“There will never be another Mohegan Sun. That’s the way the market has shifted.” So says Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority CEO Mitchell Grossinger Etess on the smaller, economy-sized casinos he and his fellows will have to build in New York State, if they have the winning bids. The conundrum is to build a resort that has enough curb appeal and amenities to win the competitive battle — but inexpensive to assure that your investment is recouped. It’s a phenomenon that’s been dubbed “the Goldilocks zone.”
Etess knows whereof he speaks. Revenue continues to fall at Mohegan Sun and he’s proposing to spend more than a half-billion dollars in New York’s Sullivan County, so hitting that Goldilocks market spot is of paramount importance. Citing the convenience factor that gamblers now expect, Traditions Casino & Resort developer Bill Walsh is keeping his budget to $212 million.
Unlike Etess, Caesars Entertainment is downright bullish, sending Jan Jones Blackhurst to defend its planned, $880 million investment. 
Caesars, she had, has “tremendous faith” in the market. Mind you, they used to feel that way about Atlantic City. Both Vernon Downs co-owner Gary Greenberg and casino opponent Dwight Jenkins share Eeyore-like gloom about the prospect of expansion, which they see as saturation of the state. “Four casinos are closing this summer in Atlantic City,” grumbles Jenkins. “Yet New York for some reason is thinking we’re somehow going to be different.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, exudes confidence in the private sector. Earlier this summer he said, “The private market … will make a determination as to what scale and scope the market can support … I’m sure they will propose what they believe will be successful.”
* Casino dealers have the seventh-worst paying jobs in America (a fact worth noting around Labor Day), although they make a fortune compared to those whose fate it is to sling hash.
* In an effort to sex up chess, 520 players from around the world will compete for a $1 million pot at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The idea is not to make money (the opposite is expected) but to stimulate interest in a series of big-money chess events. “If we only lose $200,000, we’ll be dancing in the streets” says impresario Maurice Ashley, the only African American grandmaster in the sport. Players will receive limousine service in addition to being plied with free entertainment, food and drink. The games will be streamed in Planet Ho and on the Internet. (But would Sheldon Adelson approve?)
Millionaire Chess, as it’s called, is the joint brainchild of Mr. Ashley and protean entrepreneur Amy Lee, who made a fortune sufficient to retire upon five years ago — at age 38. The event looked it was sure to tank … until 40o applications crossed the transom at the last minute. “I hope this will catapult chess to the next level,” says Ashley. Given the low visibility of chess that shouldn’t be hard to do.
