Men of La Mancha; Delaware: Taxation without benefit

While the attempted boycott of his Venelazzo poker rooms fizzles, Sheldon Adelson continues to look overseas. However, his EuroVegas will be beaten to the punch, or so it appears. Rival project BCN World has the jump on him, at least for now. The metaresort, whose backers include Lawrence Ho and James Packer‘s Melco Crown Entertainment, is slated to begin construction this year. It aims to build six hotel-casinos, at a billion dollars apiece. By contrast, the budget for Adelson’s 12-hotel EuroVegas is now a coronary-inducing $29.5 billion.

Because BCN World isn’t trying to shake down the Spanish government for concessions (like the limited criminal immunity Adelson craves), it’s moving forward. It also has a more advantageous location: along the Mediterranean Sea, an hour or so from Barcelona … Iberian territory far more associated with tourism than is Madrid, where Las Vegas Sands will plant its flag. The question still remains, is there enough demand in Europe to justify something comparable in size and cost to CityCenter? It must irk Adelson something fierce that those young whippersnappers Packer and Ho are beating him to the punch.

Politicians and racino owners in the great state of Delaware are putting their noggins together (butting heads would be more like it) over how to save the state’s newly imperiled gaming industry. The state, basically, is willing to do anything that actually might make a substantial difference. Delaware’s usurious 54.25% tax rate remains sacrosanct. At the risk of sounding like an industry shill, cutting taxes seems not only commendable but imperative. The state could take a less-gluttonous share of revenue than 43.5%. To keep the ponies running, the state allowed racinos and now both the former and the latter are imperiled. If somebody is going to have to tighten their belt, perhaps Gov. Jack Markell could lead by example.

So new an arrival is Carmine’s in the Forum Shops that my wife hasn’t been offered a dining comp yet (but surely will). But fans of the eatery will be glad to know that it’s here. It displaced the old Planet Hollywood restaurant, which will go to its grave unmourned, I suspect. Last night, we were full to bursting from sampling the fare at The Ainsworth, the tony sports bar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. It elevates “pub grub” to a higher level, even if the two Bloody Marys I downed yester evening caused me to arise — slowly — with a hangover today. The Ainsworth’s karaoke book is damned skimp, though. Gotta work on that, guys.

Twenty years of gambling at Turning Stone Resort Casino seem to have gone by in a flash. So the Oneida Nation‘s place was probably overdue for its new extension, dubbed “Exit 33,” and including a quartet of restaurants and bars. The new amenities include the Turquoise Tiger, described as, “A sophisticated lounge and cocktail bar, inspired by 1940’s film noir.” Hmmmm … that’s a bit more imaginative than what you’d find in Vegas today, even though our fair city is a creature of the Forties itself.