Encore Boston Harbor has been open only two months. MGM Springfield just passed its one-year anniversary. And yet, the 
Boston Globe is already tossing around the ‘S’ word—saturation. Saying that casino executives might not like hearing it, the paper rejoined, “They had better get used to it.” University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley professor and casino boffin Clyde Barrow said the saturation mark is hit when slot revenues fall below $200 win/slot/day on average. MGM Springfield has been below that metric for two months, which both Encore and Plainridge Park exceed, the latter quite easily.
The Globe projects Encore to bring home $600 million in Year One, well short of Wynn Resorts‘ $800 million prediction. MGM’s woes have been extensively chronicled here, so we’ll let the Globe tell it. Unwilling to play by the rules (otherwise known as enabling legislation) some Plainridge Park-area solons want table games added at the 
racino, which has taken a predictable hit from Encore. Seriously, did anyone not see this coming? Twin River in Tiverton was only down 4% in June but the mothership in Lincoln took a worse-than-expected hammering: 17% less slot revenue and a 34% wipeout at the tables. Just sticking to Massachusetts casinos, with projects being pushed for Brockton and Wareham, these latest numbers make a powerful case for sticking with the status quo, if casinos are to achieve their economic-stimulus remit.
* Got a few thousand in your sock drawer? There’s a dusty Lincoln limousine about to be auctioned. What makes it so valuable? It once belonged to Elvis Presley, that’s why. It was part of his 100-plus fleet of automobiles. You’ll have to take it to the car wash yourself, as Mectom Auctions doesn’t plan on hosing the ’59 vehicle down. It has historic significance, as it was a wedding present to The King from Col. Tom Parker, maybe one of the few decent things the exploitative Colonel ever did. If you want to bid on a piece of our pop legacy, the market may be in your favor: Last year, a 1971 Mercedes-Benz formerly belonging to Elvis brought only $100K at auction.
* Caesars Entertainment is pointing a spotlight upon Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 14), with performances at The Linq. Both DJ Ethos and Ballet Folklórico Sol Huasteco will open for hip-hop artist Olmeca. A quickie art installation will also be (briefly) on view. Hail, Caesars, for honoring our neighbors to the south,
* Las Vegas gets a new air carrier on Sept. 13 when JetSuiteX incepts service into Sin City. Already operating to Phoenix, the company (whose name sounds a tad risqué) fans out from Burbank to a growing number of destinations that will also include Oakland. What’s not to like? In addition to enjoying 36 inches of leg room, passengers can check as many as three bags for free. Cocktails are complimentary, too, a nice change from the spartan regime of commercial airlines. JetSuiteX also promises a “quick, effortless security screening process that meets and exceeds TSA requirements.” Let’s hope so.
* If you’ve got nothing special to do tomorrow night and feel light hanging out at a grind joint, Yellow Brick Road Casino may have something for you. It’s opening its The Lounge with Caesars Sports at 8 p.m. Gentlemen, place your bets. This is only Caesars latest conquest, having spread its books to seven states since sports betting became the law of the land.
* Hurricane Dorian has claimed a casino casualty: A Sept. 5 American Gaming Association event in Biloxi has been postponed.
* Congratulations to the Las Vegas Aviators, whose home field in Summerlin has been named Ballpark of the Year by Ballpark Digest, which presumably knows whereof it speaks. Kudos too, to the team for not selling the naming rights to Las Vegas Ballpark, sparing fans the brand fickleness that consumers in cities like Oakland and Baltimore know only too well.
