Urban blight along the Las Vegas Strip could be (partially) giving way to new casino development. Resort entrepreneur Asher Gabay has 
found the Promised Land in Las Vegas, where he hopes to take a run at the boutique-hotel concept. His planned Astral would sit opposite Mandalay Bay (where Motel 8 is now) and rise 34 stories. Budgeted at $350 million, tops, it would Astral would feature a rooftop pool and sky lobby, as well as the de riguer nightclub. No word on gaming amenities, though we’re sure they’d be needed to make this gamble pay. Gabay is planning to launch Astral after the arrival of the nearby Las Vegas Raiders, prompting HREC Investment Advisors broker Josh Smith to tell the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “If he times it just right and has the right business model, it’ll have some success.”
Given the iffiness of the location (not great for walk-in traffic) and the recent demise of the niche-ified Lucky Dragon, no one’s going out on a limb for Gabay. As TravelZork noted, his most illustrious neighbor will be Tiny the Tumbleweed. Tiny will, no doubt, be grateful for the company. He seems mighty lonely these days.
* To paraphrase Samuel Goldwyn, oral promises by Las Vegas Sands, Genting Group and MGM Resorts International aren’t worth the paper on which they’re written. All three want to break both the spirit and the 
letter of a casino-expansion law passed in New York State in 2014. It keeps the casino industry out of the New York City area (excepting grandfathered parimutuels) until 2023. Big Gaming can’t wait that long. Genting and MGM want table games added to their racinos, pronto, and Sands just wants in, period. However, they are meeting vocal opposition in the form of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who said, “I am very skeptical about some casino deal put together by casino operators promising billions of dollars and everybody is happy.” Cuomo should know, as he’s already living through that nightmare upstate, where four new casinos are flopping or at least falling dismayingly short of expectations. Have drunk that Kook-Aid once, Cuomo seems to be twice shy.
All upstate casinos would require monetary compensation if the 2023 deadline is lifted early. Expansion would also have to go through Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D), a formidable obstacle to legislation he doesn’t like. Per Pretlow, all seven extant upstate casinos would have to agree to a waiver of the 2023 bar. As far as grandfather MGM and Genting into two of the three casino licenses, Cuomo says he “just would not support” it. And what Cuomo wants he generally gets.
* The federal government finally got off its duff and approved the 
Tribal Winds (no flatulence jokes, please) casino in Connecticut, good news for Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino. Sore loser MGM promises litigation if the Lege doesn’t give it a megaresort in Bridgeport. We like you, Jim Murren, but pack it in already. (As for Ryan Zinke, could he go to the big house for playing footsie with MGM?)
* Virginia solons have voted casino legalization into law, pending the signature of Gov. Ralph “Blackface” Northam (D). Tomorrow is the deadline. SB 1126 sets out an insanely complex formula (follow the link and prepare to get out your slide rule) whereby cities qualify 
for casino gambling. And if they do, they have to hold a referendum to vote it into being. Jan. 1, 2021 is that deadline. Sports betting and Internet gambling are not included in the bill, but its language leaves a penumbra under which they could slip into legality. All it takes is some creative lawyering. So far the city being tipped the most for a casino is Bristol, although the Pamunkey Indian Tribe — which is eschewing the land-into-trust process — have kicked the tires on several cities, Richmond included.
* Gaming-industry observers have hung up the phone on Steven Witkoff. When asked by Global Gaming Business what Las Vegas debut would be the most significant of 2020, 59% picked Raiders Stadium. Witkoff’s The Drew got one percent.
