Author Archives: David McKee

About David McKee

Bio

Harrah's takes out the garbage; Yemenidjian's return

Posted on May 5, 2009 by David McKee

Congratulations — I think — to new Harrah's Entertainment General Counsel Timothy R. Donovan. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Mr. Donovan comes to Harrah's by way of the garbage industry. Considering that picking up the trash around Harrah's … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Current, Harrah's, Indiana, Regulation, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Harrah's takes out the garbage; Yemenidjian's return

Murren talks smack re: Wynn, Schaeffer

Posted on May 1, 2009 by David McKee

"No one has proven, by the way, that they can operate properties better than us, so …uh … and there's a mountain of information to show that we operate properties better than anybody. Everything that we've acquired is making more … Continue reading →

Posted in Detroit, Macau, MGM Mirage, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on Murren talks smack re: Wynn, Schaeffer

Chump change for Trop

Posted on April 29, 2009 by David McKee

While there has been no shortage of bad decisions in the casino industry of late, the Dunce of the Year winner for 2008 and presumptive favorite for 2009 has got to be Tropicana Atlantic City conservator Gary Stein. This former … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, Economy, Regulation, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Chump change for Trop

Case Bets: Isle exits U.K.; no room at the Trop; Carlino channels Astaire, etc.

Posted on April 24, 2009 by David McKee

Isle of Capri Casinos is coming up for air, literally extricating itself from underneath Ricoh Stadium in Coventry, U.K. As part of CEO James Perry‘s attempt to refocus a company that spread itself too thin under his predecessor, he’s walking … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Detroit, Economy, Florida, Goldman Sachs, Illinois, International, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Regulation, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: Isle exits U.K.; no room at the Trop; Carlino channels Astaire, etc.

Updates: Pinnacle, Boyd, Foxwoods, Donald Trump & Criss Angel

Posted on April 22, 2009 by David McKee

Don’t wait by the phone if you’ve got a date with Pinnacle Entertainment. It has just pushed back the timelines on its Baton Rouge and Lake Charles projects by five months. It cited investor reluctance and warned more delays are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Louisiana, Morgans Hotel Group, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Pinnacle Entertainment, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Updates: Pinnacle, Boyd, Foxwoods, Donald Trump & Criss Angel

Pinnacle: the untold story

Posted on April 21, 2009 by David McKee

Is waxing and buffing the Pinnacle Entertainment limo a prerequisite for scoring an interview with its CEO? This small masterpiece of selective omission is more interesting for what it elides than what it says. The article parrots Dan Lee as … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Ameristar, Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Entertainment, Harrah's, Illinois, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Pinnacle: the untold story

Icahn vs. Kerkorian III

Posted on April 20, 2009 by David McKee

Former Stratosphere owner Carl Icahn says it's nothing personal, just business. This is reposted here because, among other reasons, the version embedded by the Las Vegas Review-Journal plays only in an extremely constipated manner. Here's hoping we do better.Best moment: … Continue reading →

Posted in Carl Icahn, MGM Mirage, Wall Street | Comments Off on Icahn vs. Kerkorian III

Station ixnays expansions

Posted on April 20, 2009 by David McKee

Stick a fork in Castaways Station — the forlorn patch of Fremont Street land is on the block … albeit at a considerable markup. Station Casinos, according to The Associated Press, is asking for $39.5 million on a vacant 30-acre … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Station Casinos, Transportation | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 20, 2009 by David McKee

"I have to recognize someone special here in the house. Perez Hilton, please stand up. We have the world's biggest douchebag asshole in the house!" — MGM Mirage poster boy Criss Angel, at the end of last Friday's Believe, enraged … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Exit, pursued by a bear market

Posted on April 17, 2009 by David McKee

Aside from the occasional murmur by Wynn Las Vegas prexy Andrew Pascal, executives at Wynn Resorts keep a low (read: invisible) profile. Even the most assiduous follower of the casino industry would have trouble naming Wynn’s CFO off the cuff. … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Economy, Encore, Harrah's, IGT, Illinois, Macau, MGM Mirage, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Exit, pursued by a bear market

