Glenn Straub could theoretically never do a damned thing with Revel and still turn a tidy profit. A New York-based private equity firm is reported as willing to pay him $200 million for the shuttered megaresort, which Straub picked up for $82 million. Straub denies receiving any offers — but also 
says he doesn’t know any private equity firms, which is a little hard to believe of someone as financially savvy as he. In the meantime, Revel remains stuck in the mud, its “Ten” rebranding perpetually on hold due to Straub’s proud insistence that he needn’t play by the same rules as other New Jersey casino owners. His choice of crony Robert Landino to oversee casino operations looks as dubious and arbitrary as ever. He’s even talked about opening Ten sans casino, which would seem like business suicide were his investment not so low.
If Straub has done nothing else, he’s chummed the waters for other bidders. In addition to the mystery private equity firm, Mayor Don Guardian (R) says he’s received other expressions of interest. Meanwhile, Gov. Chris Christie (R) is losing patience with Straub’s pattern of big-talk, no-action, saying on his radio show that Straub “hasn’t been able to deliver” and he’d like to see someone else in there. That’s a pretty big foot applied to Straub’s ass. Ten’s frequent missed deadlines, meanwhile, have allowed Hard Rock International to get into the Boardwalk and steal all of Straub’s thunder. If he does open Ten, will anyone notice?
* Meanwhile, Atlantic City’s primary competitor, Resorts World New York, is investing another $400 million in the mega-racino. In addition 
to more gaming capacity, a hotel, restaurants and retail are on Genting Group‘s shopping list. Don’t book your stay yet: Resorts World is looking at a mid-2019 completion date. Genting officials promise that the hotel “will rival Manhattan‘s finest accommodations.” While the retail component will emphasize New York-area manufacture, the quartet of restaurants will include the by-n0w-obligatory celebrity chef.
In other Resorts World news, a big slot winner was told that — surprise, surprise — her $43 million jackpot was a mechanical malfunction. Her consolation? A steak dinner. Nice going, Genting.
* Fearing that they were the leading edge of video poker, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed a bill legalizing charity casino nights that include blackjack and roulette. “Winnings” would be exchanged for raffle tickets. Cooper’s veto is largely symbolic. 
Republicans hold overwhelming majorities in both houses of the Lege and are planning to reconvene to override a slew of Cooper vetoes. The governor’s slim hope is to convince uncommitted legislators that charity casinos “could give video poker a new way to infiltrate our communities … without tough criminal penalties, enforcement would be difficult.” Cooper got some support from the right, with the North Carolina Family Policy Council stating, the bill “would lead to a significant expansion of legalized gambling in our state.” At least the Eastern Cherokee have no reason to object: To protect their gambling monopoly, charity casinos are banned west of I-26. Besides, if you live in that area, why settle for charity gambling when you can have the real thing?
* As part of its reinvention, Palace Station is getting ride of the low-rise motel wings it long since outgrew. Victim of this lebensraum is Courtyard Room 1203, where O.J. Simpson plotted the botched robbery that landed him in a Nevada prison, where he languishes to this day — and hopefully much longer. Not only was Palace Station overdue for a revamp but this is a bit of history that Station Casinos will be only too happy to jettison. Vital Vegas has photos of the scene of the crime.
* Donald Trump ought to worry less about U.S. cybersecurity and more about the borderline-nonexistent data protection at his hotels. If you were staying at Trump International in Las Vegas, in early June, your payment card numbers and card security codes were up for grabs, thanks to another failure by service provider Sabre. After three such derelictions in as many years, it’s high time Trump told Sabre, “You’re fired.”
