Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

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Macao: “This is decent”; Massachusetts slams door behind Adelson

Posted on June 1, 2012 by David McKee

Macao casino revenue grew ‘only’ 7% last month, which is bad … if you were thinking monthly, large double-digit increases (21% over the past five months) were a sustainable norm. “This is decent,” J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff said of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, International, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Macao: “This is decent”; Massachusetts slams door behind Adelson

Ohio: Let the games begin!

Posted on May 31, 2012 by David McKee

How confident was MTR Gaming that it held a winning hand in the Ohio courts? Pretty darn confident, from the looks of things. It’s also quite impressive how quickly they whipped together that $152 million racino space at Scioto Downs … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Ohio, Racinos, TV | Comments Off on Ohio: Let the games begin!

Loveman heir abdicates; VLTs hit Ohio tomorrow; Wayne’s World II

Posted on May 31, 2012 by David McKee

Shares of Caesars Entertainment sank today on the news that CFO Jonathan Halkyard has quit, taking an equivalent position at NV Energy. Although the latter’s financial outlook is far rosier, with scant long-term debt, its revenue base ($611 million last … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Dan Gilbert, Economy, Harrah's, history, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off on Loveman heir abdicates; VLTs hit Ohio tomorrow; Wayne’s World II

Another quiet evening on the Strip; Big noise in Atlantic City

Posted on May 31, 2012 by David McKee

You might call it “UFC Smackdown”: Police were summoned to Wynncore in the pre-dawn hours of last Saturday to break up the proverbial “domestic disturbance.” Former Playboy model and current UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste (née Arianna Lopez) and boyfriend … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Dennis Gomes, Economy, Entertainment, Revel, Sports, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 31, 2012 by David McKee

“There aren’t any new customers out there. Gaming is an aged community … Anyone who has ever wanted to try a casino has tried a casino.” — veteran casino consultant Mike Meczka, expressing sentiments that will depress the s**t out … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Internet gambling, Marketing | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 30, 2012 by David McKee

“[Donald] Trump is a small man who has big thoughts about himself, a vulgar attentionophile who cares not what damage he causes or whom he might hurt so long as he is in the spotlight … his hardly veiled racism … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Election, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 4 Comments

“Smurf The Musical”

Posted on May 30, 2012 by David McKee

That’s the LVA office nickname for jukebox tuner Surf The Musical, currently in rehearsal at Planet Hollywood. As many as 35 Beach Boys songs have been laid end-to-end to create a midget version of a Broadway musical. The show’s creators … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Harrah's, Movies, Planet Hollywood, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 1 Comment

Holy Toledo!; D-Day in Massachusetts

Posted on May 29, 2012 by David McKee

Citizens of Toledo put on their best wife-beater and queued up for opening day at Penn National Gaming‘s brand-new Hollywood Casino Toledo. Sure, Revel had Beyoncé but H’wood Toledo had … Jamie Farr (plus ABBA impersonators). So there, Atlantic City! … Continue reading →

Posted in ABBA, Architecture, Current, Dan Gilbert, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, Ohio, Penn National, Regulation, Tribal | 4 Comments

Beyoncé 1, Revel 0.5; Meet Harrah’s Philadelphia; Riviera realities

Posted on May 29, 2012 by David McKee

So the big, official, grand, this-time-we-really-mean-it opening of Revel Resort & Casino came and went … and all the media has been talking about is Beyoncé and how bootylicious she looks so soon after giving birth. (Seven-plus pages of YouTube … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, Marketing, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Revel, Riviera, Sahara, The Strip, Tourism | 5 Comments

It’s not about pool parties

Posted on May 28, 2012 by David McKee

“But one thing that it’s always about — is how lucky we are to be Americans, to have the comfort of knowing that regardless of where our soldiers are or what we are doing, our families live secure, peaceful, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Current | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 27, 2012 by David McKee

“The cost of appearing with this bloviating ignoramus is obvious it seems to me. Donald Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough, your IQ can be very low and you can still intrude into American politics.” — … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Election | 1 Comment

Massachusetts: Another one bites the dust; Sands Cotai: Hit or miss?

Posted on May 25, 2012 by David McKee

That Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe effort to obtain the coveted southeastern Massachusetts casino license is quickly being exposed as a thing of smoke and mirrors. Sure, the tribe can get a Class II casino on Martha’s Vineyard — it’s a done … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, CityCenter, Current, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Donald Trump, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, Horseracing, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street, Warner Gaming | Comments Off on Massachusetts: Another one bites the dust; Sands Cotai: Hit or miss?

Caesars: Total disrespect; Palms giving up the ghost

Posted on May 25, 2012 by David McKee

Here’s a chuckle as you head into the Memorial Day weekend: Horseshoe Bossier City‘s Riverdome was on the receiving end of an online diss from Kelly Clarkson. During her Stronger tour, the rocker evidently wasn’t too impressed with the sprung … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, Louisiana, The Strip, TV | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 24, 2012 by David McKee

“[C]oming through the back door, a two-headed monster of slot machines and mega-jackpots, both online, a monster … may completely overtake the conventional gaming industry. The lotteries, without any additional legislation or oversight, can offer, online, both slots and other … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Internet gambling, Regulation, Technology | 2 Comments

Case Bets: Sands, Caesars, Boyd, MGM & Wynn

Posted on May 24, 2012 by David McKee

After blowing a half-million dollars on lobbying in Massachusetts, cantankerous casino owner Sheldon Adelson took his ball and went home, as reported earlier. Las Vegas Sands‘ rather weak excuse: “[Boston] didn’t synch up with our business model.” Sands fails to … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Horseracing, International, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sheldon Adelson, quitter; A Grand goof

Posted on May 22, 2012 by David McKee

This just in: It was pretty clear that Sheldon Adelson was cool toward his home state of Massachusetts and he officially called it quits today. His excuse? Three casinos and a slot parlor will “dilute the market.” In other words, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Current, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, New York, Problem gambling, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Strip | 5 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 22, 2012 by David McKee

“Tradition is the illegitimate son of grief. Tradition is a way to honor the unknowable generations that came before, to show them the false respect of unquestioning alliegance [sic]. Slavery was a tradition. Patriarchy was a tradition. There are lots … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

“Asia’s Dubai™”?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by David McKee

Well, now we know the official pronunciation of Hengquin Island (even the executives at Las Vegas Sands used to be a bit unsure of that): hung-chee. It looks ominously like another attempt at

Posted in Architecture, Macau, Marketing, Sheldon Adelson | Comments Off on “Asia’s Dubai™”?

Dump that Trump!; Caesars takes big British bath; F-blew claims another victim

Posted on May 21, 2012 by David McKee

What took them so long? That has to be the operative question now that Trump Entertainment Resorts owner Marc Lasry and CEO Robert Griffin have belatedly put Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino on the market, at an undisclosed price. (Probably … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Donald Trump, Election, Fontainebleau, International, Internet gambling, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Dump that Trump!; Caesars takes big British bath; F-blew claims another victim

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 21, 2012 by David McKee

“‘Eleven, the Hard Way’ (1961), about a small town that sends a gambler [Walter Matthau] to Reno to try to win it a return to prosperity after the local mine goes bust, seems like a metaphor for all those states … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Reno, TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day