William Weidner hasn’t finished Lucky Dragon Casino yet and he’s already flashing some leg at the Vietnamese government (or so it appears), seeking a $4 billion casino 
megaresort in Ho Chi Minh City (to most us, Saigon). Financing Lucky Dragon will be a very light lift compared to the capital-investment mandates in Vietnam. Luckily for Weidner, his partners include Cantor Fitzgerald, which ought to be good for a few bucks. The design will be farmed out to Steelman Partners. Since only non-Vietnamese citizens would be able to gamble at the resort, Weidner’s business acumen will be tested to the max. Making a $4 billion megaresort pencil out just on tourist traffic is a challenge even in the gambling capitals of the world.
* Station Casinos CFO Marc Falcone agreed implicitly with our friend American Gaming Guru that the Palms is a faded brand due for a comeback. Speaking with analysts, Falcone said the Palms’ run rate was 60% below its peak and that Boarding Pass members were thin on the ground in that area of the valley, giving the Palms room to grow. He added that Station would evaluate a “number of opportunities to invest targeted, strategic capital” over the next several months. Station will be facing off against Boyd Gaming directly across the street at the Gold Coast, although the latter draws an older demographic — but which could use a competitive spur to spiff up a somewhat faded property.
* Sam Nazarian is on the comeback trail. His SBE Entertainment bought Morgans 
Hotel Group for a bargain-basement $82 million. Morgans, whose blundering tenure at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is the stuff of local legend, has definitely come a long way down in the world, while Nazarian is on the rebound. The deal ought to give him a portion of the revenue stream from Delano, which MGM Resorts International sublicensed from Morgans.
* Macao authorities have come up with another way of tightening the vise on gamblers trying to circumvent China‘s currency-exportation laws. Now, China UnionPay Co. Ltd. cash terminals will require proof of identity before dispensing money. Pawnshops in Macanese casinos will be high-priority locations. Sociedade de Jogos de Macau Director Angela Leong said the new rules “will not impose a big impact on casino earnings in the short term” (emphasis added). Sanford C. Bernstein analysts spelled it out for anybody in doubt as to the ramifications of the policy: “It is likely that the Macau government is reacting to the discrepancy between UnionPay transactions and actual retail sales and is closing down loopholes as part of Macau’s efforts to develop itself into a world-class tourist destination.”
