Category Archives: China

Sands low on Vegas, Boyd upbeat, mixed signals from Station

Yesterday it was Las Vegas Sands‘ turn with JP Morgan gaming analysts and the company was full of surprises. Little of its commentary had to do with the Las Vegas Strip, about which it was “downbeat,” what with conventioneers and … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, China, Downtown, Economy, FanDuel, Hawaii, Health, International, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Real Estate, Singapore, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Caesars, MGM: Recovery slow but promising

Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg sat down with JP Morgan analysts to discuss the state of the Roman Empire. In a sentence, better than you might expect. On the Las Vegas Strip “weekend demand has been strong, but weekday demand … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, China, Conventions, DraftKings, FanDuel, Florida, history, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Raiders, Louisiana, Macau, MGM Resorts International, New York, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Sports, Sports betting, The Crown 18, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 3 Comments

MGM rushes where Caesars fears to tread; Cullotta croaks

“By the end of the year” is MGM Resorts International‘s new timeline for reopening Park MGM. Archrival Caesars Entertainment is proceeding somewhat more circumspectly with its casino reopenings. “Caesars will open its remaining Las Vegas properties in line with customer … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Cirque du Soleil, Culinary Union, Dining, Donald Trump, Macau, Marketing, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Movies, North Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on MGM rushes where Caesars fears to tread; Cullotta croaks

Covid tourism at Bally’s; College football conundrum

When Bally’s Las Vegas announced that the Real Bodies exhibit would be adding “Covid-19 Content” we admittedly feared the worst: corpses of Coronavirus victims on display. While cashing in on Covid-19 is in questionable taste, Real Bodies seems to be … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Dining, Diversity, Economy, Election, FanDuel, Health, Las Vegas Raiders, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Regulation, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Transportation, Westgate LV, William Hill | 3 Comments

New hope for Station; Raider Nation exiled

Station Casinos reported second-quarter results yesterday and JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff came away “encouraged” and “impressed.” He wrote of “less bad results in April and May and much better positive [cash flow] generation in June.” How so? In its … Continue reading

Posted in China, Economy, FanDuel, Golden Gaming, Health, IGT, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Case Bets

Something good came out of Washington, D.C. today. (How often can one type that sentence?) Reps. Dina Titus (D) and Guy Reschenthaler (R) introduced bipartisan legislation to repeal the excise taxes and head taxes (a $50 annual levy on every … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, China, Dining, DraftKings, Entertainment, GLPI, Golden Nugget, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Michael Gaughan, Philippines, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Taxes, Terry Caudill, TV, Virgin Hotels | Comments Off on Case Bets

“Extreme” pessimism in Las Vegas; The D pisses for safety

Writing off the 2Q20 results as “less than relevant,” JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff was guardedly optimistic about Las Vegas Sands, even though management’s conference call “shed little light on the path of recovery in Macau SAR, Singapore or Las … Continue reading

Posted in China, Churchill Downs, Derek Stevens, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maine, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Atlantic City: The fix was in

In a sham ritual (only two of five members were present), the New Jersey Casino Control Commission green-lit the Eldorado Resorts takeover of Caesars Entertainment. Effectively rebuking the recommendations of the Division of Gaming Enforcement, the two commissioners allowed deed … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, China, Diversity, Donald Trump, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Hard Rock International, Health, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Ocean Resort, Regulation, Twin River, Unite-Here | 4 Comments

Las Vegas: The first shall be last

Don’t stay up late waiting for business in Las Vegas to return to “normal” levels. Sin City is uniquely vulnerable to downturns in the U.S. economy (think of the Great Recession) and a trailing indicator of gambling’s health. The prime … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Aristocrat, Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, China, Conventions, Downtown, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Florida, G2E, Hard Rock International, Health, Las Vegas Sands, LVCVA, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Ohio, Penn National, Technology, The Strip, Transportation, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

See Vegas and die

Phil Ruffin and Terry Caudill are singled out as bad actors in a sweeping new lawsuit being filed even as we speak by the Culinary Union. It alleges, among other things, that neither Circus Circus nor the Four Queens nor … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Culinary Union, Diversity, Economy, Environment, Georgia, Health, Japan, MGM Resorts International, North Las Vegas, Phil Ruffin, Station Casinos, Terry Caudill, The Strip | 2 Comments

