Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

Bio

An open letter from Fred Frazzetta

Posted on January 5, 2010 by David McKee

Most of you, I’m certain, remember Fred Frazzetta, a heroic Nevadan who essentially sacrificed his career to blow the whistle on Harrah’s Entertainment‘s cavalier attitude toward building regulations (and, one might add, customer safety). He sent S&G the following, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Harrah's, Pennsylvania, The Strip | 6 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 5, 2010 by David McKee

“Wall Street analysts upgraded the prospects of two Las Vegas-based casino operators based on the companies’ holdings in Macau. Simultaneously, Macau media reported gaming revenue in the Chinese gambling market jumped 48 percent in December.” — Howard Stutz, of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Macau, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Penn vs. Columbus, Round II

Posted on January 5, 2010 by David McKee

Opponents of Penn National Gaming‘s Arena District site in Columbus are refining their message to sound less NIMBY-ish and Penn is hinting at (limited) flexibility on its part.

Posted in Current, Ohio, Penn National | 1 Comment

Hail Caesars!

Posted on January 5, 2010 by David McKee

We saw this sign during an overnight stay at the Augustus Tower, several months back. If more casino venues implemented rules like these, Las Vegas would be a little easier on the eyes. Don’t forget to vote in our newest … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Harrah's, Pets, The Strip | 1 Comment

Random Downtown observations

Posted on January 5, 2010 by David McKee

On the way back from a fine dinner at the Bay City Diner (good food, better service, plus the $2.99 shrimp cocktail), a few off-the-cuff observations were made. A) Damn few people Downtown, even for midweek. B) The Plaza may … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Current, Downtown, Pennsylvania, Politics, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta | 2 Comments

Damsel in distress

Posted on January 4, 2010 by David McKee

Until 2005, when Harrah’s Entertainment devoured Park Place Entertainment, its flagship property in Las Vegas was The Rio. Since then the lady has fallen upon hard times. During the period 2007-09, while Harrah’s CEO Gary Loveman blew hundreds of millions … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Penn National, Regulation, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 4 Comments

Douchebag of the Year

Posted on January 4, 2010 by David McKee

This is one of Steve Friess‘ brainchildren, but S&G had a chance to get in on the fun. As they say in Chicago, vote early and often! Stripper Poll Who was the biggest douche bag of 2009? (Pick 3) Charlie … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Cirque du Soleil, Cretins, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Harry Reid, Illinois, International, MGM Mirage, Politics, Sports, TV | 3 Comments

Case Bets: Mohegan Sun, Alabama, Weidner, Dubai & a big bet on MGM Mirage

Posted on January 4, 2010 by David McKee

Could default or bankruptcy be in the offing for Mohegan Sun? The tribal supercasino’s attempts to get out from under an onerous fee arrangement with Sol Kerzner and Len Wolman are not only facing heavy weather, Mohegan Sun is also … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, Carl Icahn, Charity, CityCenter, Current, Dubai, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Riviera, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Taxes, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 4, 2010 by David McKee

“It’s a New Day at Tropicana Las Vegas.” — signature line on official Tropicana e-mails. Translation: William J. Yung III has left the building.

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Columbia Sussex, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Macao’s big bounce

Posted on January 4, 2010 by David McKee

Why is this man smiling? Gambling revenue in Macao jumped a whopping 48% last month, as customers left $1.4 billion in casino coffers. No surprise, Stanley Ho‘s casinos continued to maintain their 30% market share, followed by Sands China at … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Macao’s big bounce

Stanley Ho vs. MGM Mirage

Posted on December 31, 2009 by David McKee

Whose casino would you rather visit … … Stanley Ho‘s Oceanus at Jai Alai or … … MGM Mirage‘s CityCenter? I’ll bet you’ve never heard a megaresort described as a “campus” before. True, CityCenter has Henry Moore and Maya Lin … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Macau, Mesquite, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Stanley Ho, The Strip | 3 Comments

Mutiny!

Posted on December 31, 2009 by David McKee

One of the dirty little secrets of the “cruise to nowhere” business is that these vessels are crewed with seamen imported from foreign countries. (Americans, despite being citizens of one of the preeminent seafaring nations, apparently aren’t good enough.) So … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, International, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Riviera, Sahara, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off on Mutiny!

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 31, 2009 by David McKee

“The question is should they be used indiscriminately on little children and grandmothers … There’s no practical distinction between a full body scan and being pulled into a side room and being ordered to strip your clothing.” — Rep. Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Party Pooper of the Year

Posted on December 31, 2009 by David McKee

It seems that 2009 can’t slink quietly away without one more Bible Belt prude attempting to rain on gamblers’ parade. The spoilsport in question is South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, who is appealing a ruling that poker is more … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Politics, Regulation, South Carolina | 1 Comment

Going … going … Gaughan

Posted on December 30, 2009 by David McKee

Having been handed a virtual monopoly on the Mesquite casino market by Nevada regulators, blowhard Randy Black proceeded to run it and his company into the ground. So he entered prepackaged bankruptcy this week and proclaimed victory. And why not? … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Economy, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Pets | Comments Off on Going … going … Gaughan

Keep your hands off my slag heap!

Posted on December 30, 2009 by David McKee

If you look up “urban blight,” you’re liable to find images like these, which show the area in which Penn National Gaming wants to build its Columbus, Ohio casino. At present, the casino to be is but a bunch of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ohio, Penn National, Politics | 2 Comments

Case Bets: Casino Jack, Harrah’s, Trump, Recovery?

Posted on December 30, 2009 by David McKee

It’s another sad chapter, in the tattered and disgraceful saga of Sun Cruz Casinos. As you recall, this now-idled cruises-to-nowhere fleet was briefly owned by Jack Abramoff, by dint of a tiny bit of fraud. That’s one of the many … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Florida, Harrah's, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Station Casinos, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Case Bets: Casino Jack, Harrah’s, Trump, Recovery?

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 30, 2009 by David McKee

“After cutting salaries and curtailing benefits for employees across the board, Mohegan Sun proceeded with a $44.9 million renovation of its Winter Entrance and an adjacent parking garage …” — from a year-end wrapup of Connecticut‘s casino-revenue woes.

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

Good news, bad news

Posted on December 30, 2009 by David McKee

Analysts at J.P. Morgan report that rates for mid-January (1/17-23) are +7% from the same period last year, mostly on the strength of better midweek ADRs. Unfortunately, this increase comes against a prior-year period when rates tumbled 38% … but … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, Sheldon Adelson, Wall Street | Comments Off on Good news, bad news

Back on the air

Posted on December 30, 2009 by David McKee

After a Yuletide hiatus occasioned by the need to relocate S&G‘s offsite base of operations (meaning that I can now boast of a bedroom window with a view of the Tropicana), I’m back and scrambling to catch up. My new … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Cirque du Soleil, Current | 2 Comments