Category Archives: Atlantic City

Hard Rock takes Icahn to the cleaners

Posted on May 11, 2017 by David McKee

Well, now we know how much Hard Rock International paid for Trump Taj Mahal — and why Carl Icahn wanted to keep it a secret. The defunct casino changed hands for $50 million, well below the nine-figure sum Icahn was … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Donald Trump, Glenn Straub, Hard Rock International, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts | Comments Off on Hard Rock takes Icahn to the cleaners

Higher taxes mooted for Atlantic City; Trump into Philippines?

Posted on May 10, 2017 by David McKee

Someone has belatedly noticed that Atlantic City is, in essence, a tax haven for casino operators. They pay 9.25%, compared to Pennsylvania‘s 55% on slots, for instance, or Maryland‘s patchwork of tax rates, which top out at 60%. That’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Donald Trump, GLPI, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Law enforcement, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Maryland, Melco Crown Entertainment, Missouri, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Taxes, Technology | Comments Off on Higher taxes mooted for Atlantic City; Trump into Philippines?

Nevada is #1; Atlantic Club plans dashed

Posted on May 2, 2017 by David McKee

Congratulate yourself, Nevadans. Your state has been deemed “most fun” by WalletHub. This is despite only mediocre rankings in movie theaters and amusement parks per capita (27th and 28th, respectively). Nevada was tops in casinos — big surprise, I know … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Nevada, Philippines, Sports, Steve Wynn, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Nevada is #1; Atlantic Club plans dashed

Freeman: Sports betting is coming; Second thoughts on Paradise Park

Posted on April 27, 2017 by David McKee

It could be a case of wishing that legalization of sports betting will make it so. Or maybe Geoff Freeman is privy to intelligence that he’s not shared with the rest of us. Either way, he thinks a sports-betting repeal … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Carl Icahn, Dining, Donald Trump, Geoff Freeman, Goldman Sachs, history, Laughlin, Politics, Sports, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 24, 2017 by David McKee

“Water rights are civil rights, and civil rights are human rights. This is not a money problem. This is a democracy problem. Flint, Michigan, is a moral parable about the peril of giving up control of your water.” — NAACP … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Environment, Glenn Straub, Revel | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Atlantic City runs the table; Next, the “Osaka Strip”?

Posted on April 13, 2017 by David McKee

It’ll take a lot more than an extra weekend day to account for a 7% spike in Atlantic City‘s gaming revenue. When you subtract the corpse of Trump Taj Mahal from the body count, the year over year comparison is … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Japan, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Problem gambling, Sports, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | Comments Off on Atlantic City runs the table; Next, the “Osaka Strip”?

Exit Trump, enter Hard Rock; Casinos in Cuba again?

Posted on April 10, 2017 by David McKee

Hard Rock International is putting its money where its mouth is, judging from the preview it gave of the Hard Rocked Trump Taj Mahal. The most obvious changes will be on the exterior, where all the tiki-tacky Trump theming will … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Columbia Sussex, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Hard Rock International, International, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 1 Comment

Hard Rock to spend big in Atlantic City; Bad news for slot makers

Posted on April 6, 2017 by David McKee

In the biggest vote of confidence Atlantic City has received in a decade, Hard Rock International has announced that it intends to invest $375 million in the former Trump Taj Mahal. On top of the 1,000 projected construction jobs, Hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cordish Co., Economy, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, International, Lawrence Ho, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Station Casinos, Technology, Tribal | 2 Comments

Trump’s revenge; Larry Flynt, casino boss

Posted on March 28, 2017 by David McKee

Why is Trump Plaza the whitest elephant among Atlantic City casinos? (Scroll to bottom) Because its operating costs include a $1 million ground lease to former American Jewish Congress head Robert Lifton, who owns the underlying acreage. This little poison … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Carl Icahn, Donald Trump, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, history, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Technology, Trump Entertainment Resorts | 1 Comment

Slim hope for North Dakota casinos; Russians hack U.S. slot machines

Posted on March 22, 2017 by David McKee

North Dakota lawmakers are still averse to the idea of state-owned casinos (which caused a fair number of birthing pains for Kansas) but they split the baby on casino expansion this week. While the House Judiciary Committee still stamped “do … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, International, Law enforcement, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Politics, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | Comments Off on Slim hope for North Dakota casinos; Russians hack U.S. slot machines

Gaming up nationally — but Louisiana gets hammered

Posted on March 20, 2017 by David McKee

America‘s casino industry had a winning month in January, up 3.5% to $3.4 billion. Even Illinois, which has never recovered from the smoking ban, was in the top four, behind Nevada (naturally), Pennsylvania and Louisiana. The only serious loser was … Continue reading →

Posted in Affinity Gaming, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Churchill Downs, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment, West Virginia | Comments Off on Gaming up nationally — but Louisiana gets hammered

Pennsylvania: Land of confusion

Posted on March 15, 2017 by David McKee

When it comes to making gaming policy in Pennsylvania, handwringing Gov. Tom Wolf (D) is no help at all. He wants another $100 million in gaming revenue — but only if it doesn’t come at a cost to existing casinos … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Detroit, Internet gambling, Kansas, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Politics, Regulation, Tribal | Comments Off on Pennsylvania: Land of confusion

Atlantic City suffers February hiccup; Caesars K.O.’d in Korea

Posted on March 14, 2017 by David McKee

All good things must end and, in the case of Atlantic City, a pretty steady comeback hit a pothole in December, with business down 2%. Even Borgata ($58 million) was down a percentage point. Citywide, slot revenue was actually up … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Glenn Straub, Golden Gaming, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Tropicana Entertainment | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 13, 2017 by David McKee

“As a player organization, the Poker Players Alliance takes consumer protections very seriously. I would argue that states like Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have created a far more reasonable and effective approach to consumer protections than those who would simply … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Delaware, Internet gambling, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Regulation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

MGM antes up for Sands Bethlehem; Glenn Straub, man of mystery

Posted on March 9, 2017 by David McKee

Last week’s premature announcement by Sands Bethlehem President Mark Juliano that a sale, probably to MGM Resorts International, may have redounded to Las Vegas Sands‘ benefit. The reported sale price has crept up to $1.3 billion. Since a sale would … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Economy, Glenn Straub, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Palms, Pennsylvania, Revel, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off on MGM antes up for Sands Bethlehem; Glenn Straub, man of mystery

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 8, 2017 by David McKee

“The bones of the Taj Mahal are as good as anything in town, and it’s something we felt we could do something spectacular with, from the height of the ceilings to the way the casino floor is laid out.” — … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Hard Rock International | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Mystery of the Sands

Posted on March 7, 2017 by David McKee

Since the Las Vegas Review-Journal continues to pretend that the Sands Bethlehem sale isn’t taking place, we’ll fill you in on the latest. At least one Wall Street analyst is certainly taking the rumblings emerging from Bethlehem at face value. Deutsche Bank‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sheldon stifles story; Trump Plaza’s end near

Posted on March 6, 2017 by David McKee

News about Las Vegas Sands‘ negotiations to sell Sands Bethlehem (confirmed) to MGM Resorts International (alleged) have been all over the Internet, especially once MGM’s name entered the discussion. You know where the story hasn’t been? Yup. Sheldon Adelson‘s very … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Hard Rock International, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Tropicana Entertainment, Unite-Here | Comments Off on Sheldon stifles story; Trump Plaza’s end near

More resort fees at MGM; Sands Bethlehem sold?

Posted on March 3, 2017 by David McKee

It was show time for the big boys at the J.P. Morgan Gaming, Lodging, Restaurant & Leisure Management Access Forum, starting with MGM Resorts International, which had to get started by explaining why fourth-quarter numbers had been “coming in well below … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, California, Donald Trump, Economy, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Harry Reid, Japan, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Seminole Tribe, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 1 Comment

The case for cannibalization; Hard Rock buys Taj

Posted on March 2, 2017 by David McKee

There’s still a big budget shortfall in Pennsylvania and state Rep. Mike Sturla thinks he has at least part of the answer: slot routes. Casinos can be expected to decry this proposed solution and some already are. But for Sturla … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Economy, Foxwoods, Geoff Freeman, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Harry Reid, Illinois, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Revel, Slot routes, Sports, The Strip, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, West Virginia | Comments Off on The case for cannibalization; Hard Rock buys Taj