Well, that didn’t take long. Scarcely was the ink dry on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s deal with the state’s gaming-enabled tribes than the Seneca Indian Nation stepped right into a scandal. $5 million of an $8 million development deal would be in the form of ‘success fees’ to lobbyist David Flaum. The $5 Million Question is whether Flaum was acting on the Senecas’ behalf when the latter were lobbying the state. If he wants to clear his name, not acting guilty when reporters call would be a good start.
Trump Taj Mahal hopes to replace plummeting profits with plunging necklines (and that’s just the beginning). It’s adding the first strip club in Atlantic City‘s entire history of legal gambling. There’s plenty of skin being shown along the Boardwalk already but Scores ups the ante with some nearly bare titties for your titillation. But bring cash for there’s a 20% surcharge on credit card transactions. And, for the ultimate bummer, lap dances are verboten. To paraphrase The Associated Press, the quest isn’t why Scores is coming to A.C. but why somebody didn’t do this sooner? Scores is no ordinary titty bar but a labyrinthine collection of seven venues. What’s the over/under on how long it’ll be before some damn fool decides to “make it rain” and sets off trouble?
It’s been a good week for Mohegan Sun. First off, it received a three-year license renewal for Pocono Downs, ensuring that it will continue to be one of the dominant presences in Pennsylvania. It’s also scheduled to ink a host-community pact with Palmer later this week, putting it one step closer to a Massachusetts casino. However, in southeastern Massachusetts, things may not be looking up for the Mashpee Wampanoags. Tribes only have to demonstrate continuity back to 1934, which opens the door to gaming for a number of nations. But it’s not so good for the Mashpee Wamps, whose recognition postdates 1934. With no “Carcieri fix” on the way from Congress and a Dec. 31 deadline for applying for a Bay State casino, the Wampanoags’ plight looks fairly bleak. In Milford, selectmen have two words for Foxwoods Massachusetts: Mo’ money. $18 million a year isn’t good enough and they want to see the same kind of largesse that Wynn Resorts and Everett have agreed upon.
We’re so close to football season you can almost taste it … and actually can at these seven posh Las Vegas watering holes.