Penn, Boyd bushwhack jobs

There’s still no timeline for Tropicana Las Vegas to reopen, certainly not by mid-July. That news comes as Penn National Gaming slashed 2,575 jobs over eight states. Evidently Penn doesn’t expect the current surge in business to last, as most … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Colorado, Dining, Economy, Florida, Health, Kansas, Law enforcement, M Resort, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Penn National, Sahara, Scientific Games, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 1 Comment

“The calculus of reopening”

There seems to be a perception abroad in the land that, because Coronavirus is abating we’re out of the woods and can revert to pre-Covid-19 conduct. Reports of people wildly disregarding social distancing (now being downgraded to “appropriate distancing,” whatever … Continue reading

Posted in China, Current, Health, history, Horseracing, MGM Resorts International, New Jersey, Regulation, Security, Tourism | Comments Off on “The calculus of reopening”

Union: Where there’s a will, there’s a way

Discontent with casino management is spreading from Las Vegas to the Gulf Coast and beyond. In a Unite-Here teleconference, local union President Marlene Patrick Cooper expressed the general sentiment, saying, “This is a disaster that’s 10 times worse than Katrina. They chose … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, China, Derek Stevens, Dining, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Entertainment, Health, Herbst Gaming, Mississippi, Movies, Nevada, Regulation, The Strip, Unite-Here, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Macao bad, worse to come; No casinos for Brazil

“With the government keeping limitations on individual and group visas into the market and transportation options remaining impaired we believe the Macau market could take five to seven months to start stabilizing and showing improvement,” Stifel Financial analyst Steven Wieczynski … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, China, Connecticut, Dining, Economy, Foxwoods, Galaxy Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Health, history, International, Internet gambling, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maryland, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Ocean Resort, Politics, Scientific Games, Station Casinos, Taxes, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

No recovery in Macao

Despite the lifting of a government quarantine, casino revenues in Macao did not bounce back last month, down 80% to $664 million. That’s worse than forecast (70%). Tourism restrictions prompted by a second boomlet of Covid-19 in Macao didn’t help. … Continue reading

Posted in China, Economy, Health, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, PokerStars, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Technology, Tourism | Comments Off on No recovery in Macao

Boyd opens its wallet, stringency at Scientific, improvidence at MGM

Boyd Gaming, which had previously been reported to be giving two weeks pay (misreported as one week by the Las Vegas Review-Journal) to employees idled in Las Vegas by the one-month casino shutdown, has gotten “george” and extended the hardship pay … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Economy, Health, Illinois, Japan, Jim Murren, Kentucky, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Neil Bluhm, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Scientific Games, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

The last good month; NBA to resurrect in Vegas?

Las Vegas Strip gaming revenue was flat in February at $596 million and probably should have been better, given the presence of an extra weekend day. (Statewide, revenues were up 3%.) Strip slots were robust, gaining 7% on 7.5% higher … Continue reading

Posted in Boulder Strip, Charity, China, Conventions, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Mesquite, North Las Vegas, Reno, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, TV, Wendover | 2 Comments

Stimulus is here, recovery … who knows?

It’s still not a done deal but what Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) calls “emergency relief” emerged from the Senate yesterday. A few jerks tried to hold it up with the preposterous argument that “the expanded unemployment benefits were overly … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, China, Conventions, Cretins, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, Environment, Galaxy Entertainment, Health, International, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Politics, South Korea, Terry Caudill, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, TV, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Stimulus is here, recovery … who knows?

Wynn Resorts defended; Trump stiffs hotel employees

JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff came riding to the aid of Wynn Resorts this week. “COVID-19’s evolving impact has created a lot of share price carnage in the gaming and lodging sector, to state the obvious. Its impact should be … Continue reading

Posted in China, Current, Donald Trump, Downtown Grand, Economy, Environment, Florida, Health, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Problem gambling, Regulation, The Strip, Tourism, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Poverty in the suites; Industry ramps up bailout pressure

Sheldon Adelson is worth $28 billion today. Which doesn’t sound so bad until you consider that he was worth $40 billion before the Wall Street crash. That’s the literal price of owning 432,000,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands. Not that … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, California, Carl Icahn, Charity, China, Donald Trump, Economy, Elaine Wynn, FanDuel, GLPI, Health, history, Horseracing, Illinois, Internet gambling, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Movies, New York, Phil Ruffin, Sheldon Adelson, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Mob, Tribal, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Poverty in the suites; Industry ramps up bailout pressure