Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

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The case for cannibalization; Hard Rock buys Taj

Posted on March 2, 2017 by David McKee

There’s still a big budget shortfall in Pennsylvania and state Rep. Mike Sturla thinks he has at least part of the answer: slot routes. Casinos can be expected to decry this proposed solution and some already are. But for Sturla … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Economy, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harry Reid, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Revel, Slot routes, Sports, The Strip, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, West Virginia | Comments Off on The case for cannibalization; Hard Rock buys Taj

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 2, 2017 by David McKee

“I’m a big contrarian when it comes to saying the slot machines’ time is over. In fact, if you look nationally overall, slot revenues are higher than they’ve ever been. But at individual properties, they’re down.” — casino consultant Buddy Frank … Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Technology | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Wayne Newton, Mr. Convention; Adelson covets Vietnam

Posted on March 1, 2017 by David McKee

If you doubted that the convention business is the new face of Las Vegas, it trotted out the pretty visage of Wayne Newton. The latter’s Casa de Shenandoah is promoting itself as the new place to hold your meeting, offering to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Japan, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, South Korea, Technology, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Vietnam, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off on Wayne Newton, Mr. Convention; Adelson covets Vietnam

Huge January in Nevada; Georgia nixes casinos (again)

Posted on March 1, 2017 by David McKee

Sinusitis had us down for the count for a few days but we’re back with a fresh serving of S&G. First off, New Year’s was boffo for Nevada (up 12%) with the Las Vegas Strip pulling in 14% more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Georgia, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, New York, North Las Vegas, Politics, Reno, South Carolina, Taxes, The Strip | 1 Comment

Caesars’ highway robbery; Good news for problem gamblers

Posted on February 24, 2017 by David McKee

What do you do when you’ve just lost $435 million? Bust out a new round of resort fees, of course! That’s Caesars Entertainment‘s answer. Keeping up with the Joneses on the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars will implement two tiers of … Continue reading →

Posted in Foxwoods, Genting, Harrah's, Japan, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off on Caesars’ highway robbery; Good news for problem gamblers

Ho taunts Adelson; Turnover at Wynn

Posted on February 23, 2017 by David McKee

Both Sheldon Adelson and Jim Murren have anted up $10 billion for a Japanese megaresort.  The fever is catching. Melco Crown International CEO Lawrence Ho went completely off his rocker and vowed to spend any amount whatsoever for a casino … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, International, Japan, Law enforcement, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on February 23, 2017 by David McKee
Posted in Current, Missouri | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Smoke got in their eyes; Curious doings at Mohegan Sun

Posted on February 22, 2017 by David McKee

Macao Chief Executive Fernando Chui is denying that his government is abasing itself before casino operators even as his administration rolls out a new policy, proposed but not yet adopted, that would represent a total cave-in on Chui’s drive to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Environment, Idaho, Law enforcement, Macau, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Smoke got in their eyes; Curious doings at Mohegan Sun

Quote of the Day

Posted on February 22, 2017 by David McKee

“We’re not talking about giving tax credits to highly lucrative operations. We’re talking about the prospect of casinos not being able to survive.” — Pennsylvania state Sen. Pat Browne (R), proposing tax credits for casinos in return for continued $10 million/year host-community … Continue reading →

Posted in Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Caesars: The comedy is (almost) finished; Lawmaker gets high — on revenue

Posted on February 22, 2017 by David McKee

By merging Caesars Acquisition Co. (which holds most of the goodies) with Caesars Entertainment, the conglomerate may be finally able to ring the curtain on its bankruptcy. It’s been a long-running show, often replete with elements of farce. What seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Environment, Florida, Harrah's, Louisiana, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, New York, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Caesars: The comedy is (almost) finished; Lawmaker gets high — on revenue

