Category Archives: Arizona

Don’t make mine Manhattan

That’s the word from key legislators, who have made it clear that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) would be putting a casino in Manhattan over their dead bodies. “I believe it would be seriously detrimental to the residential and commercial quality … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, BetMGM, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment, FanDuel, Genting, Georgia, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Marijuana, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, New York, Politics, Regulation, Resort fees, Resorts World LV, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Transportation, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Caesars, MGM lead Vegas recovery; Florida compact dicey

Let’s start with some good news. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff laid out a series of benchmarks for a Las Vegas comeback across the second half of 2021 (one year earlier than anticipated). “We think these data points are indicative … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Florida, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, LVCVA, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

DraftKings’ mixed results; Penn waxes, Iowa wanes

DraftKings exceeded analysts’ expectations with its 1Q21 revenues, leading Credit Suisse‘s Ben Chaiken to boost his 2021 revenue projection by $100 million, to $1.1 billion, in part “reflecting strength in new states such as Michigan.” Wall Street anticipated $239 million … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Derek Stevens, Diversity, DraftKings, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Marketing, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts, Wyoming | 1 Comment

Sands blitzes Texas; Las Vegas “swarming” with tourists; Oscars suck

Starting last week, Las Vegas Sands has been blanketing the Texas airwaves with a barrage of pro-casino ads. Faced with a loss of traction in the Lege, Sands is turning to the court of public opinion. Going in drag as … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Brothels, Caesars Entertainment, China, Cosmopolitan, Derek Stevens, Diversity, Downtown, Economy, Entertainment, Hawaii, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Movies, Nevada, New York, Ocean Resort, Oklahoma, Pahrump, Politics, Singapore, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal | 2 Comments

Michigan sports betting, i-gaming surge; AGA chases renegade slots

Say what you like about Michigan, it’s giving New Jersey and Pennsylvania a literal run for their money in Internet gambling. Win/day is just over $3 million, close behind the Keystone State’s $3.15 million and challenging the Garden State’s $3.65 … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Florida, FoxBet, Hawaii, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kansas, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, PointsBet, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, Resorts World LV, Rhode Island, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, South Dakota, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Atlantic City disappoints, Internet gambling doesn’t

We’re going to have revise our prediction that Atlantic City would recover from Covid-19 faster than Las Vegas. Not at the rate things are going. March casino win was down 17% from 2019, coming in at $185 million. The Caesars … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, China, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Lotteries, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Politics, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Missouri booms; Trop sale a steal of a deal

After a hiccup in Indiana, gaming revenues continued to march (pun unintended) upward from 2019 levels, which were pretty darn robust. Missouri gained 6% for a gross of $176.5 million, “one of the best months ever” according to JP Morgan … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, DraftKings, FanDuel, GLPI, Health, Iowa, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Penn National, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wisconsin | 3 Comments

Trop flipped; Arizona, Maryland join sports-betting club

The Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. regime at Tropicana Las Vegas was (as planned) a short-lived one. GLPI just announced that it has flipped the Trop to Bally’s Corp., which evidently couldn’t wait one minute longer to get onto the … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Caesars Entertainment, Canada, Colorado, Delaware, Downtown, DraftKings, Entertainment, FanDuel, Foxwoods, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Nevada, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill | 1 Comment

“In a word, messy”

That’s how JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff described the online sports-betting bill enacted by the New York State Lege. The latter essentially caved to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), giving control of OSB to the state lottery. Instead of the one-operator … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Detroit, DraftKings, Environment, Genting, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Palms, Politics, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off on “In a word, messy”

Massachusetts gaming a success; Cuomo gains upper hand in NY

A University of Massachusetts Amherst panel led by respected academic Rachel Volberg has been studying casino gambling in Massachusetts and likes most of what it finds. It concluded that Bay State dollars had been significantly repatriated from neighboring states (the … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Barstool Sports, Baseball, California, Cordish Co., Derek Stevens, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Georgia, Health, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Vegas’ Dream is TSA’s nightmare; MGM disses Chicago

