Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

Bio

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 27, 2010 by David McKee
Posted in history | 2 Comments

View from the top

Posted on June 26, 2010 by David McKee

Marina Bay Sands opened its SkyPark, as seen last Friday: Thanks to Ian Sutton of GamingFloor.com for the tip.

Posted in Architecture, Current, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore | 1 Comment

Married in Michigan

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David McKee

Last week, I departed for Michigan on a mission so secret its nature was known only to me. Last December, Where Las Vegas Editor Jennifer Prosser and I won a two-night stay at the stately Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Movies, Tourism | 19 Comments

From the mailbag

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David McKee

Thanks for linking this article in your blog; it was interesting reading. But as I was finishing the article, the question that kept popping up in my head was: Does it make sense to spend billions and billions for a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Tourism, Transportation | 5 Comments

Back from the North; Requiem for a President

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David McKee

My apologies to S&G readers for the prolonged silence whilst I was on vacation. It seems that wi-fi availability in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is even spottier than I feared (although it makes a good excuse to head down … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Dining, Harrah's, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, WMS Industries | Comments Off on Back from the North; Requiem for a President

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David McKee

“This is the first time anything vaguely like this has ever happened.” — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, pooh-pooh-ing Deepwater Horizon in the June 19 New York Times and displaying the benefits of a short-term memory. Barbour, who’s normally a sharp … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Environment, Mississippi, Tourism | 1 Comment

Louisiana: the oil hits the fan

Posted on June 15, 2010 by David McKee

Forty days and nights of Deepwater Horizon put a stop to what looked like an incipient recovery in the Louisiana market. After being down 15% in January, revenue declines shallowed during the following three months (-6%, -5%, -1%). Then came … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, Louisiana, Pinnacle Entertainment, Tourism | 3 Comments

MGM Mirage jumps the shark

Posted on June 15, 2010 by David McKee

A foolish band of MGM Mirage shareholders did its best imitation of a herd of sheep and voted through management’s absolutely dreadful idea of renaming the company MGM Resorts International. So June 15 marks the date that the Mirage Resorts … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, CityCenter, Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, International, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 15, 2010 by David McKee

“Thomas Jefferson said it’s good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years. I hope that’s not where we’re going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Election, history | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 14, 2010 by David McKee

“Gaming industry observer William Thompson, a professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said IGT is a credible, Nevada-regulated slot machine company that would be very careful about legalities.” — Yes, the same carefulness toward legalities … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, California, Current, IGT, Internet gambling, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

On semi-hiatus

Posted on June 14, 2010 by David McKee

If you notice an attenuation of S&G activity between now and June 25, it will be due to a family vacation on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, including a couple of days on scenic, low-tech Makinac Island. I’ll be checking … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Tourism | 5 Comments

Your moment of Circus Circus

Posted on June 14, 2010 by David McKee

According to Vegas Chatter, visitors to the Circus Circus and Excalibur Web sites will get drop-down offers for Aria when they try to book stays at MGM Mirage‘s lower-end properties (a reflection of that heavy Circus Circus/Aria demographic overlap, no … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Station Casinos, The Strip | 2 Comments

Cool breeze from Macao; Harrah’s panty raid stymied

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David McKee

One of Stanley Ho‘s lieutenants has scanned the 2010 horizon and doesn’t like what he sees. Sociedade de Jogos de Macau division president Frank McFadden believes VIP play will soften in 3Q-4Q10, as stock-market losses take their toll (a viewed … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, Harry Reid, James Packer, Kansas, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | 6 Comments

The best Deepwater Horizon commentary yet

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David McKee

While the obscenity known as Deepwater Horizon continues to hover ominously near the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, it remains one of those subjects so depression- and despair-inducing that even I can’t bear to write about it. (“Enjoy the resort offerings … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David McKee

“Our demographic is sick of being told the economy sucks.” — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Chief Marketing Officer Phil Shalala.

Posted in Economy, Morgans Hotel Group, Tourism | 1 Comment

That tricky Steve Wynn

Posted on June 11, 2010 by David McKee

As you probably saw on Twitter or LVA yesterday, Wynncore has quietly introduced a $20 “resort fee,” joining the parade of dishonor that includes practically everyone not named Harrah’s Entertainment or — believe it or not — Tamares Group. (Keeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Encore, Entertainment, Harrah's, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tamares Group, Taxes, The Strip | 8 Comments

Lights, camera, Mafia!

Posted on June 10, 2010 by David McKee

Mel McGowan of bizarrely named Visioneering Studios sketches the broad outlines of an “immersive, interactive, experiential, multi-sensory journey.” (What you talkin’ about, Willis?) If the following is a demonstration of the technology that’s to be employed … … I fear … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, history, Oscar Goodman, Technology, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments

The skinny on Skinny’s

Posted on June 10, 2010 by David McKee

S&G reader Jeff_in_OKC paid a visit to United Coin‘s “Trailer Station” at Skinny Dugan’s Pub this week and files the following report from the scene of the (in)action: I lost one of the five dollars I invested. Lisa kept winning … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Regulation, Slot routes | 4 Comments

“Yer money’s no good here”

Posted on June 10, 2010 by David McKee

Update: The “does not accept money from casinos and unions” verbiage was reinstated late today. (It’s way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down at the bottom of the page. So why is “perception, by voters [of] undue pressure” by casinos a problem? Nevada‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Election, Harrah's, Harry Reid, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Movies, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Technology | 5 Comments

Detroit sets pace for Vegas

Posted on June 10, 2010 by David McKee

Here’s PR blurb that just fell across the cyber-transom: Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has signed a multi-product and systems agreement featuring sbX(TM), IGT‘s premier server based gaming solution; the majority floor share of games; plus an entire suite of IGT … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Detroit, Harrah's, history, IGT, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Technology, The Strip | 1 Comment