It’s try, try again time for New Hampshire‘s Legislature, as it attempts to enact casino gambling. The state senate has narrowly passed a casino-enabling bill but it still needs to go through the lower house and receive the signature of Gov. Chris Sununu (R). Longtime champion Sen. Lou D’Allesandro (D) predicts $100 million in revenue from a two-casino formula, but the prospect of big bucks has repeatedly failed to move Granite State lawmakers and it’s anybody’s guess if 2019 will be different.
Correction: The following item states that Southland is a horse track. It is, I regret to say, a dog-racing track. Maybe casino gambling is the first step toward the abolition of dog races. We can only hope.
* Halfway across the country, casino gambling has officially come to Arkansas. Both Oaklawn and Southland horse tracks have been OK’d by regulators to start Vegas-style gambling. Oversight will be the remit of the state racing commission. Both racinos should be operational by early next month. Sports betting will arrive somewhat later.
* DraftKings is coming up in the world, opening new corporate headquarters in downtown Boston. Gov. Charlie Baker (R) cuts the ribbon today. The company’s bread and butter is still daily fantasy sports but look for that to change as more and more states legalize bonafide sports betting.
* MGM Cotai continues to enter the Macao market somewhat raggedly, opening the first of its high roller villas. Mind you, it’s a soft opening, something that has dogged the resort’s early numbers. However, MGM Resorts International has confidence in the $3.5 billion casino-hotel and is already talking about a second tower, expanding its footprint in a city where all the casino real estate has been spoken for.
MGM is also entering the Nashville market, not with a casino but a luxury hotel, part of the larger Nashville Yards development. As with T-Mobile Arena, it will partner with Anschutz Entertainment Group to pull it off. The building, mooted to be branded Park MGM, will start construction this fall. When completed it will boast 315 rooms and amenities that include a 4,000-seat venue for live music, Nashville’s staph of life. Nine movie theaters and 90,000 square feet of office space will also be included, as MGM jumps into Music City with both feet. Opening is expected in 2021 … and if Tennessee legalizes gambling by them I’m sure MGM will be prepared.
* Was it really 20 years ago that The Resort at Summerlin opened? Yes, and it has gone through many changes—including the crash and burn of Swiss Casinos—before becoming JW Marriott Las Vegas, home to Rampart Casino. JW Marriott is celebrating the occasion by offering stays in its luxury Aviation Suite for a mere $20,000. Mind you, it’s not just a hotel room you’re getting but also a helicopter ride, personal shopping, private chefs and one-on-one yoga instruction.The three-night stay also includes a round of golf at TPC Las Vegas, a 20-year-old bottle of XXV Glenlivet scotch (which isn’t old enough to gamble in Nevada), couples massage, gambling instruction and … one could go on and on. If anybody’s got $20K to drop on a long weekend in Summerlin, this seems like a pretty good way to spend it.
* All good things must come to an end and so it is with the singing career of Anita Baker, sad to report. Fortunately, Las Vegas is on the itinerary of her farewell tour, which will encompass five performances at Venetian. Tickets start at $49.95, which is pretty “george” when you consider that This Is It where Ms. Baker is concerned. Alas, I can’t be there—but you can.
