Category Archives: California

“It’s not Vegas”

Posted on March 31, 2010 by David McKee

Unfortunately, that’s all too evident from this TV spot, which looks an awful lot like the ones you’d see for a second-tier Las Vegas locals casino like the El Cortez or Renata’s, or maybe a P.T.’s Pub. If I were … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, California, Downtown, Marketing, TV | 1 Comment

Love Train

Posted on March 18, 2010 by David McKee

As in the flowering bromance between Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and mouthpiece-for-hire Sig “The Fixer” Rogich. The former, a longtime supporter of a proposed maglev train betwixt Las Vegas and Anaheim, switched his allegiance to Rogich’s Choo-Choo-to-Nowhere, by the strangest … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., California, Economy, Election, Herbst Gaming, Politics, Station Casinos, Taxes, Tourism, Transportation | 10 Comments

Exonerating Adelson

Posted on March 17, 2010 by David McKee

While Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson might approve of Gary Kreep‘s recent PAC-tivities, inasmuch as they redound to the detriment of competitor MGM Mirage, he’s not behind them. Or, to put it another way, if Adelson’s been involved it … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Current, Dubai, Election, Florida, Macau, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho | 5 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 10, 2010 by David McKee

“Political pundits cast aspersions on candidates and incumbents by labeling their policies and beliefs ‘communist’ or ‘socialist. I have noticed many of these exchanges recently and wanted to bring them to light in a humorous way by placing them here … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Movies, Politics, The Mob, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Macao even more profitable than previously thought

Posted on February 10, 2010 by David McKee

If the Chinese government isn’t handing free money to casino operators in Macao, they’re getting the next best thing: free land. Due to the exceptionally slow-moving nature of Macanese governmental paperwork, casino developers have been able to build on their … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Neil Bluhm, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes | 4 Comments

A funny thing happened …

Posted on February 8, 2010 by David McKee

I was touring the Erotic Heritage Museum, when my guide, doctoral student Amanda Morgan, made the following observation: “As you know, Nevada is very conservative. If you look at the population of people in Las Vegas and looked at the … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Election, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Politics, The Strip, TV | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on January 15, 2010 by David McKee

“Therefore, it is imperative that you encourage President Obama to publicly acknowledge that Las Vegas and all of Nevada is a wonderful place for business or pleasure and that Americans should visit and conduct business in Nevada.” — demand made … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Cretins, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Politics | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

From the S&G Twitter feed …

Posted on January 12, 2010 by David McKee

For those of you who aren’t following it, here’s what you’ve been missing: • Station [Casinos] shuts Cherry @ Red Rock [Resort], ends flirtation w. Strip-ish nightlife. In Summerlin? Right casino, wrong place. http://tinyurl.com/ye36uqm • @IOC_Brand Jim Perry, Virginia McDowell … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, IGT, International, Isle of Capri, Kansas, Lyle Berman, Mississippi, Politics, Regulation, Station Casinos, Technology, TV | Comments Off on From the S&G Twitter feed …

California, by the numbers

Posted on January 12, 2010 by David McKee

Capitol Weekly breaks down the vital statistics of California’s tribal-casino industry, in case you were curious. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) needn’t worry about additional slot capacity causing traffic jams and more crime: Golden State tribal casinos are mired in a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Politics, Tribal | 2 Comments

Sheldon the Barbarian & other news

Posted on January 11, 2010 by David McKee

Amid reports of vastly improved attendance at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show comes news of a typical overreaction by Las Vegas Sands. I know of one company that was doing off-site demos and fortunately wasn’t among the vendors turfed out … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Carl Icahn, Colorado, Columbia Sussex, Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Indiana, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment | 5 Comments

They took away the Reading Room …

Posted on December 17, 2009 by David McKee

… only to give us Assouline, a store that specializes in big books with lots of pictures and can found in Crystals. However, you needn’t bother shopping there unless you have money out the assouline. Or as a company exec … Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, California, CityCenter, Colorado, Economy, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, The Strip, Tribal | 3 Comments

F-bleau: It’s Icahn’s … or is it?

Posted on November 24, 2009 by David McKee

True to form, Carl Icahn sprang when you least expected him to, sneaking up on Penn National Gaming in bankruptcy court to outbid it for the bankrupt Fontainebleau in the first round of bartering (a process that will drag into … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Carl Icahn, Current, Economy, Fontainebleau, IGT, Louisiana, Morgans Hotel Group, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, The Strip, Wall Street | 6 Comments

Case Bets: Ensign, Angelica Bridges & the smell of Vegas

Posted on November 20, 2009 by David McKee

Look for ex-Mandalay Resort Group boss Mike Ensign to play a supporting role in Nightline‘s Nov. 23 exposé of, among other things, the 96 dimes in hush money he channeled to the cuckolded husband of his son’s mistress. You’ve got … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Colony Capital, Colorado, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Isle of Capri, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 4 Comments

Best idea of the week … or year

Posted on November 6, 2009 by David McKee

From our Today’s News feed: “Until now, MGM Mirage exercised a policy of having each property in the group compete with the others, as if they were totally independent competing entities. It was a strategy designed to keep salespeople ‘on … Continue reading →

Posted in California, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Plaza, Steve Wynn | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on October 13, 2009 by David McKee

“Chickens gained valuable rights in California on the same day that gay men and lesbians lost them.” — Ronald M. George, chief justice of the California Supreme Court, on the caprices of the state's initiative-and-referendum system. A ballot measure regulating … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Case Bets: California crisis, M cutbacks, "Guiding Light" in LV, etc.

Posted on October 8, 2009 by David McKee

Ist California kaput? That’s the question posed by the The Observer and it makes for troubling reading. If Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) is right that tourism from California is the carotid artery of Nevada‘s economy, then the Silver State is … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, California, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, M Resort, Macau, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Tourism, TV | Comments Off on Case Bets: California crisis, M cutbacks, "Guiding Light" in LV, etc.

Case Bets: Wynn in Macao, "Peepshow" strips down

Posted on September 29, 2009 by David McKee

• Steve Wynn is accelerating his timetable for developing on the Cotai Strip™. If Wynn continues to learn from his early miscalculations (and I see no reason to expect otherwise), a gaming-centric Wynn Resorts property on Cotai is a far … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Economy, Entertainment, Harry Reid, Macau, Planet Hollywood, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off on Case Bets: Wynn in Macao, "Peepshow" strips down

Gambling scandal ensares eight more

Posted on September 21, 2009 by David McKee

It’s not quite on the global scale of the Ultimate Bet brouhaha, but the Tran Organization‘s conspiracy to fleece dozens of U.S., Canadian and tribal casinos is racking up an amazing head count. To date, federal prosecutors have already nailed … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, California, Colony Capital, Don Barden, Donald Trump, Harrah's, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, Station Casinos, The Mob, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Gambling scandal ensares eight more

The Apocalypse is nigh!

Posted on September 17, 2009 by David McKee

Las Vegas to Nowhere, all aboard! Oh.My.God. Both Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-NV) and I are in agreement on something: Sig Rogich‘s Choo-Choo to Nowhere blows donkeys and that maglev (aka, “The Sin City Express“) is the way to go. CityLife … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Harry Reid, Louisiana, Politics, Technology | Comments Off on The Apocalypse is nigh!

Blast from the Past

Posted on September 11, 2009 by David McKee

Rock A Hoola, the freakish subject of this 1998 promotional film, is to be the topic of a forthcoming Question of the Day, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, enjoy this slide down Memory Lane: We drove past … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Entertainment, Tourism | Comments Off on Blast from the Past