Part Two of our survey of analyst reports on Vegas-based casino companies will have to wait a day, given a bevy of breaking news. First up, a major setback for the planned Dream Las Vegas on the south Strip. Airlines … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Dining, Diversity, Economy, Entertainment, Failsinos, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Indiana, Las Vegas Sands, Mandalay Bay Massacre, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michael Gaughan, New York, Penn National, Rush Street Gaming, Security, Spectacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Wall Street meets Las Vegas, Part I

JP Morgan analysts conducted a pilgrimage to Las Vegas to meet with the top brass of Big Gaming. First up was MGM Resorts International, represented by CEO Bill Hornbuckle, CFO Jonathan Halkyard and BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. They see positive … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Reno, Singapore, Sports, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, TV, William Hill | 2 Comments

Chicago gets serious; Ohio recovering but Missouri swoons

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), having received 11 expressions of interest in a megaresort (two of them an exacta by MGM Resorts International and MGM Growth Properties) is ready to issue a request for proposals sometime next month. We’ll then … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Detroit, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Indiana, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

F-blue returns from the grave; Caesars socks it to you

The Thing That Wouldn’t Die, aka Fontainebleau, is back again. Former owner Steven Witkoff has sold it to Koch Real Estate Investments for an undisclosed price. Considering that Witkoff bought it from Carl Icahn for $600 million and estimated that … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Harry Reid, history, Horseracing, Illinois, Law enforcement, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Planet Hollywood, Racinos, Resorts World LV, Steven Witkoff, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Virgin Hotels, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Welcome to Less Vegas

Caesars Entertainment, aka Eldorado Resorts, has become possessed by the evil spirit of spare-every-expense Columbia Sussex. In one of the most odious of recent cutpurse moves, bartenders have been ordered to short-pour liquor: The ‘new normal’ is .75 ounces per … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Arizona, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Columbia Sussex, Connecticut, Conventions, Cretins, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, Florida, Health, Kansas, Lotteries, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Racinos, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Washington State | 1 Comment

Las Vegas recovery: A definite maybe; Woe at Sands

First, the bad news. Las Vegas emerged from a December that was just plain awful, as discretionary income continues to dry up. Las Vegas Strip win plummeted 51% to $292 million. Statewide, gambling revenue toppled 35.5% for $684 million, an … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Alex Yemenidjian, Arizona, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, California, China, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Downtown, Economy, Health, Internet gambling, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas Sands, Laughlin, LVCVA, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, Mohegan Sun, New York, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, South Korea, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Wall Street, Wendover, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Covid cramps casino revenues; Trop LV in play … again

Now that the smartest man in the room has left the building permanently, we continue to wait for Wall Street‘s reaction to Sheldon Adelson‘s demise. Hearing none, we move on to varying degrees of decline in regional gaming, once thought … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Carl Icahn, Century Casinos, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Health, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, William Hill | 1 Comment

Adelson, Packer canoodle & other news

While America burns, Sheldon Adelson is fiddling in the French Caribbean, aboard his mega-luxury yacht. The vessel was moored next to that of James Packer, who welcomed Adelson as guest for his lavish New Year’s Eve celebration. This meeting of … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, China, Crown Resorts, Detroit, Dining, Economy, Hawaii, Health, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, James Packer, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, South Dakota, Taxes, Tribal, Virginia | Comments Off on Adelson, Packer canoodle & other news

Election Special: “The biggest political event ever”

An anonymous British financier will have to wait another 24 hours to find out if his $5 million bet on Donald Trump comes up a winner. He’ll pocket $15 million from Curaçao bookies if it does. The flutter, made after … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Colorado, Culinary Union, Donald Trump, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, International, Internet gambling, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, Nevada, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, South Carolina, South Dakota, Sports, Tribal, Virginia | 2 Comments

What ails Illinois?; Trump Plaza comes down

In a month that saw Ohio casino revenues grow 6% and Iowa almost 1% (to $119.5 million), Illinois casinos plummeted 27% to a measly $82 million. Even a sub-50% capacity restriction doesn’t begin to explain away the problem. Predictably, Rivers … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Churchill Downs, Dining, DraftKings, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Iowa, MGM Resorts International, Michigan, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Spectacle Entertainment, Sports betting, Twin River | 1 Comment