Category Archives: Columbia Sussex

Atlantic City up, Louisiana down; Steve Wynn’s revenge

Gambling revenues inched upward in New Jersey, plus 1% statewide, mainly driven by Internet casinos (+9%). In Atlantic City, slot winnings rose 3.5% to ($159 million) on 4% more coin-in but tables slipped 4.5% to $54 million as wagering dipped … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Carl Icahn, Chicago, China, Churchill Downs, Columbia Sussex, Conventions, CQ Holdings, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Illinois, Illitch Family, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Law enforcement, Louisiana, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, New Jersey, Ocean Resort, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Slot routes, Sports betting, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Atlantic City up, Louisiana down; Steve Wynn’s revenge

Big Gaming’s boffo biz; Bay State buttinski; Trop’s doom sealed

Amidst all the gloom-and-doom talk about the U.S. economy, one sector is doing better than ever: gambling. 2Q22 was an industry-best and the year is on track to be the biggest in history (despite curtailments in international play). The American … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Atlantic City, Bally, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Columbia Sussex, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Full House Resorts, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, Indiana, Internet gambling, Laughlin, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, PointsBet, Regulation, Rush Street Gaming, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Adios, Tropicana?; New York sports betting tops $1 billion easily

Visit the Tropicana Las Vegas while yet you can. Why? Because Bally’s Corp. Chairman Soo Kim is seriously weighing the possibility of “knocking it down and starting over.” Yes, Kim would rebrand the place as Bally’s Las Vegas and then … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Atlantic City, Bally, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Columbia Sussex, Conventions, DraftKings, e-sports, Economy, Election, FanDuel, GLPI, Health, history, Laughlin, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Peninsula Pacific, Penn National, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sahara, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Virginia | Comments Off on Adios, Tropicana?; New York sports betting tops $1 billion easily

Welcome to Less Vegas

Caesars Entertainment, aka Eldorado Resorts, has become possessed by the evil spirit of spare-every-expense Columbia Sussex. In one of the most odious of recent cutpurse moves, bartenders have been ordered to short-pour liquor: The ‘new normal’ is .75 ounces per … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Arizona, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Columbia Sussex, Connecticut, Conventions, Cretins, DraftKings, Election, FanDuel, Florida, Health, Kansas, Lotteries, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Penn National, PointsBet, Politics, Racinos, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Washington State | 1 Comment

Massachusetts strong; Housekeepers under threat

Gambling win was down only 17% in Massachusetts last month for a statewide gross of $71 million. Plainridge Park posted $10 million for an average of $273/win/slot/day (it was $325 the previous August), dropping 16% on 16% less coin-in. So … Continue reading

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Economy, El Cortez, Environment, Health, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Penn National, Unite-Here, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

Resort fees look ominously permanent; Goodbye, Hard Rock Hotel

Las Vegas is “a market notorious for some of the highest resort fees anywhere.” So writes Hotelsmag.com’s Juliana Shallcross. Big Gaming needn’t be too worried: The Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 has gone absolutely nowhere in the supposedly liberal House … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Baseball, California, Columbia Sussex, Economy, Florida, Hard Rock Hotel, history, International, Politics, Regulation, Resort fees, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, Taxes, Technology, Virgin Hotels | 1 Comment

Japan scandal grows; Caesars slammed

Japan‘s 500.com bribery case continues to spread. An additional five Nipponese lawmakers have been implicated, accused of taking $9,249. The notion that Japanese solons would sell their souls for such chump change indicates how desperately they want to get in on the … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, Columbia Sussex, Dining, Eldorado Resorts, Illinois, Indiana, Japan, Lake Tahoe, Law enforcement, Marketing, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, North Carolina, Politics, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip | 3 Comments

MGM: Magnanimity, not culpability

The Associated Press has an hour-by-hour account of the MGM Resorts International settlement for the Mandalay Bay Massacre, the third-largest such outlay in U.S. history. Victims are generally happy with the outcome but the real bottom line is given by … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Charity, Columbia Sussex, DFS, Entertainment, Law enforcement, Mandalay Bay Massacre, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, PokerStars, Sports, Technology, The Strip, TV | 1 Comment

