Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

Bio

Equivocal anniversary for Ohio; In Massachusetts, progress for MGM and Wynn

Posted on May 13, 2013 by David McKee

So, as Ohio marks the first full year of casino play, is the glass half-full or half-empty. Currently, much is being made of Horseshoe Cleveland having brought in less than half of greatly over-ambitious expectations (and 12% less than what … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Dan Gilbert, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tourism | 3 Comments

Cosmo finally learns; Parx’s Maryland play

Posted on May 13, 2013 by David McKee

We don’t know how it managed it but congratulations to The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. It finally realized how to market to those hitherto-elusive creatures known as “gamblers.” Casino revenue shot up 33%, winning $41 million from players, partly due … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Current, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, The Strip, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Cosmo finally learns; Parx’s Maryland play

So long, Sahara and WMS; Bridge of sighs; Private equity’s newest gamble

Posted on May 10, 2013 by David McKee

Gone and soon to be forgotten is the fugly NASCAR Cafe (site of terrible customer service), one of Bill Bennett‘s dubious ‘enhancements’ to the Sahara during his ownership. Current owner Sam Nazarian is ripping the Sahara apart in earnest, although … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Dan Gilbert, Dining, Harrah's, history, Ohio, Regulation, Sahara, Sam Nazarian, Scientific Games, Sports, The Strip, Wall Street, WMS Industries | 1 Comment

Nevada: The recovery continues; Elsewhere: Not so much

Posted on May 10, 2013 by David McKee

After a boffo February, the Silver State also posted extraordinary numbers in March. As Deutsche Bank headlined its report, “Different Month, Same Tune.” Analyst Carlo Santarelli cautioned, “we believe the underlying trends are not as strong as the headline would … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Current, Dan Lee, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marketing, Missouri, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Reno, Revel, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Retrenchment at Caesars; New brooms at Revel

Posted on May 9, 2013 by David McKee

It was one of the stupefying follies of the Caesars Entertainment LBO that CEO Gary Loveman believed the company could take on $30 billion in debt and continue to expand. Even as he tries to reshuffle old assets into new … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Current, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, Iowa, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ohio, Revel, Tourism, Warner Gaming | 1 Comment

S&G computer, R.I.P.

Posted on May 9, 2013 by David McKee

She was a good and sturdy little Mac while she lasted but, after seven years of S&G service, she bit the dust yesterday while being upgraded to Snow Leopard. It was a sudden and painless demise, and several attempts at … Continue reading →

Posted in Current | Comments Off on S&G computer, R.I.P.

Cleveland: Gilbert appeases skeptics; Scientific Games dissed

Posted on May 8, 2013 by David McKee

Hey, if you had an albatross the size of Caesars Entertainment slung around your neck, you’d be understandably subject to skepticism and perhaps even being called out in public, perhaps to the point of getting tetchy about it. That’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Harrah's, International, Maryland, Ohio, Racinos, Scientific Games, Technology, Wall Street, WMS Industries | Comments Off on Cleveland: Gilbert appeases skeptics; Scientific Games dissed

PokerStars: Sell … or else!

Posted on May 8, 2013 by David McKee

What do you do if you’ve got a purchase agreement with Colony Capital and the latter allegedly reneges on you? If you’re Rational Group, which thought it had a $15 million deal in place to purchase the Atlantic Club Hotel, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Internet gambling, Regulation, Tilman Fertitta | 1 Comment

Gaming suffers rare defeat; Big rush in Springfield

Posted on May 8, 2013 by David McKee

It’s a longstanding tradition in Iowa that voters, once they’ve voted to approve a casino in their county, never have second thoughts. Selling non-gaming counties on new casinos, however, is a different story. Take Norwalk County, for instance, where a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Iowa, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New Hampshire, Politics, Tribal, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Gaming suffers rare defeat; Big rush in Springfield

Illinois: Quinn caves; Money grab in Missouri

Posted on May 7, 2013 by David McKee

That pesky Illinois Legislature writes up a new, gambling-expansion bill as fast as Gov. Pat Quinn (D, left) can veto the last one. Evidently worn down by long combat with lawmakers and facing a $100 million hole in the state’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Slot routes | 2 Comments

Macao in five minutes or less

Posted on May 7, 2013 by David McKee

… starring our old friend Jonathan Galaviz, expert on gaming affairs along the Pacific Rim. But a life-sized Shrek in a casino? WTF?

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Tourism | Comments Off on Macao in five minutes or less

Cirque du Soleil: “One”-plus

Posted on May 7, 2013 by David McKee

Media previews are a double-edged sword. They can be a cheap way of drumming up advance press but can also betray a project in trouble: Surf the Musical was obviously going to be dead on arrival. And it was. Given … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 3 Comments

Happy days: Here again?; DIY Vdara Death Ray

Posted on May 6, 2013 by David McKee

America‘s casino officially emerged from the doldrums with the release of the American Gaming Association‘s yearly survey, showing a 5% increase in private-sector casino revenue, just $200 million shy of 2007’s record amount. Mind you, we have quite a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Atlantic City, Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Penn National, Politics, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Vdara Death Ray | 1 Comment

The wrath of PokerStars; Hart’s win; NV Internet poker: Too soon to tell?

Posted on May 6, 2013 by David McKee

That “thud” you just heard was the price of an Atlantic City casino hitting its lowest level ever. In litigation filed against Colony Capital, spurned buyer Rational Group said it was to have paid only $15 million for the Atlantic … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Current, Harry Reid, IGT, Internet gambling, Politics, Station Casinos, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

“Pin Up” begs to be taken down

Posted on May 3, 2013 by David McKee

We saw Claire Sinclair‘s new show at Stratosphere the other night … or rather, ‘saw as much as we could withstand.’ Our attention and sitzfleisch gave out around the one-hour mark, with at least another 30 minutes stretching before us. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, The Strip | Comments Off on “Pin Up” begs to be taken down

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 3, 2013 by David McKee

“It was mostly old guys with cigars. It was very intimidating to walk into a poker room and see a guy who’s a thousand years old, smoking 10 packs of cigarettes a day, giving you dirty looks because you’re taking … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Internet gambling | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Steve Wynn turns into Debbie Downer; Caesars’ screwy priorities

Posted on May 2, 2013 by David McKee

Yes, the recovery in Las Vegas could be said to be a chastened and limping one. The national press will leap at just about anything to restart the “Vegas is back” narrative. And yes, CityCenter ROI improved exponentially … to … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Horseracing, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 6 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 2, 2013 by David McKee

“MGM [Resorts International] still has much of its business in on the Strip, unlike its major rivals Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts … Those companies both reported gains for the first three months of the year because of … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Revel: Christie catches a break; Illinois remains suicidal; Online poker debuts in Nevada

Posted on May 2, 2013 by David McKee

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is one lucky fellow. Bankrupt Revel threatened to become an albatross around his neck, thanks to a $261 million tax break that Christie helped push through Trenton. Last week, it turned out that Revel … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Current, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Revel, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology | 1 Comment

Springfield: MGM bests Penn … for now

Posted on May 1, 2013 by David McKee

Yes, the comedy is finished in Springfield, at least for the moment. In an episode worthy of The Simpsons and after an epic amount of foot-dragging, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno was cajoled and ultimately browbeaten into actually taking a stand … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Economy, International, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment