Category Archives: Arkansas

Eldorado’s clearance sale

Posted on July 15, 2019 by David McKee

Eldorado Resorts continues to slim down as it prepares for a takeover of Caesars Entertainment. Assuming the deal as a fait accompli, it is ditching Isle of Capri Kansas City in favor of Harrah’s North Kansas City. It is also … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Eldorado Resorts, International, Japan, Mississippi, Missouri, Sports betting, Technology, Tribal, Twin River, William Hill | Comments Off

Casino aspirants elbow for advantage; T-Rex derby in Washington

Posted on July 12, 2019 by David McKee

Full House Resorts and Spectacle Entertainment are jostling for position in Terre Haute—provided that Vigo County voters approve a casino for the city. But will it beat nearby Danville to the punch? “Pending a positive outcome on the referendum, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Connecticut, Election, Entertainment, Full House Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Mohegan Sun, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Philippines, Slot routes, Spectacle Entertainment, Taxes, Virginia, Warner Gaming | Comments Off

Arkansas casino nixed; Casino industry picks political winners, losers

Posted on June 17, 2019 by David McKee

Moving rapidly, the Arkansas Racing Commission unanimously granted a license to the Quapaw Tribe to build a casino in Jefferson County. (The tribe responded that it would be equally prompt in building $350 million Saracen Casino Resort. In the meantime slots … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Culinary Union, Dan Lee, Full House Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Palms, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Wall Street loves Wynn, Penn, MGM

Posted on May 15, 2019 by David McKee

JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff issued a post-1Q19 bulletin in which he named Wynn Resorts (growth), Penn National Gaming (value for share price) and MGM Resorts International (event-driven revenue) as his top picks in the gambling sphere. Wynn got a … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, DFS, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Internet gambling, Iowa, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pets, Pinnacle Entertainment, Problem gambling, Racinos, Sports betting, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

Ruffin’s move

Posted on May 14, 2019 by David McKee

Phil Ruffin is in the hunt for Caesars Entertainment … well, sort of. He said he’s interested in individual Las Vegas Strip properties, clearly anticipating some kind of sell-down to deleverage an Eldorado Resorts or Tilman Fertitta acquisition of the … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, Law enforcement, North Carolina, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Westgate LV | 1 Comment

Nevada: Strip weak, locals strong; Busing it to Macao

Posted on April 25, 2019 by David McKee

Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues were down 4% last month to $552 million. Some of that is attributable to an impossible baccarat comparison. In March 2018, baccarat win was up 118%. Last month it was down 56% on 43% less … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Arkansas, Australia, Boulder Strip, Downtown, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Lotteries, Macau, Mesquite, Nevada, New Mexico, North Las Vegas, Reno, South Korea, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Tunica: Another one bites the dust

Posted on April 18, 2019 by David McKee

Even before Arkansas casinos could clear their holsters, a third Tunica property has bitten the dust. Penn National Gaming took the hit, as Resorts Casino Tunica was announced to close on June 30, leaving six casinos in the rural Mississippi … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, California, Colony Capital, Economy, GLPI, Mississippi, Penn National, Tribal, Washington State | 1 Comment

Case Bets

Posted on March 26, 2019 by David McKee

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, DFS, Entertainment, history, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, New Hampshire, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports betting | Comments Off

Survey says: Las Vegas bad for NFL; Power struggle in Macao

Posted on January 28, 2019 by David McKee

Put me in the one-third of Americans surveyed who wouldn’t give up their annual bonus to see their team win the Super Bowl. That’s one of the findings of a WalletHub study that, incredibly (at least to me) ranks Las … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, California, Entertainment, Indiana, Internet gambling, Japan, Las Vegas Raiders, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, New Jersey, Ohio, Pansy Ho, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Scientific Games, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, Tourism, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 24, 2018 by David McKee

“This is a bad deal for Arkansas. These casinos are going to be festering sores in our communities. They’re going to pull money out of the local economies and plunge some of our poorest families deeper into poverty.” — Family Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Election | Comments Off