Atlantic City: Calm before the storm; Stormy weather in Louisiana

Atlantic City was stable last month, defying an unfavorable calendar (one less weekend day) and grossing $191.5 million, while online gambling had its second-best-ever month, pulling in $23 million (+10.5%). Slot handle was down 3.5%, as was revenue, while a … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Bruce Deifik, Columbia Sussex, Dan Gilbert, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, GLPI, Greenwood Racing, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mohegan Sun, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Slot routes, Tilman Fertitta, Tropicana Entertainment | Comments Off on Atlantic City: Calm before the storm; Stormy weather in Louisiana

Sands running in Pennsylvania; Zinke inaction irks tribes

Las Vegas Sands is halfway out the door at Sands Bethlehem but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any unfinished business, like seeking a five-year extension of its gambling license. CEO Brian Carr flashed some impressive numbers before regulators: $1.5 … Continue reading

Posted in Charity, Columbia Sussex, Foxwoods, Harrah's, Internet gambling, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Pennsylvania, PokerStars, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, Unite-Here | Comments Off on Sands running in Pennsylvania; Zinke inaction irks tribes

Strip weak, locals strong, Reno supercharged; Stanley Ho’s empire crumbles

January got the Las Vegas Strip off to a less-than auspicious start, with revenues dropping 9% from 2017. Locals casinos, meanwhile, were living it up, as revenue rose 8%, thanks in part to New Year’s Eve weekend slot drop being … Continue reading

Posted in Arkansas, Boulder Strip, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Downtown, Economy, Election, Foxwoods, Galaxy Entertainment, Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Lucky Dragon, Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Nevada, North Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 2 Comments

MGM’s $3.4 billion gamble; A.C. Trop, Vegas Strip show promise

With concession renewal lurking around the 2020 corner, this might seem a risky time for MGM Resorts International to open a $3.4 billion casino in Macao. But MGM China CEO Grant Bowie says, “The concession renewal will not be determined by … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Columbia Sussex, Cosmopolitan, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, Macau, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Unite-Here, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Case bets

After loudly proclaiming that it wasn’t going down the Internet– gambling path, MGM Resorts International has quietly reversed field and is opening a New Jersey Web site called playMGM. (To be fair, the company also inherited a flourishing ‘Net-bet operation … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Columbia Sussex, Florida, Genting, Internet gambling, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, New York, Racinos, Regulation | Comments Off on Case bets

Hard Rock takes Icahn to the cleaners

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

Analysts: Station underperforms; Miami Beach bans casinos

Station Casinos reported revenue yesterday and the Palms is on track for 6% ROI this year. So there’s some work to be done. Management is already off to a good start by closing the world’s largest Hooters, victim of sagging … Continue reading

Posted in Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Dining, Donald Trump, Florida, Genting, George Maloof, Hard Rock International, Harrah's, history, IGT, International, MGM Mirage, PokerStars, Seminole Tribe, Sports, Station Casinos, Wall Street | 1 Comment

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

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

Paris goes dark; A Bennett returns

In the first major Strip power outage in 12 years — the last was at Bellagio in 2004 — players at Paris-Las Vegas saw the entire casino resort go dark before their very eyes. Not even the auxiliary power kicked … Continue reading

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Harrah's, Hooters, International, Lake Tahoe, Paragon Gaming, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Westgate LV | Comments Off on Paris goes dark; A Bennett returns

Happy ending for casino site; DFS not out of the woods in New York

There’s a happy ending to the saga of Bavarian Brewery, which had been purchased by Columbia Sussex a decade back in hopes that it would be Kentucky‘s first casino. The building has lain fallow ever since and ColSux has gone … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Columbia Sussex, Geoff Freeman, GLPI, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Law enforcement, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Neil Bluhm, New York, Penn National, Sports | Comments Off on Happy ending for casino site; DFS not out of the woods in New York

The end of an era; Aquinnah tribe beats the odds

Free parking on the Las Vegas Strip bit the dust yesterday, as MGM Resorts International starting charging for the privilege of using its casino-hotels, starting with Aria, Vdara, Monte Carlo and New York-New York. Today, parking fees hit the low-rollers … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Columbia Sussex, Kentucky, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal | 1 Comment

Wall Street loves Red Rock; ColSux foiled again

Wall Street analysts are initiating coverage of Red Rock Resorts and they like what they see. JP Morgan‘s Joseph Greff put a $25 price target on the stock, emboldened in part by RRR’s acquisition of the Palms and its growing … Continue reading

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, history, Kentucky, Palms, Reno, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Wall Street loves Red Rock; ColSux foiled again