Icahn vs. Kerkorian II; Ho hearts Adelson

Posted on April 17, 2009 by David McKee

Yesterday saw some intemperate spluttering in newspaper comment threads, along the lines “How dare the Wall Street Journal report the news? It might damage stock prices!” (One hothead even bruited the possibility of a libel suit.) All of which was … Continue reading →

Posted in Carl Icahn, Economy, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Icahn vs. Kerkorian II; Ho hearts Adelson

First, some good news

Posted on April 16, 2009 by David McKee

In a refreshing change of pace comes news of a casino that’s on schedule for its opening. OK, so it’s in Dodge City, Kansas, but we’ll take good news wherever we can get it these days. Whoever thought avionics firm … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Herbst Gaming, Kansas, Labor, LVCVA, Marketing, Mesquite, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off on First, some good news

Icahn vs. Kerkorian

Posted on April 16, 2009 by David McKee

According to a brief item in the Wall Street Journal, former Stratosphere owner Carl Icahn and investment fund Oaktree Capital Management are putting the squeeze on MGM Mirage and its majority shareholder Kirk Kerkorian. Quoth the WSJ, Icahn and Oaktree … Continue reading →

Posted in Carl Icahn, MGM Mirage, Wall Street | Comments Off on Icahn vs. Kerkorian

Garber to Harrah's? Apparently not

Posted on April 16, 2009 by David McKee

So is former PartyGaming PLC supremo Mitch Garber going to Harrah’s Entertainment or isn’t he? As of yesterday, it appears that the company is denyinga London Times report that it had signed Garber to head up a conglomeration of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Regulation, The Strip, World Series of Poker | Comments Off on Garber to Harrah's? Apparently not

Grab your ankles, casinos

Posted on April 15, 2009 by David McKee

Nevada lawmakers’ revenue model. There’s one industry that does far and away more than any other to pay the bar tab for the State of Nevada and it’s probably about to be mandated to pay even more. That’s because even … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Economy, Politics, Steve Wynn, Taxes | Comments Off on Grab your ankles, casinos

Case Bets: Seminoles, Iverson, Harrah's, PartyGaming, Station's luck, etc.

Posted on April 15, 2009 by David McKee

Down in Florida, the tide may be turning in favor of the Seminole Tribe. Both the Florida Retail Federation and Restaurant Lodging Association have thrown their support behind the status quo, as represented by Gov. Charlie Crist‘s Class III casino … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Detroit, Don Barden, Florida, Harrah's, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Reno, Sports, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on Case Bets: Seminoles, Iverson, Harrah's, PartyGaming, Station's luck, etc.

Grab your ankles, casinos

Posted on April 15, 2009 by David McKee

Nevada lawmakers’ revenue model. There’s one industry that does far and away more than any other to pay the bar tab for the State of Nevada and it’s probably about to be mandated to pay even more. That’s because even … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Economy, Politics, Steve Wynn, Taxes | Comments Off on Grab your ankles, casinos

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 15, 2009 by David McKee

“I say I would greet him if he would rectify the record. I think he owes it to us, and I say that respectfully, to say Las Vegas is a great place to come and do business.” — Las Vegas … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Politics | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Texas afterthoughts

Posted on April 10, 2009 by David McKee

My apologies for leaving regular readers high and dry on Thursday. I was KO'd by a viral infection of some sort. Between that and a couple of doses of Zicam, I spent most of the day drifting in and out … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Massachusetts, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Texas | Comments Off on Texas afterthoughts

A delicate balance

Posted on April 7, 2009 by David McKee

Another day, a little more movement in the CityCenter situation. Well, it's that or talk about tourism and gaming revenue numbers that are too depressing to contemplate for long. Time was that the American banking industry was practically giving away … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Economy, James Packer, M Resort, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on A delicate balance