Cool breeze in Singapore; Pennsylvania gets on the sports-betting bandwagon

Posted on February 17, 2017 by David McKee

It seems more unlikely than ever that Singapore will issue casino concessions after gaming revenues laid an egg in 1Q-3Q/16. For the full year, tourism to Singapore reached record heights, but receipts for “sightseeing, entertainment and gaming” dropped 16% in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Dining, Donald Trump, Foxwoods, Idaho, International, James Packer, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, Politics, Singapore, South Korea, Sports, The Crown 18, Tribal | Comments Off on Cool breeze in Singapore; Pennsylvania gets on the sports-betting bandwagon

MGM lands big fish; Black-market casino busted in Georgia

Posted on February 16, 2017 by David McKee

MGM Resorts International took it on the chops from Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, who said of 4Q16 results that they “were undoubtedly surprising, in the wrong direction in this instance as property EBITDA fell well short of forecasts, most … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, California, Donald Trump, Dubai, Georgia, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Regulation, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on February 15, 2017 by David McKee

“The trick [to regulating e-sports] will be to come up with a framework that is appropriate and nimble enough to deal with innovation and technology that changes on the fly,” — Massachusetts state Sen. Eileen Donaghue on the difficulties of … Continue reading →

Posted in Massachusetts, Regulation, Technology | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Atlantic City warms up; Tribe puts faith in Trump

Posted on February 15, 2017 by David McKee

Judging by his apparent failure to build brand awareness of Ten, mogul Glenn Straub is going to have trouble cracking the Atlantic City nut. That’s fine by his rivals, who are all doing very well without him. Online gambling continues … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Harrah's, Kansas, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, New York, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Atlantic City warms up; Tribe puts faith in Trump

Station, Culinary at it again; Attack of the Russian slot cheats

Posted on February 14, 2017 by David McKee

After reaching a fragile labor peace with Station Casinos, the Culinary Union is heading for another scrum with the company, publishing a petition to “Stations Casino” [sic!], detailing various and sundry workplace complaints, such as “first aid supplies were not … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Culinary Union, Georgia, International, Law enforcement, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Politics, South Carolina, Station Casinos, Technology, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Station, Culinary at it again; Attack of the Russian slot cheats

Quote of the Day

Posted on February 13, 2017 by David McKee

“This is highly unnecessary. I don’t believe this bill will make it out of committee and I would urge the chairman to reread our laws.” — Idaho state Rep. Paulette Jordan (D), on a bill that would outlaw VLTs at casinos … Continue reading →

Posted in Idaho, Politics, Tribal | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Sports betting a political football; Lucky Dragon doing just fine

Posted on February 10, 2017 by David McKee

Lawmakers in Maryland are entering the fray over sports betting. Unlike their counterparts in New Jersey, they’re not challenging the federal government directly. The proposed law, as drafted, would make sports betting legal in the Free State *if* the Bradley … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Delaware, Dining, Donald Trump, Georgia, GLPI, Harrah's, Hawaii, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Lucky Dragon, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, New York, Penn National, Philippines, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Singapore, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Sports betting a political football; Lucky Dragon doing just fine

Mixed results in Indiana; New Hampshire tries, tries, tries again

Posted on February 9, 2017 by David McKee

Casino revenue was down 4% last month in Indiana but, with one less weekend than last year and a 6% decline in foot traffic, I’m disinclined to read too much into the results. However, just for the record, let’s look … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Indiana, Majestic Star, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | Comments Off on Mixed results in Indiana; New Hampshire tries, tries, tries again

Wynn shows Adelson up; Schenectady casino opens tonight

Posted on February 8, 2017 by David McKee

Contrary to crude insinuations by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Steve Wynn‘s gift of $7 million in company stock late last year went mainly toward medical research at the University of Iowa’s Wynn Institute for Vision Research ($5 million), while another $1.7 … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Charity, Economy, Harrah's, Iowa, Maine, Marketing, Neil Bluhm, New York, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tribal | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on February 8, 2017 by David McKee

“It is very hard to open a casino that doesn’t have another casino within 100 miles, so the pie is really being divided up. The bottom line is going to be in three, four, five years when the rest of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, New York | Comments Off on Quote of the Day