in Macao, analyst Joseph Greff of J.P. Morgan gave Wynn Resorts a favorable notice today. Without getting too much into the minutiae, Wynn execs cited rapidly improving VIP business, 96% hotel occupancy and a 34% uptick in retail sales. Added Greff, “For the four-week period following the Chinese New Year, WYNN indicated that relative to 2019 levels, mass table drop was at 82%, direct VIP turnover was at 120%, and tenant sales were at 78%. Wow.” At those rates Macao will be back much, much sooner than expected.

Continue reading Wynn, Golden report; Excalibur kitty caper; PointsBet busted
Posted on 1 Comment

Atlantic City in winter; Ohio rebounds; Lightfoot booted

Given a slow news day, let’s finally catch up with our East Coast bureau and see what’s been happening on the Boardwalk. First off, demerits to Ocean Casino Resort for contributing in its own small way to climate change by having three open-air, gas-fired flame pits blasting forth during a light snowfall. Nearby, at the Showboat, it appears that Bart Blatstein needs to put a bit of stick about, as construction of his (much-needed) water park presently looks unlikely to finish by Memorial Day, when you expect him to want to be good and ready.

Continue reading Atlantic City in winter; Ohio rebounds; Lightfoot booted
Posted on 1 Comment

Vegas booming; Churchill Downs “messy”; Mega-Jottings

Nevada gambling winning catapulted 18% last month—yes, almost a 20% increase over post-Covid numbers (although January 2022 was dampened by Omicron). The good times just keep on rolling, to the tune of $1.2 billion. The Las Vegas Strip led the charge with a 26% vault, grossing $713 million. Strip slot revenue grew 24% on 24.5% more coin-in. Table games were good for the house, with winnings up 23% on only 5% more wagering. Baccarat saw players take a hiding, as the house won 42.5% more on 22% bigger betting.

Downtown kept pace, leaping 25.5% to $85 million. Laughlin (+1%, $42 million) missed out on the party. The Boulder Strip was up 13% to $96 million, North Las Vegas gained 8% to $24 million and miscellaneous Clark County jumped 17.5% to $152.5 million. Utah-fed Mesquite was up 8.5% to $16 million. But favored Mormon getaway Wendover slipped 2% to $21 million. A harbinger of things to come? As Wendover goes, so goes Nevada. Indeed, Reno was down 19% to $42 million, while Lake Tahoe nudged 2% higher to $17 million. Sparks continues on the comeback trail, up 17% to $14 million.

Continue reading Vegas booming; Churchill Downs “messy”; Mega-Jottings
Posted on Leave a comment

Caesars hedges on NYC; Buyer’s remorse in Ohio

Although he currently has the frontrunner for a Manhattan casino, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg is waffling a bit. Potentially ceding momentum to deep-pocketed rivals like Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands, Reeg said Caesars wouldn’t get into an “arms race,” spending heavily on its Times Square project. Trouble is, if Caesars looks like it’s trying to get something major for little capital input, it risks losing the game. Reeg is playing a similar gambit in Texas, where he openly covets a megaresort but isn’t lifting a finger to get the enabling legislation passed by the Lege. It’s fish or cut bait time and Reeg looks like someone who’d prefer not to fish.

Continue reading Caesars hedges on NYC; Buyer’s remorse in Ohio
Posted on 1 Comment

How the mighty have fallen; Pennsylvania saturated

Pity poor fellow Kelsey Grammer. The superb actor (Boss) and Shakespearean leading man has been reduced to tending bar at an Atlantic City casino. And not some prestigious Boardwalk gambling hall but last-place Golden Nugget. As our East Coast correspondent, who adeptly spotted this ad, puts it: “Guess he didn’t save enough money for retirement, and/or he has a really bad agent that can’t get him better gigs at casinos.” True that.

Continue reading How the mighty have fallen; Pennsylvania saturated