Despite having lost its bid for the Hellenikon megaresort concession, Hard Rock International isn’t taking rejection lying down. “While we are disappointed by this news, we are more disappointed in the process. Hard Rock firmly believes it was wrongly disqualified based on an inaccurate 
rationale and a clear conflict of interest. Hard Rock engaged its legal counsel in Greece and has retained counsel in Brussels to review the matter,” the company stated. The “inaccurate rationale” would be a complaint that Hard Rock didn’t explain how its project was to be financed. The “clear conflict of interest” is that “The law firm advising the Hellinikon IRC Tender Committee and the Hellenic Gaming Commission on our disqualification has also represented a member of the competing bidder since 2008.” An unnamed member of the Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment-led consortium is also accused of being part of a “price-fixing cartel.”
The Hellenikon site is described by Global Gaming Business as “weed-choked and decrepit,” and yet “enviably located on the blue waters of the Athenian Riviera.” The casino, which does not have to be large (but we suspect will be) is but one of several moving parts toward creating a seaside resort of varied appeal. Promised are “landmark buildings and state-of-the-art infrastructure.”
MGE CEO Mario Kontomerkos set no small goal for himself, saying, “It’s our hope that Inspire Athens would be the catalyst that sparks the entire 
development of the Hellenikon area into the coveted Athenian Riviera, forever redefining the modern identity of Greece” and growing tourism 10%. He’s also set the target of making the project Europe‘s #1 convention destination. Stated MGE, “Inspire Athens intends to be southern Europe’s center for A-list music concerts, theatrical performances, major sporting events, and other arts and cultural activities on a weekly basis.” Considering that Inspire Incheon is costing $1.6 billion, its Grecian sister will represent a sizable chunk of the overall, $8.6 billion project tab.
* In a week we’ll be counting up all the money generated by Super Bowl betting and half of it is expected to be generated by prop bets. Regulators in Indiana and New Jersey have approved this year’s prop bets, and the two states have four wagers in common:
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- Team to win the coin toss
- Will there be a flea flicker?
- Who will the Super Bowl MVP thank first? (God, we’d wager)
- Player to retire after the game
Gaming historian David G. Schwartz said of the quirky wagers, “If they lost money, they wouldn’t offer them … They stimulate interest and spread the action out. Instead of betting everything on the spread and the over/under, bettors might split their bets.” Our favorite of all the prop bets floating about is whether any scoring drive will take less time than 
the singing of the national anthem. (Given the Kansas City Chiefs‘ prolific offense, I’d bet ‘yes.’) While a few of the prop bets actually focus on the game proper, sites like Boomaker.eu are having a lot of fun with all the surrounding Super Bowl frou-frou. The site published a list of 54—yes, 54—prop bets ranging from how many times Mike Shanahan would be shown on-camera (over/under 1.5) to will Donald Trump tweet during the game (don’t bet on “no”) to whether something called “J-Lo” would show butt cleavage (yes: 2/1).
I can give you more props if you want but it’s an exhausting list that somebody went to a lot of work to compile. Long-shot bets on other sites include, “Will the opening kickoff be returned for a touchdown?” 
(+6,000) Or: “Will the two-minute warning occur with exactly two minutes left in the half?” One of the safer bets appears to have the game being decided by a three-point margin. If Kansas City‘s aerial attack is effectively countered by San Francisco‘s productive ground game—as many oddsmakers seem to expect—that could very well be the case. (Miami Seaquariam shark-in-residence Running Back Jack [pictured] picks the 49ers to come out ahead.)
* MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren, an
environmentally friendly chap, won’t be pleased with the report card issued by the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. It gives Murren endorsee Joe Biden a “C+” on environmental issues (Sen. Bernie Sanders [I] gets the only “A” and, no, I don’t support either of these candidates). Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) came closest to flunking, eking out a “D,” in case you care about such things. If not, we can turn the page to …
* My wife and I have been assimilated into the Netflix Borg, as movie theaters continue to blackball Netflix pix. The Irishman finds Robert DeNiro and a sharper-than-ever Joe Pesci back in Casino territory, in a plot that links Las Vegas, Jimmy Hoffa, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the JFK assassination and The Mob. Is Martin Scorsese losing his touch? It’s a curiously enervated picture and DeNiro’s unremarkable performance explains his lack of an Oscar nod. (Sapped by too many in-it-for-the-money outings like Last Vegas and Killer Elite?)
Marriage Story‘s Scarlett Johansson ought to win Best Actress but playing a historical figure makes Renée Zellweger (Judy) a lock. Adam Driver is also very good opposite Johansson but Joker is such a load that Joaquin Phoenix deserves an Oscar just for carrying it. By the way, Jonathan Pryce and Sir Anthony Hopkins are both nothing short of remarkable in The Two Popes (which moved us deeply) but you’d be betting the longest of long shots if you put down money on them to win.
