Category Archives: Boyd Gaming

Case Bets: Hooters; Defection at Borgata; Yung vs. Butera

Posted on November 25, 2008 by David McKee

"All of the economists who gave us information predict 2007 is going to be a year where the economy slows throughout the country and Nevada. Then we will see a pickup in 2008-09." — Deborah Pierce, CFO, Hooters Hotel, Las … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Economy, International, Regulation, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off

Atlantic City Death Watch

Posted on November 21, 2008 by David McKee

New Jersey's Casino Control Commission has come out with a grim set of numbers regarding gross operating profitability in Atlantic City's casinos during 3Q08. And, as bad as these numbers sound, once the cost of operation is subtracted, a $121 … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Donald Trump, Economy, Harrah's, Station Casinos, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off

Indiana: It's all relative

Posted on November 11, 2008 by David McKee

Sifting through my massive pile of unwritten Questions of the Day and unstudied analyst reports, we come to Indiana's October revenues. Ultimately, whether any particular metric is good or bad depends on context and perspective. To start with the big … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Don Barden, Economy, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off

Gaming bosses step up

Posted on November 7, 2008 by David McKee

While some casino companies we won’t name (coughBoyd Gamingcough) are responding this week to the bad economy with downsizing their workforce, others are setting a nobler example. Executives at both Isle of Capri Casinos and Trump Entertainment Resorts are literally … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, TV | Comments Off

Sanguine in Singapore

Posted on November 7, 2008 by David McKee

Marina Bay Sands: proceeding on schedule. Las Vegas Sands executives huddled with Singapore officials yesterday earlier this week to, as JP Morgan puts it, “discuss topics … including the pace of construction.” In other words, they were bracing Singaporean leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip | Comments Off

Wisdom from Wall Street

Posted on October 30, 2008 by David McKee

"Any gaming operator that postpones spending and preserves capital in this environment should be rewarded, in our view." — Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Steven Wieczynski, reacting to news that MGM Mirage had put its Atlantic City and north-Strip projects … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, MGM Mirage, Movies, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Boyd Takes Sanity Pill

Posted on October 29, 2008 by David McKee

After insisting right up to the bitter end, and then some, on going full-tilt with Echelon, now on hiatus for 7-12 months, Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith is modulating his tone. According to Reuters, "He emphasized that Boyd remains 'committed … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Morgans Hotel Group, The Strip | Comments Off

Reader recommendations

Posted on October 28, 2008 by David McKee

Last week, I solicited recommendations for affordable hotel rooms, on behalf of a reader. For those of you who don't monitor the "Comments" threads, here's what some readers had to offer … • Why not the Main Street Station; it's … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Harrah's, The Strip | Comments Off

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 10, 2008 by David McKee

“It really wasn’t about a quarter. It was really a matter of understanding the slot payout tables.” — Boyd Gaming spokesman Rob Stillwell, on the subject of a 25-cent dispute that began at The Orleans and ended in front of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Current, Labor, Regulation | Comments Off

Buddy, can you spare six billion?

Posted on October 7, 2008 by David McKee

Chuck Monster of VegasTripping.com is a man of few words, but he doesn't miss much (and his Dodgers are four wins shy of the World Series). He's run the numbers on Dubai World's purchase of MGM Mirage stock and found … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Fontainebleau, International, MGM Mirage, Tamares Group, The Strip | Comments Off

Happy anniversary, you're fired

Posted on October 6, 2008 by David McKee

That was essentially the message conveyed to several dozen workers at MGM Grand Detroit as the hotel-casino passed its first anniversary. Such cutbacks are usually routine in the industry and this one affected but a fraction of a percentage of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Detroit, Gary Goett, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Tribal, Wall Street | Comments Off

Steamed at Suncoast

Posted on September 30, 2008 by David McKee

Every so often, both Jean Scott and I yield the floor to casino customers who have a beef with The Man. One such gentleman approached me today and, with his permission, I am reprinting his letter, which he has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Dining | Comments Off

Pinnacle: "We're the boss here!"

Posted on September 26, 2008 by David McKee

“Pinnacle tells store owner to lower his price” reads the headline in the Press of Atlantic City, and it’s no exaggeration. Although the owner of the Atlantic City News Agency (a bookstore) has dropped the asking price for his property … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Downtown, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sports | Comments Off

Station gets it; In defense of Boyd

Posted on September 25, 2008 by David McKee

Kudos to Station Casinos for agreeing to give its employees first dibs on apartments to be built near Fiesta Henderson. This is a story that fell through the cracks recently but deserves to be highlighted. The land was originally set … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Harrah's, Morgans Hotel Group, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off

Boyd & Morgans: co-dependency and abuse

Posted on September 25, 2008 by David McKee

Where is your pride, Boyd Gaming? After being kicked in the teeth by Morgans Hotel Group last summer (when Morgans leaked the news of Echelon's suspension before Boyd's planned announcement), the casino company is crawling back for more. Today's announcement … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Morgans Hotel Group, The Strip | Comments Off

Penn impresses analysts

Posted on September 12, 2008 by David McKee

Penn National threw open its doors to Wall Street and JP Morgan, for one, came away impressed by what it heard. Basically, management is charting a fiscally conservative course, even though it could eventually reap $1.2 billion from its busted … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colorado, Election, Harrah's, Penn National, Taxes, Wall Street | Comments Off

E-Can debuts

Posted on August 29, 2008 by David McKee

We got out of the way of the front doors of Eastside Cannery last night just in the nick of time. For all the apprehension about opening new casinos in the current economy (especially when locals' gambling budgets have taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cannery Casino Resorts, George Maloof, James Packer, Station Casinos | Comments Off

On the other hand …

Posted on August 25, 2008 by David McKee

… if Illinois casinos are sucking wind (which they are), why hasn't this redounded more to the benefit of neighboring states? For instance, it looks like Indiana had a good July, but once you back out two new racinos, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Don Barden, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Isle of Capri, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment | Comments Off

This is news?; plus Station/Harrah's/Echelon notes

Posted on August 12, 2008 by David McKee

Way back when Vestin Group made a loan to the Castaways that exceeded the doomed casino's appraised value (as revealed by a Vestin-commissioned appraisal that miraculously emerged when the Castaways filed for bankruptcy*), I did some digging into Vestin's financials. … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Harrah's, Morgans Hotel Group, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off

Trop turnaround?

Posted on August 12, 2008 by David McKee

While the New Jersey Casino Control Commission continues to bobble the sale of the Atlantic City Tropicana, at least its stewardship has arrested and perhaps finally the property's decline. While a 5.5% decline in business is nothing to crow over, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Colorado, Columbia Sussex, Donald Trump, Harrah's, Kansas, Station Casinos, Tribal | Comments Off