Casino comes to Arkansas; Luxury comes at a cost

Posted on December 5, 2018 by David McKee

That was quick. Downstream Development Authority, a branch of the Quapaw Tribe, has been tapped by local officials to develop a casino in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. If you think the decision precipitate, don’t worry: The Quapaw have been doing outreach … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Connecticut, Economy, Illinois, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, New York, Politics, Sports betting, Technology, Tribal, West Virginia | Comments Off

Scratch one casino; Adios, Megabus

Posted on November 29, 2018 by David McKee

Tunica continues to hemorrhage casinos. The latest casualty is Tunica Roadhouse. Owner Caesars Entertainment is terminating gambling at the property, although the 135-room hotel will be kept operational. This makes Horseshoe Tunica Caesars’ only remaining casino in the market. The move … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Arizona, Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Hard Rock International, International, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Movies, Regulation, Sports betting, Tilman Fertitta, Transportation, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Caesars hailed; Macao’s future questioned

Posted on November 15, 2018 by David McKee

Credit Suisse analyst Cameron McKnight hosted three (!) days of investor meetings with Caesars Entertainment and came away giving the company a rave review. “Management’s tone was very good, and long-only interest was high … We think CZR’s business is … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Economy, Horseracing, Japan, Kentucky, Macau, Mandalay Bay Massacre, New Hampshire, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | Comments Off

Election Postmortem: Who won, who lost

Posted on November 13, 2018 by David McKee

Election Night seems far behind us but its meaning for gaming is still sinking in, as in Arkansas, where sports betting has also been approved. In addition, two Oklahoma-based tribal entities are likely to feel entitled to the casinos green-lit … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Culinary Union, DFS, Election, Entertainment, Florida, history, Idaho, Illinois, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Oklahoma, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tribal | Comments Off

Election Special: Winners and losers

Posted on November 7, 2018 by David McKee

In a victory for the state of Arkansas, voters approved casinos in four locations across the state, 54% to 46%, a convincing mandate by any measure, and a big win for a variety of pro-casino companies that included Warner Gaming and Delaware North. … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Caesars Entertainment, Culinary Union, DFS, Election, Florida, Georgia, Harry Reid, International, Marijuana, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, Virginia, Warner Gaming, Wisconsin | Comments Off

Sports books get thumped; National Harbor rules

Posted on November 6, 2018 by David McKee

Nevada sports books are reeling from an NFL Week 9 that stands to see them lose as little as $7 million and as much as $10 million. Bettors, meanwhile, are crying all the way to the bank. Among the games … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Hill, Cordish Co., Election, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, Warner Gaming | 1 Comment

Election update; Resorts World reaches for the sky

Posted on October 31, 2018 by David McKee

Driving Arkansas Forward, the initiative to legalize casino gambling at four Arkansas locations, looks like it will score a come-from-behind victory in less than a week. Early polling had it down, 41% to 48%, but it’s now turned the tide, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Arkansas, Election, Environment, Genting, Horseracing, International, Internet gambling, Nevada, Racinos, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off

Arkansas to vote on casinos; Baldwin leaves MGM

Posted on October 16, 2018 by David McKee

Driving Arkansas Forward, the ballot initiative to legalize casinos in Arkansas, will continue to proceed now that the Arkansas Supreme Court has slam-dunked two challenges to the referendum. Religious group Ensuring Arkansas Future claimed that the ballot language was too ambiguous … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, CityCenter, Culinary Union, Election, Entertainment, Galaxy Entertainment, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Neil Bluhm, Politics, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Tribal, Vdara Death Ray, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off

New kink at Linq; Casino clash in Arkansas

Posted on September 11, 2018 by David McKee

That Vegas High Roller thing didn’t work out so well for Caesars Entertainment, so now it’s going to try shooting tourists down the Linq Promenade on a 114-foot-high zipline. This quick thrill will be priced at $20-$30 in the daytime … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Charity, Election, Entertainment, Horseracing, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Sports, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off

Election special

Posted on August 23, 2018 by David McKee

A constitutional amendment to disempower Florida‘s Legislature from handling gambling expansion and put it solely to matters of popular vote was on the topics debated by Democratic candidates jockeying to replace outgoing Gov. Rick Scott (R). Their Republican counterparts did … Continue reading →

Posted in Arkansas, Election, Florida, G2E, Illinois, MGM Resorts International, Politics, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Wisconsin | Comments Off