Democratic presidential candidates are hardly taking the Nevada caucuses for granted. Sen. Kamala Harris (D) has already been once to Las Vegas (in vain) as has Joe Biden. The latter probably endeared himself to
Culinary Union members by having a contretemps with Station Casinos. Biden will be playing a return engagement with the Culinary on Dec. 11. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D) and Bernie Sanders (I) will also be dancing attendance upon the union, with Warren scheduled for Dec. 9 and Sanders the following day. Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) appears to be giving the Silver State a pass, perhaps because he is only polling in single digits there. Will the Culinary join Jim Murren in endorsing Biden? We can only wait for the answer.
* How did a political crony with no gaming experience become CFO of Casinos Austria? That’s what the Austrian parliament would like to know. Peter Sidlo, a hanger-on of right-wing political figure Heinz-Christian Strache, landed the cushy Casinos Austria job in part of what is emerging as a wide-ranging scandal. Prosecutors are looking at 11 people for “allegations of graft and illicit political funding.” Novomatic, a minority shareholder, supposedly backed Sidlo in hopes that Casinos Austria’s monopoly would be dissolved. Novomatic would evidently prefer a casino license (or two) of its own rather than have a piece of Casinos Austria.
Novomatic maintains its innocence, pointing out that it only controls a ninth of the Casinos Austria board. Strache was Austria‘s second-most-powerful politician, thanks to a coalition between his Freedom Party and the Conservative Party. We say “was” because Strache was forced out after being caught on tape trading official contracts for cash on the barrelhead. He also accused Novomatic of making secret, illegal donations to his political party, a charge that Novomatic denies. Seems like somebody needs to hang a leper bell on Strache.
* Casino gambling continues to be very good for Macao, ranked as the world’s third-most-popular international destination, followed by casino-happy Singapore. Despite steep drop-offs in visitation during the second 
half of 2019, Hong Kong looks to retain the top spot. (London, which has a distinct casino culture of its own, was #5.) New York City fell out of the top 10, supplanted by Dehli. What is driving many of these numbers are Chinese tourists, who have money and are looking to spend it. However, Las Vegas doesn’t appear to be so high on bucket lists, clocking in only at #38. Tourists seem to prefer Europe and Asia, or even Egypt, moving up on the list thanks to better security and greater promotion of tourism. And hey, they’ve got casinos, too.
Jottings: A cadaverous-looking Steve Wynn emerged from seclusion to have dinner at A-List restaurant Craig’s, in Los Angeles. Does this presage a Wynn relocation to Tinsletown? We can only hope so … Morongo Casino Resort & Spa has a new COO, Richard St. Jean. Former president of Native American Gaming at Station Casinos, St. Jean also has stints at Caesars Palace and Penn National Gaming on his
resumé. For Station he oversaw the opening of $200 million Gun Lake Casino in Michigan and the $720 million expansion of Thunder Valley Casino in California. Predecessor John James has decamped for “a similar position” at Foxwoods Resort Casino … Casino companies planning to invest in Japan need to brace themselves for a different consumer culture: Very different … You may have thought you were seeing the historic Cal Neva Lodge in the movie Bad Times at the El Royale. Actually, it was a cunning re-creation in Burnaby, British Columbia. Says screenwriter Drew Goddard, “I’ve always loved the idea of California, signaling looking west to prosperity and new opportunities. Then there’s Nevada pulling people in the other direction, to gambling and the chance to maybe strike it rich, change your life. Every good film noir has this kind of duality” … Guess who has “The Official Address of Las Vegas™“? Who else but Derek Stevens? It’s the latest in a spate of Stevens trademark registrations.
