Driving Arkansas Forward, the ballot initiative to legalize casinos in Arkansas, will continue to proceed now that the Arkansas Supreme 
Court has slam-dunked two challenges to the referendum. Religious group Ensuring Arkansas Future claimed that the ballot language was too ambiguous and citizens wouldn’t know what a ‘yes’ vote entailed. Citizens for Local Choice complained that the wording was too vague. The high court wasn’t buying any of it, however. It said a ballot title “does not need to include every possible consequence or impact of a proposed measure … [it] sufficiently informs the public of the amendment’s purpose and scope and its consequences.”
Although we find the ballot language awfully restrictive, limiting casinos to four locations in the great state of Arkansas, S&G recommends a “yes” vote come November.
* Bobby Baldwin is stepping down from CityCenter, presumably to spend some quality time as a private citizen (he is 68). He first came to prominence as a Steve Wynn crony but we remember him best as the man behind the “Vdara Death Ray,” the lensing effect that caused paper and even human hair to singe during the mid-afternoon on sunny Las Vegas days by the Vdara pool. Blogger and 48th birthday boy Steve Friess had priceless photo coverage of Baldwin’s fact-finding mission after the Death Ray made the local papers. There was Baldwin, earnestly looking up at Vdara as if he’d never seen it before in his life. Had Vdara not cut corners on the type of glass used in its curtain walls, all that unpleasantness could have been avoided.
As Baldwin left by one door, George Kliavkoff entered by another. The executive will be president for entertainment and sports at MGM Resorts International, reporting to company President Bill Hornbuckle. The veteran of TV and major-league sports will “be responsible for operations, finance, strategy, booking, marketing, sponsorships and ticketing for the 30 or more theatres, showrooms and arenas MGM Resorts runs,” according to GGR Asia. Kliavkoff predecessor Richard Sturm will also be kept within an arm’s length, thanks to a three-year consulting agreement.
Said Hornbuckle of Kliavkoff, “His innovative approach and knowledge in the entertainment and digital world will strengthen our reputation as a company that provides world-class experiences for our guests to enjoy.” They’ll need some of that brainpower in Macao, where MGM properties’ operating income was flat, despite the addition of MGM Cotai, which is looking like a multi-billion-dollar fiasco.
* In an ominous development for the Mashpee Wampanoags, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is seeking public comments on what to do with “Region C.” Certain to be heard from is Neil Blumn, whose Rush Street Gaming was shut out of a Brockton casino recently but hasn’t thrown in the towel.
* The Culinary Union is rolling out the heavy artillery in its drive to save Temporary Protected Status. A 10 a.m. forum tomorrow will feature Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D), Reps. Dina Titus (D), Jacky Rosen (D) and congressional hopeful Steven Horsford (D), along with sundry other speakers. The Culinary hasn’t said how many of its workers would be affected by this crackdown on refugees but, judging by the union’s level of interest, the number must be substantial.
* Golden Week was silver for Macao, although 7% growth in tourism pushed ADRs to $162/night. “This implies that ADR grew well over 15 percent year-on-year, and that ‘total [gambling 
revenue]’ during Golden Week grew high-single-digit year-on-year,” wrote analysts Sean Zhuang and DS Kim. The fly in the ointment is the damage done to gaming revenue by Typhoon Mangkhut, which is expected to depress third-quarter results. “The Golden Week this year was very robust, better than our pre-holiday expectation,” insisted junket operator Andrew Lo, adding that he didn’t expect similar results through the remainder of the year. The Hong Kong bourse certainly wasn’t impressed, with post-Golden Week declines by Galaxy Entertainment and Wynn Macau alike.
