Category Archives: California

Election special: What’s at stake

Posted on October 21, 2010 by David McKee

100% devoid of Nevada-related content! Leaving aside a local advisory question in Richmond, California, there are four races to watch. Voters in Maine have blown hot and cold on casinos in their state. Next month they’ll weigh in on whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, California, Cordish Co., Election, Isle of Capri, Maryland, Missouri, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Wall Street, West Virginia | 1 Comment

The Primm mystery deepens

Posted on October 7, 2010 by David McKee

So is Herbst family hubris about to claim one or more victims in Primm? LVA sources report that perhaps 240 cars were there on a recent weekend, a sixth of them at Whiskey Pete’s, which wasn’t taking room bookings either … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Herbst Gaming | 3 Comments

Ameristar’s altruism … and so much more

Posted on October 6, 2010 by David McKee

Gaming regulators in Missouri got a little unsolicited advice from Ameristar Casinos as to where to put Casino License #13. Ameristar Vice President of Government Relations & Public Affairs Troy Stremming commissioned a study on the matter. Its shocking conclusion: … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Arizona, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, California, Colony Capital, Cretins, Current, Dennis Gomes, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Horseracing, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Missouri, New York, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Tourism, Tribal, TV, West Virginia | 5 Comments

Barrack 1, Bankers 0; Criminal stupidity

Posted on September 24, 2010 by David McKee

A skirmish over the fate of the Atlantic City Hilton ended in victory for Colony Capital. A Superior Court judge decided there were too many unresolved issues in the dissolution of Colony’s East Coast casino portfolio to warrant taking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, California, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, Lake Tahoe, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Harrah’s does it again (and again … and again)

Posted on September 9, 2010 by David McKee

Hey, Gary Loveman, don’t let the doorknob hit you in the butt as you skedaddle out of Kansas for the second time.  Ever-fickle, Harrah’s Entertainment turned tail and ran from the Sunflower State on the very date its Wichita-area proposal … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, California, Current, Economy, Encore, Entertainment, Harrah's, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Planet Hollywood, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Shuffle Master, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 6 Comments

Readers are genius

Posted on August 20, 2010 by David McKee

A big shout-out goes to the S&G subscriber who has the best solution yet for reviving interest in Atlantic City: “Just put the cast of Jersey Shore on view in glass cages on the Boardwalk (like the Snake Guy on … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Marketing, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 5 Comments

Who needs M most?; Station’s glass jaw

Posted on August 17, 2010 by David McKee

In a shocker of a scoop, The Newspaper That Must Not Be Cited revealed yesterday that a $700 million stake in $1 billion M Resort was being shopped around by the resort’s lead banker. While this probably says more about … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Kansas, M Resort, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Riviera, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 8 Comments

Aqueduct: Then there were three

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David McKee

As the contentious racino contract for Aqueduct Racetrack is rebid, the field has narrowed to three suitors, all of whom are in enviable cash positions. Penn National Gaming‘s bankroll has taken on Holy Grail status, Genting Bhd has a money-spinner … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Columbia Sussex, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, history, Lake Tahoe, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment

From the mailbag

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David McKee

Thanks for linking this article in your blog; it was interesting reading. But as I was finishing the article, the question that kept popping up in my head was: Does it make sense to spend billions and billions for a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Tourism, Transportation | 5 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 14, 2010 by David McKee

“Gaming industry observer William Thompson, a professor of public administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said IGT is a credible, Nevada-regulated slot machine company that would be very careful about legalities.” — Yes, the same carefulness toward legalities … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, California, Current, IGT, Internet gambling, Technology, Tribal | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Sands Bethlehem breaks ground … again

Posted on June 8, 2010 by David McKee

No, that’s not a joke. Las Vegas Sands held a “grand re-groundbreaking” on the hotel portion of its white elephant, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. When money ran short, Sands ditched everything but the parking lot and casino, leaving the hotel … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Economy, Marketing, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Technology, Tribal, TV | 1 Comment

Jane, stop this crazy thing!

Posted on June 7, 2010 by David McKee

Thanks to a bit of last-minute perfidy by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), it looks as though Nevadans — and, mark my words, taxpayers — will eventually be stuck with Sig Rogich‘s Choo-Choo to Nowhere, the train that boards in Vegas … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, California, Current, Economy, Harry Reid, Technology, Transportation | 1 Comment

Jason lives … at Station Casinos

Posted on June 4, 2010 by David McKee

Jason Voorhees (well, one of the many) is Station Casinos‘ general manager for the tribally owned Thunder Valley Casino, near Sacramento. No, I’m not making this up. Uncle Sheldon says … that convention business will be “80% of normal” in … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, International, Macau, Massachusetts, Neil Bluhm, Oklahoma, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 3 Comments

Murren snubs Gibbons, goes to Peking

Posted on May 27, 2010 by David McKee

Even Gov. Jim Gibbons has realized the futility of his ill-conceived attempt to play The Great Mediator in the MGM Mirage vs. Perini Building war. As a courtesy, CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin met with Midnight Jim, to basically tell him … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Current, Economy, International, Labor, Macau, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, The Strip | Comments Off on Murren snubs Gibbons, goes to Peking

When in doubt, hire a chef

Posted on May 25, 2010 by David McKee

That increasingly dubious X Train project doesn’t have first dibs on Union Pacific tracks, after all. And the on-board gambling (which S&G never took seriously) has been ixnayed. So whaddya do when you need a quick jolt of publicity? Hire … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Dining, Marketing, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off on When in doubt, hire a chef

X Train derailed; Wynn trumps Trump

Posted on May 24, 2010 by David McKee

It may already be time to stick a fork in the so-called X Train, which would use existing rail lines to carry gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. According to The Associated Press, X Train is being sued by … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Columbia Sussex, Donald Trump, Downtown, Golden Gaming, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | 2 Comments

More X Train hype

Posted on May 16, 2010 by David McKee

Those folks behind the X Train have managed to snag some teevee time and the more they talk, the more their project sounds like empty hype: a lot of fancy promises upfront but little indication of from whence the startup … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Tourism, Transportation | 3 Comments

Nevada: No recovery yet

Posted on May 11, 2010 by David McKee

“We hit the bottom and are slowly climbing out,” contends Nevada Gaming Control Board analyst Frank Streshley, trying to put the best spin on a flat March. There were definitely some silver linings. Who’da thunk Laughlin (2.5%), Reno (5%) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, CityCenter, Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, LVCVA, Marketing, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Reno, Sports, The Strip | 10 Comments

New train on the block

Posted on April 14, 2010 by David McKee

While the rival maglev-to-Anaheim and high-speed Las Vegas-to-Victorville train projects duke it out for funding and bragging rights, a third Vegas-to-SoCal project has entered the fray. Las Vegas Railway Express proposes to employ existing infrastructure and trains, reducing by three … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Regulation, Transportation | 3 Comments

From the mailbag

Posted on April 2, 2010 by David McKee

Our Los Angeles correspondent has a few things to say about Commerce Casino, whose craptastic new TV commercial was recently featured on S&G, to much derision. Ever see the billboards in L.A. trying to get people to bring their home … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Marketing, TV | Comments Off on From the mailbag