Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

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Pennsylvania lawmakers screw the pooch; Adelson’s way or the highway

Posted on October 28, 2016 by David McKee

Pennsylvania communities are scrambling to reach voluntary revenue-sharing accords with the casinos they host after the Legislature left the issue in limbo. Rather than address the host-community fee on its own, the House of Representatives tacked on approval of Internet … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Environment, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Greenwood Racing, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Maryland, Massachusetts, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Pennsylvania lawmakers screw the pooch; Adelson’s way or the highway

They messed with Texas; Strip hotels have boom month

Posted on October 28, 2016 by David McKee

Tribal casinos are normally pretty tight-lipped about their financial performance. Not so the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas. “It’s a quaint little spot and we’re pretty proud of it,” a tribal member told Houstonia magazine, speaking of Naskila Gaming, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, California, Economy, G2E, history, IGT, Marketing, Penn National, Regulation, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on They messed with Texas; Strip hotels have boom month

Strip beats the odds; DFS settlement in New York

Posted on October 27, 2016 by David McKee

Not even a 26% decline in baccarat wagers could put a damper on a strong September on the Las Vegas Strip. The house played lucky, experiencing only 8% less baccarat winnings. Table gaming wagering was down 9% overall — and … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Downtown, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, New York, North Las Vegas, Reno, The Strip | 1 Comment

Five-point solution for Atlantic City; The Crown 18

Posted on October 27, 2016 by David McKee

Will Atlantic City be the master of its domain or will Gov. Chris Christie (R) insist upon a state takeover? That’s the question after Mayor Don Guardian (R) steered a five-point rescue plan through a heavily divided city council. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Environment, Hard Rock International, James Packer, Law enforcement, Macau, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Five-point solution for Atlantic City; The Crown 18

Adelson in trouble again; Trop buoys Penn National numbers

Posted on October 27, 2016 by David McKee

Las Vegas Sands is under the regulatory magnifying glass again. It’s been alleged that the company tried to make an end run around anti-money-laundering laws by permitting Chinese whales to use front men to place bets on their behalf. Lawyers … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Dining, Downtown, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Marketing, Mississippi, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Adelson in trouble again; Trop buoys Penn National numbers

Casino fiasco looms in Pennsylvania; A Trump by any other name

Posted on October 26, 2016 by David McKee

If you live in a Pennsylvania county with a casino, a local tax increase could be staring you in the face. That’s because lawmakers have until the close of business today (plus one day in November) to fix the unconstitutional … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A casino in Newark?; Internet gaming on the clock in Pennsylvania

Posted on October 25, 2016 by David McKee

Never mind that casino expansion in New Jersey will probably be routed at the ballot box on Nov. 8. Real estate mogul Miles Berger suddenly wants in, saying he has a ‘preliminary partnership’ with an existing Atlantic City casino operator … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on A casino in Newark?; Internet gaming on the clock in Pennsylvania

New Jersey goes after Icahn; No pandas for Resorts World

Posted on October 25, 2016 by David McKee

New Jersey lawmakers are determined to make Carl Icahn pay for shutting down Trump Taj Mahal. A bill that would retroactively apply to Icahn and Icahn only — although several other casinos have recently closed — was voted out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on New Jersey goes after Icahn; No pandas for Resorts World

Vegas buys a pig in a poke; Culinary defeated

Posted on October 24, 2016 by David McKee

Congratulations, Las Vegas, you are now a major-league city … If by “major league” you mean “hosed right up the ass.” In the defining accomplishment of his administration, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) strapped on a special session of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Walker’s hands tied; Lucky Dragon approved

Posted on October 22, 2016 by David McKee

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker might want to curb casino expansions within the existing Ho-Chunk Nation empire, as he did earlier this year in Kenosha but he can’t. Under pressure from the Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee tribes, Walker put the blame for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Walker’s hands tied; Lucky Dragon approved

Icahn smarts at “punishment”; What would Donald Trump eat?

Posted on October 22, 2016 by David McKee

Carl Icahn is understandably umbrage-ridden about a bill in the New Jersey Lege that would prevent him from reopening Trump Taj Mahal as a scab casino. The Lightning  rod on the bill, which is picking up support, is its retroactivity, clearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Macao to Crown: Busted!

Posted on October 21, 2016 by David McKee

Nothing illustrates the precariousness of a Macao casino concession like the mass arrest of Crown Resorts casino executives earlier this week, a development that sent gaming stocks into a slough of despond. Eighteen Crown employees, including international-VIP-gaming viceroy Jason O’Connor … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Macao to Crown: Busted!

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 21, 2016 by David McKee

“If we could run this country the way I run my company … ” — Donald Trump. Now there’s food for thought.

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, Election | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 14, 2016 by David McKee

“We don’t have anything that’s been as successful as this, at least that political science literature has been able to capture.” — Fernando Guerra, of Loyola Marymount University‘s Center for the Study Of Los Angeles on ‘Voteria,’ which offered cash prizes … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Election | 1 Comment

New player in Moulin Rouge saga; Jersey casino backers try to save face

Posted on October 14, 2016 by David McKee

There’s another entrant in the perpetual sweepstakes to redevelop the Moulin Rouge site. This time it’s British firm Psi Key Entertainment. It is proposing a 1,288-room hotel for the acreage. However, Psi Key’s redevelopment plans have to be taken with … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dining, Downtown, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Hooters, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Marketing, Missouri, Moulin Rouge, Palms, Politics, Station Casinos, The Strip, Westgate LV | 1 Comment

Hollywood Jamul: Penn bombs in California

Posted on October 14, 2016 by David McKee

An S&G reader suggested that, given the sudden dropoff in traffic to Hollywood Casino Jamul, we have a look at customer reviews on Yelp. We did and, boy, has Penn National Gaming laid an egg — the more so for … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Penn National, Tribal | 4 Comments

Mixed signals from Atlantic City

Posted on October 13, 2016 by David McKee

Despite having an extra weekend day last month, casino receipts in Atlantic City were down 3.5%, largely driven by the Trump Taj Mahal. (Subtract the Taj from the equation and you’d have a flat year/year comparison.) Table game revenues were … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Glenn Straub, Harrah's, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Revel, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | 3 Comments

Hollywood Jamul opens; Hutchinson opposes Arkansas casinos

Posted on October 13, 2016 by David McKee

While the eyes of the industry were focused on the closing of Trump Taj Mahal, there was another long-awaited event on Monday: the opening of Hollywood Casino Jamul, near San Diego. Combine in-progress road construction with a new casino and … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Atlantic City, California, Cannery Casino Resorts, Dining, Election, GLPI, Harrah's, Horseracing, Isle of Capri, New York, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 13, 2016 by David McKee

“If you’re in this business, you’re in the failure business.” — Scientific Games Senior Vice President of Table Games Roger Snow on the long odds facing the developers of specialty games. One such, Color War, was yanked by Palace Station … Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific Games, Station Casinos | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Taj Mahal: Soon with 100% less Trump?; Sands jams up players

Posted on October 13, 2016 by David McKee

While the last vestiges of Donald Trump‘s ownership of Trump Taj Mahal were liquidated when Carl Icahn took over, it retained the name and continued to buy Trump Water. (The taste of douchebaggery?) What concerns politicians in Trenton is the prospect … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Architecture, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Charity, Cirque du Soleil, Donald Trump, Downtown, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Taj Mahal: Soon with 100% less Trump?; Sands jams up players