Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

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Covid cramps casino revenues; Trop LV in play … again

Now that the smartest man in the room has left the building permanently, we continue to wait for Wall Street‘s reaction to Sheldon Adelson‘s demise. Hearing none, we move on to varying degrees of decline in regional gaming, once thought … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Carl Icahn, Century Casinos, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Health, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, William Hill | 1 Comment

Tribute to a bad man

Sheldon Adelson‘s Horatio Alger success story came to an abrupt end today, when the Boston Globe broke the news of his death from lymphoma at age 87. Adelson had a good run in the industry, longer than most, and his … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Alabama, Architecture, Conventions, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, Election, Florida, Galaxy Entertainment, Health, history, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, LVCVA, Macau, Marijuana, Movies, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports betting, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

“The presidency is an act of faith. Nobody can do it.”—presidential historian and John F. Kennedy biographer Richard Reeves.

Posted in history | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Sports betting impresses in Iowa; Harness racing resumes

Sports betting in Iowa crossed the $100 million threshold in handle last month and that was without some key players like BetMGM, which launched earlier this month. Wagers are expected to vault now that Gov. Kim Reynolds‘ stay on mobile … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, China, Cordish Co., Health, Iowa, MGM Resorts International, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sports betting, Tribal | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“The moment people don’t feel it is in their interest to act democratically, democracy is just lost. The Constitution cannot save it. It’s not going to leap out of its case in the National Archives and start attacking people.”—George Washington … Continue reading

Posted in Current | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Half-a-loaf Cuomo; Ohio implosion

Cuomo giveth, Cuomo taketh away. After dropping hints of expansive sports betting in New York State, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) unveiled a proposal that was considerably less than ‘george.’ There will be one ‘skin’ and it will be answerable to … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dan Gilbert, Derek Stevens, Detroit, Downtown, Economy, Hard Rock International, MGM Resorts International, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Twilight of the God

Sheldon Adelson hasn’t left the building at Las Vegas Sands but the exit door has opened. Moments ago the company announced that the 87-year-old plutocrat would be taking a leave of absence for treatment of lymphoma. Adelson has been battling … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Las Vegas Sands, Sheldon Adelson | 1 Comment

Maryland craters; MGM ‘snow’ job; Mob Museum in your ear

It’s pretty clear that the casino industry is entering its second recession in 10 months and too soon to know if the ‘skinny’ stimulus will bring a January boost. One of the most reliable markets in the U.S., Maryland plunged … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Cordish Co., Economy, Golden Gaming, history, Japan, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Oscar Goodman, Pansy Ho, Penn National, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, The Mob, Wall Street, West Virginia | Comments Off on Maryland craters; MGM ‘snow’ job; Mob Museum in your ear

Cuomo all-in on New York sports betting; Playoff fever begins

There’s nothing like a budgetary dose of Covid-19 to bring some people to reality. Case in point, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). He has been against mobile sports betting for years—much to the state’s detriment—but will embrace it … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, Churchill Downs, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, history, Las Vegas Raiders, Marijuana, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, New York, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Adelson, Packer canoodle & other news

While America burns, Sheldon Adelson is fiddling in the French Caribbean, aboard his mega-luxury yacht. The vessel was moored next to that of James Packer, who welcomed Adelson as guest for his lavish New Year’s Eve celebration. This meeting of … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, China, Crown Resorts, Detroit, Dining, Economy, Hawaii, Health, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, James Packer, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, South Dakota, Taxes, Tribal, Virginia | Comments Off on Adelson, Packer canoodle & other news

Quote of the Day

“This is not déja vu. This is something far worse than occurred in Watergate. We have a criminal president of the United States in Donald Trump and a subversive president of the United States at the same time in this … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Election | 1 Comment

This just in …

MGM Resorts International is all over the news today. It just made a play for BetMGM partner Entain. It’s offering a stock swap of six-tenths of a share of MGM for every share of Entain, a transaction that Credit Suisse … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Internet gambling, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street, William Hill | Comments Off on This just in …

Slow news day

It’s nice to see that the Las Vegas Golden Knights are set to return to the ice … but with Covid-19 positivity rates in Nevada having just passed 21%, is this any time for companies like MGM Resorts International to … Continue reading

Posted in Entertainment, Health, Las Vegas Raiders, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Sports, TV | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans. The fact that this effort will fail does not mean it will … Continue reading

Posted in Current | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

“In these United States, when someone loses an election according to the constitutional processes, he is obligated to accept the loss. Otherwise, we live in lawless anarchy. Rejecting anarchy, and accepting the dictates of the Constitution, is no less than … Continue reading

Posted in Current | 2 Comments

Vegas scraping bottom; Caesars fined big-time

Rising numbers of Covid-19 cases “pressured visitation” to Las Vegas last month and a total absence of conventions didn’t help either, according to JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff. Tourism was down 57%, which drove a devastating 70% decline in revenue … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, Colorado, Economy, Health, International, LVCVA, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, William Hill | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

“Speed is what matters. This should be D-Day right now. But what’s happening nationally is it’s just being done in a bureaucratic manner and it’s not being done with the urgency you’d do in a civil defense or war-time exercise.”—Health … Continue reading

Posted in Health | 1 Comment

Circa debut boosts Downtown; Lots of moving, shaking predicted for ’21

Although casinos across the nation have been swooning in November, results in Nevada—which we feared would take it worse than average—were in line with national trends, a victory of sorts. Statewide, gaming win fell 18% and the Las Vegas Strip, … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, Derek Stevens, Dotty's, Downtown, Economy, Failsinos, Fontainebleau, GLPI, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, Mesquite, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Palms, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Reno, Resorts World LV, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Rio, The Strip, Virgin Hotels, Wendover, William Hill | 2 Comments

Cosmo quits buffet biz (for now); NFL going out with a bang

South Point will have to go it alone in the Strip buffet department now that The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has shut down Wicked Spoon “temporarily.” Wicked Spoon had a good, seven-month run during the pandemic but the language used … Continue reading

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Dining, Donald Trump, DraftKings, FanDuel, Health, MGM Resorts International, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tourism, Transportation, William Hill | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“We see in gaming where some sports betting company stocks are selling at 20 and 30 times future sales, no less earnings. And that is sales three and four and five years down the road. If we should have learned … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Wall Street | 1 Comment