Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

Bio

Rose prophetic re: Macao

Posted on April 5, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas newspapers have been reticent regarding the regulatory can of worms opened by recent findings about the Macanese operations of Las Vegas Sands and MGM Mirage, veteran gaming legal analyst I. Nelson Rose has felt no such compunction. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Detroit, Economy, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Pansy Ho, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 1 Comment

Phrase of the Day

Posted on April 5, 2010 by David McKee

“Elongated length of play metrics.” That’s Wall Streetspeak for, “We think additional hotel rooms [at City of Dreams] are causing people to stay and play longer.” I expect we’ll be hearing a lot about ELPM “going forward,” as they say … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Tourism | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 3, 2010 by David McKee

“Their counter argument, that it’s unwieldy to interject a third party into the relationship between worker and employee, is generally akin to a highwayman lamenting the intrusion of a beat cop into the relationship between mugger and victim.” — CityLife … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor | 4 Comments

Could Steve Wynn jilt Philadelphia?

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

What’s Steve Wynn supposedly doing in Atlantic City this weekend and why is he allegedly kicking the tires on casino properties there? Well, it is a buyer’s market and half of Borgata is up for grabs (as would be Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Entertainment, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 10 Comments

The trio that ate Las Vegas

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Attention all Vegas-friendly gourmands: Huntington Press has inked a pact with three of Sin City’s top food critics. Al Mancini (Las Vegas CityLife), John Curtas (KNPR-FM/KLAS-TV/Las Vegas Weekly) and Max Jacobson (Vegas Seven) have been signed to pen Eating Las … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, The Strip | 2 Comments

From the mailbag

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Our Los Angeles correspondent has a few things to say about Commerce Casino, whose craptastic new TV commercial was recently featured on S&G, to much derision. Ever see the billboards in L.A. trying to get people to bring their home … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Marketing, TV | Comments Off on From the mailbag

My work is done

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

What is left to be said about Harrah’s Entertainment after this brilliant April Fool’s satire by Pulse of Las Vegas? Through humor, it says in a few paragraphs what pages of earnest analysis labor to convey. My favorite part encapsulates … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Harrah's | 1 Comment

Las Vegas is beaten at its own game …

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Royal Casino SPA & Hotel Resort from Vivid Cafe on Vimeo. … by Riga? I want to hop the next plane to Latvia after seeing this extremely sexy short film (approx. 7 minutes) showcasing the Royal Spa & Casino, which … Continue reading →

Posted in International, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on Las Vegas is beaten at its own game …

A comment on “Comments”

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Due to an as-yet-inexplicable malfunction in our blogging software, all comments, regardless of provenance — yes, even mine — are shunted directly into “Spam.” Since I no longer receive notification of the arrival of a comment that may require moderation … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Ohio, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 1, 2010 by David McKee

“I am the one person who when I call, John Ensign will answer.” — Doug Hampton, husband of Sen. Ensign’s mistress, to execs of BioDiesel (a company trying to convert casino cooking oil into car fuel). It looks like Mrs. … Continue reading →

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

S**t hits MGM, Sands fan

Posted on April 1, 2010 by David McKee

Local newspapers — and bloggers — have been slow to pick up on a couple of Reuters dispatches that show — as some doomsayers prognosticated — that involvement in Macao is coming back to bite the U.S. casino industry in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, CityCenter, Detroit, Illinois, Macau, Mississippi, Pansy Ho, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 5 Comments

Wynn & the Ship of Phools

Posted on April 1, 2010 by David McKee

Whisking in just under the wire, Wynn Resorts submitted its financing package for the soon-to-be-ex-Foxwoods casino project in Philadelphia. Evidently Steve Wynn has thought better of slugging his new casino “SW,”* as reflected at left in the photo taken by … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, Macau, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wall Street | 7 Comments

Sands’ strength, weakness inseparable

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Ka-ching! The price tag on Marina Bay Sands has just gone up again. According to a Singapore Press Club and Asia Journalism Fellowship panel discussion, the über-megaresort has now hit the $6 billion mark. One participant pegged Sands’ 12-month gambling … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Economy, Macau, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Sands’ strength, weakness inseparable

Portrait of a Pioneer

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

As Bernie Goldstein‘s son points out in this three-minute featurette, the Goldstein family didn’t know beans about riverboat gambling when they got started — but neither did anyone else. What made the difference for Isle of Capri Casinos was, among … Continue reading →

Posted in Isle of Capri | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

“It costs nothing to say something kind. Even less to shut up altogether.” — actor Nathan Filion, whose series Castle was just renewed by ABC (hurrah!).

Posted in TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

“It’s not Vegas”

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Unfortunately, that’s all too evident from this TV spot, which looks an awful lot like the ones you’d see for a second-tier Las Vegas locals casino like the El Cortez or Renata’s, or maybe a P.T.’s Pub. If I were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, Downtown, Marketing, TV | 1 Comment

Confidence or desperation?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Casino operators must be feeling very bullish about recent, incremental increases in visitation to Las Vegas, even though customers continue to spend less. (This is the new business model which the industry as a whole is loath to acknowledge: being … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Planet Hollywood, Sahara, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 30, 2010 by David McKee

“[Grand Casino], which is situated virtually on the Swiss and French borders, is no longer protected by border guards because Switzerland recently joined the Schengen visa-free area in Europe.” — Which is how 10 hoodlums struck a Basel casino in … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, International, The Mob | 1 Comment

There are no triads in Macao

Posted on March 30, 2010 by David McKee

Yeah, and if you believe that, boy, do I have a dandy bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Not only are triads alive, well and operating in Macao, they succeeded in infiltrating Sands Macao, according to a detailed investigative report … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Florida, International, Macau, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho, The Mob | 2 Comments

Solitude at Trump

Posted on March 30, 2010 by David McKee

As the old saying goes, I have so much to do that I am going to bed. Actually, no, but I’m still wrapping my feeble brain around the double-whammy of the Station Casinos bankruptcy proposal and the brewing triads-at-Sands Macao … Continue reading →

Posted in Donald Trump, Economy, Macau, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism | 7 Comments