Author Archives: David McKee

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MGM revving up on Strip; The Skull returns

Allowing for the context that one’s hotels fill up faster when only 25%-50% of the rooms are being rented, MGM Resorts International seems to be enjoying a honeymoon with its customer base. Its Las Vegas Strip resorts are reopening, in … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Colony Capital, Dining, Downtown, Dubai, Economy, Entertainment, Golden Gaming, Golden Nugget, International, MGM Resorts International, Minnesota, New Jersey, Resorts World LV, The Mob, The Strip | Comments Off on MGM revving up on Strip; The Skull returns

“The calculus of reopening”

There seems to be a perception abroad in the land that, because Coronavirus is abating we’re out of the woods and can revert to pre-Covid-19 conduct. Reports of people wildly disregarding social distancing (now being downgraded to “appropriate distancing,” whatever … Continue reading

Posted in China, Current, Health, history, Horseracing, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, Regulation, Security, Tourism | Comments Off on “The calculus of reopening”

Casino recovery still mild; Recession: The Sequel

Casinos that have reopened in Las Vegas, Louisiana and Mississippi are seeing fewer customers—but higher value ones. That’s the bottom line of a new report from JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff, who cites data tracked by Visitdata.org. Foot traffic is … Continue reading

Posted in Brothels, Economy, Health, International, Louisiana, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, Mississippi, Nevada, Resort fees, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

NBA odds sizzle; Stanley Ho’s revenge

While the expansion of the NBA playoff field to 22 teams fiddled with the odds, the favorites to win remain the same: the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks. The league’s plan is to resume play July … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, California, Economy, Florida, Louisiana, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Pansy Ho, Politics, Regulation, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Stanley Ho, The Strip, Tribal | 2 Comments

MGM changes mind on Aria; No appetite for deals?

Having told its entire Aria staff to look for new jobs, MGM Resorts International finds itself in the position of saying, “Never mind.” In an interview last weekend, CEO Bill Hornbuckle floated the possibility of reopening Aria by July 4, followed … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, CityCenter, Conventions, Current, Derek Stevens, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Hawaii, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, LVCVA, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, Resort fees, Sahara, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV, Virginia, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”—Benjamin Franklin

Posted in history | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Park MGM goes smokeless?; Excalibur returns

Resuming business in mid-pandemic, the casino industry finds itself at a nodal point unlike few in its history. The question: To smoke or not to smoke? Leaving aside our (negative) feelings about tobacco and its side effects, if the casino … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Arizona, Atlantic City, California, Environment, Health, Jim Murren, MGM Resorts International, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Washington State | 3 Comments

Very green shoots; Miller takes the lead; “Crisis fees”

It’s an open question whether we’ve tamped down Coronavirus (keep wearing those masks!) but we seem to have turned a corner in the economy, a development that bodes well for the gaming industry. According to the Boston Globe, unemployment “unexpectedly” … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Derek Stevens, Dining, Diversity, Downtown, Economy, Health, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Resort fees, The Strip, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.”—James Madison, The Federalist Papers.

Posted in history | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Station reopens bullishly; Who was that masked man, anyway?

On the eve of today’s reopening, Station Casinos hosted a conference call with JP Morgan analysts and was pretty darn confident that its base of Baby Boomers and retirees would flock back. So confident is that Station “has not been … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Caesars Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, Crown Resorts, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Entertainment, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Planet Hollywood, Real Estate, Resort fees, Station Casinos, Steven Witkoff, Tamares Group, Terry Caudill, The Rio, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

“As this weekend unfolded, there was elation as SpaceX celebrated its first crewed launch from U.S. soil. We can launch astronauts to outer space, yet many of our unemployed are still waiting on their first checks. The gaming industry reopens … Continue reading

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

Quote of the Day

“April will go down in history as the month that Nevada’s casinos stopped, and the economic consequences will be felt for months, if not years, to come.”—David Schwartz, gambling historian, professor and associate vice provost at the University of Nevada—Las … Continue reading

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

The Drew is through; Stevens’ green shoots

Would somebody please implode Fontainebleau already? It’s an eyesore, a civic embarrassment and a product for which demand does not exist. We perhaps should be saying “The Drew” but—per Scott Roeben‘s all-but-infallible VitalVegas, The Drew is in default, meaning that … Continue reading

Posted in Baseball, Carl Icahn, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Fontainebleau, Health, Horseracing, Illinois, Phil Ruffin, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, Steven Witkoff, Technology, Tourism, Transportation | 1 Comment

Putting diversity into action

We hardly feel qualified to address the present turmoil in our country, so we are momentarily turning over the microphone to Dave Marlon, CEO of CrossRoads of Southern Nevada, a prominent drug-rehab center, very active during the Covid-19 crisis. He is … Continue reading

Posted in Current, Diversity | Comments Off on Putting diversity into action

Atlantic City gets good news; Stanley Ho canonized

July 4 could spell independence for Atlantic City casinos, judging by recent statements from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D). In a radio interview he said, “It’s probably still too early to give you a very specific answer but there’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Derek Stevens, Health, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Problem gambling, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Twin River, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

“I don’t gamble at all. I don’t have the patience. Don’t expect to make money in gambling. It’s a house game. It’s for the house.”—Stanley Ho (1921-2020), in a 1971 interview.

Posted in Stanley Ho | 1 Comment

California Lege mulls sports betting; Mega-Jottings

Gaming analysts may be getting a little ahead of themselves but they’re estimating that California could generate $30 billion a year in sports-betting handle, $2 billion in revenue and $300 million in taxes. That’d be pretty good news for a … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, International, Lotteries, New Jersey, Politics, Regulation, Rhode Island, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Twin River | 2 Comments

Unrest on the Strip; Boyd tightens belt

Maybe Coronavirus can’t keep people away from Las Vegas but we think we’ve found one thing that will: civil unrest. A pair of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporters found themselves in the line of fire when Las Vegas Metro launched a … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Economy, Indiana, Ohio, Politics, The Strip | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

“Every time a riot develops, it helps George Wallace.”—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., February 1968.

Posted in history | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

“When you burn down this city, you’re burning down our community. If you want change in America, go and register to vote.”—Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Posted in Current | 1 Comment