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 THE IMPORTANCE OF EVALUATING YOUR RESULTS IN BLACKJACKLife is a Gamble Bob Dancer episode #8
Bob Dancer is the world’s best known authority on Video Poker, having written many books, and countless articles on the subject. He of course was my cohost and founder of Gambling With an Edge for 12 years. But in this episode we are going back to when he was trying to be a professional backgammon player in the 1970s in Los Angeles, where cheating was a very real danger.
Continue reading Life is a Gamble Bob Dancer episode #8Crossroads Sunday Brunch Buffet — It’s Vegan, Baby!
Crossroads (“Where vegans, flexitarians, meat eaters, and omnivores cross paths”) opened in L.A. in 2013. In May 2022, Crossroads launched its third location at Resorts World to much fanfare, being the first and only vegan fine-dining restaurant on the Strip.
Pennsylvania soggy; Epic fail in North Carolina
At first blush, Pennsylvania‘s gambling economy looks all right, up 1% from August of 2019 and 2% from last year. But factor in the plethora of new casinos that have entered the fray and the Keystone State is down 14% from 2019. Clearly, more casinos does not equal more money. At least not if you’re casino owner. For a tax collector it’s a different story. Not even a 5% uptick in table game winnings (or losses, if you happen to be a player) could paint a smiley face on the portrait, despite $286 million in casino win.
Despite being absolutely flat in revenue, Parx Casino held onto its top spot with $50 million in takings. Wind Creek Bethlehem made a brave run at statewide supremacy in July but had to content itself with $45 million and a 10.5% upsurge. Only a few dollars separated Rivers Philadelphia (pictured, +10%) from Philadelphia Live (+4%), deadlocked at $19 million in their seesaw struggle for downtown supremacy. Harrah’s Philadelphia tumbled 15% but remained ahead of upstart Valley Forge Resort (-4%), $12 million to $11 million. To the west, Rivers Pittsburgh (+4.5%) regained market share for $29 million, outpacing Hollywood Meadows ($17 million, +5%) and Pittsburgh Live ($9 million, +1.5%).
Continue reading Pennsylvania soggy; Epic fail in North CarolinaThe Old Man and the C (asino)
Ever since my 76th birthday in February, my body has been falling apart orthopedically — hip, knee, and shoulder. Most of my body’s systems are fine, but my skeleton, not so much.
The MRI on my right hip showed a number of issues, including arthritis. My orthopedist has convinced me that I need a new hip. “It’s a surgery that most people recover from in a few days,” he told me. “Nothing to worry about.”
Continue reading The Old Man and the C (asino)Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall Seminoles
Flinging Resorts World Las Vegas CEO Scott Sibella to the wolves might not have saved Genting Group‘s bacon—and may have inflicted collateral damage on MGM Resorts International. According to the New York Post, the Sibella revelations have upset the once-universal assumption that Resorts World New York and MGM Empire City were juiced into casino licenses when ones for the New York City area are (eventually) awarded. Contacted by the Post, Genting elaborated on its previous comments in re Sibella by saying that he was given the chop for “failing to disclose certain information required under company policies.” Which deepens the mystery rather than explaining it. Genting’s gnomic statement was not elaborated upon.
Although the Post thinks Genting, by scapegoating Sibella, is out of the woods, new evidence (see below) suggests otherwise. The paper continues, “The picture may be more complicated for MGM, which now may have questions to answer about what happened on Sibella’s watch several years ago.” That’s as it should be … but why would Resorts World, where the malfeasances were more recent, get a free pass? “Ethics is going to be a huge deal in deciding who gets the licenses,” said a Post source. “The ethics and the relationships with the communities where they are putting their casinos is where this is going to be fought and won.”
Continue reading Sibella scandal spreads; Supremes forestall SeminolesAtlantic City rebounds; Sibella dumped; NFL suspicions
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 suspicionsMGM limping back; Atlantic City follies; Wall Street Jottings
Hobbling back onto the Web today, MGM Resorts International offered a limited version of its normal Internet service. You can do research for your next MGM stay but you can’t book it directly or access MGM Rewards, as of 10 a.m. Our man in Atlantic City confirms that, at noon, he found Borgata‘s reservation system to still be defunct. Borgata was able to contact customers to inform them that four promotional events were being postponed. During yesterday’s edition of State of Nevada, someone identifying themselves as an MGM employee called into say that direct deposits of worker paychecks (due Wednesday) were two days overdue and if there was further delay there would also be “trouble.” (A walkout?) Either CEO Bill Hornbuckle or one of his lieutenants evidently was listening, as Hornbuckle contacted the local dead tree of record to say that paychecks would be issued today. As of lunchtime nobody has made a liar of him. (Speaking of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it duly tried to spin the crash of Las Vegas Grand Prix hotel rates as nothing much.)
Continue reading MGM limping back; Atlantic City follies; Wall Street JottingsOn and off the radio
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 radioMGM crippled; Illinois & Indiana report; Bally’s shaky in Chi
Different day, same story for MGM Resorts International, brought to its knees by a cbyer-assault of still-unknown provenance. The FBI has been brought in although, per standard operating procedure, the G-Men aren’t commenting on what went down. MGM is daintily referring to the attack as a “cyber issue,” but its 28 casinos nationwide may face a long road back to recovery. UNLV‘s Yoowhan Kim is of the firm opinion that it was a ransomware raid that MGM was asked for “several million dollars” to resolve the ‘issue,’ one that may have been years in the making. Kim delicately implies that a cost/benefit analysis will come down in favor of paying up.
Continue reading MGM crippled; Illinois & Indiana report; Bally’s shaky in Chi