Category Archives: Conventions

Hot July in Vegas; GLPI’s Illinois big gulp; Mega-Jottings

How impressive was the Las Vegas Strip‘s July performance? Pretty damned impressive, considering that it hit a best-ever record on only 1% higher visitation than last year and 4% less than in the halcyon year of 2019. Hotel occupany ran … Continue reading

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Charity, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Economy, Election, Failsinos, GLPI, Hard Rock International, Hawaii, Health, Illinois, New Hampshire, Palms, Problem gambling, Real Estate, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, The Strip, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street, Wisconsin | Comments Off on Hot July in Vegas; GLPI’s Illinois big gulp; Mega-Jottings

Big Apple dream; BetMGM welshes; Dekkers: Mom’s to blame

Developer Larry Silverstein‘s PR peeps released additional renderings of The Avenir over the weekend and they are certainly impressive. Few additional details of the proposed resort have been made available but the striking exterior is the work of veteran casino … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Arizona, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Cretins, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Greenwood Racing, IGT, International, Iowa, Law enforcement, Lotteries, New York, Politics, Rush Street Gaming, Sports, Sports betting, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Big Apple dream; BetMGM welshes; Dekkers: Mom’s to blame

Wall Street: Station soft; DraftKings impresses, Bally’s doesn’t

“If you were surprised you haven’t been paying attention.” So wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli of yesterday’s Station Casinos earnings release. He added, “it should come as no surprise that RRR reported results that were softer than our forecasts,” which were … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Conventions, Cordish Co., DraftKings, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Galaxy Entertainment, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Kentucky, Macau, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Politics, Racinos, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Wall Street: Station soft; DraftKings impresses, Bally’s doesn’t

Bears and bulls at MGM; Uwazurike spells “idiot”

J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff was pretty blunt about MGM Resorts International‘s mixed bag of 2Q23 numbers. “Carried by Macau,” he headlined his report, adding that the Las Vegas Strip was in line with expectations but regional casinos came up … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, BetMGM, China, Colorado, Conventions, Derek Stevens, Detroit, Economy, Entertainment, FanDuel, Health, Internet gambling, Iowa, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Movies, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Bears and bulls at MGM; Uwazurike spells “idiot”

Afterglow at Caesars; Trouble at Resorts World; Gridiron goof

Although Las Vegas numbers from Caesars Entertainment were modestly down in 2Q23, as people visit Sin City more but gamble less, analysts were largely pleased with the results. Why not? A robust, $64 million improvement in the digital sphere of … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Conventions, DraftKings, Georgia, Internet gambling, Iowa, Law enforcement, Mississippi, Nebraska, Regulation, Resorts World LV, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Virginia, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Bellagio bargain?; Shame on Maine; Trump seen slumming

Yup, it’s true. Blackstone Group is shopping the real estate assets of Bellagio as it draws down its Las Vegas Strip exposure. At least one Wall Street analyst thinks this would send a signal to the REIT industry that Strip … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Donald Trump, Entertainment, history, Law enforcement, Maine, MGM Resorts International, Real Estate, Regulation, Seminole Tribe, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Rio, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Bellagio bargain?; Shame on Maine; Trump seen slumming

Strip softens, locals don’t; Culinary coup; Fanatic-al frenzy

It had to happen sometime. But it’s strange that Las Vegas Strip gambling revenues would lose momentum in a month (May) in which visitation to Sin City rose 1.5% from last year. 3.5 million people hit town, sending hotel occupancies … Continue reading

Posted in Apollo Management, Boulder Strip, Conventions, Culinary Union, DraftKings, Fanatics, Internet gambling, Laughlin, Mesquite, New Jersey, North Las Vegas, PointsBet, Politics, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Transportation, Wendover | 1 Comment

Las Vegas A-Z; Bally’s bumbles; Smoke gets in your face

Last week, Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli hit town and gave a rundown of the major players in Sin City. His overall theses can be found at CDC Gaming Reports. Basically, it boiled down to Macao great, Las Vegas Strip … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Baseball, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Dining, Diversity, Donald Trump, Economy, Fontainebleau, Health, Indiana, Internet gambling, Kansas, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, New York, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Politics, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Las Vegas A-Z; Bally’s bumbles; Smoke gets in your face

Caesars satisfies; Knee-Jerlecki response; Press-ed out

Wall Street analysts rolled over and lit a cigarette after hearing Caesars Entertainment‘s first-quarter earnings call. J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff said the results were pretty much as expected “with Las Vegas Strip upside more (way more) than offsetting a … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic City, Bally, Conventions, Dining, Economy, Golden Nugget, Health, Indiana, Louisiana, Mesquite, MGM Resorts International, Missouri, Mohegan Sun, Nebraska, Ocean Resort, Ohio, Pahrump, Penn National, Reno, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Virginia, Wall Street, Wendover | 3 Comments

Caesars meets The Street; NYC shuffle; Shreveport switcheroo

Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg and Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance Brian Agnew just sat down with Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli, who came away sufficiently impressed with the Roman Empire to maintain a “Buy” rating on CZR. Santarelli … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Caesars Entertainment, Cantor Gaming, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Cordish Co., Donald Trump, Failsinos, Genting, Golden Gaming, Hard Rock International, International, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Marketing, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, TV, Wall Street, West Virginia, Wynn Resorts | 5 Comments

Tilman keeps his cool; New Jersey woes; Mega-Jottings

Don’t hold your breath if you’re waiting for Tilman Fertitta to break ground on what will probably be a Post Oak Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The mogul is keeping his powder dry, or as Truist Securities analyst Barry … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Australia, Bally, Colony Capital, Colorado, Conventions, Dining, DraftKings, Economy, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, history, Illinois, Lake Tahoe, Louisiana, New Jersey, Paragon Gaming, Philippines, Politics, Regulation, Sports betting, Star Entertainment, Station Casinos, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, United Kingdom, Wall Street | 2 Comments

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

Full House flopping; The bull case for gaming and Vegas

We tweeted after the opening of The Temporary at American Place (yes, that’s its cumbersome nomeclature) that it was “a hit.” We were wrong. According to Full House Resorts CEO Dan Lee and CFO Lewis Fanger, The Temporary eked out … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Colorado, Conventions, Cretins, Culinary Union, Dan Lee, Dining, Diversity, DraftKings, Economy, Full House Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Illinois, Lotteries, Marketing, Massachusetts, Nevada, Penn National, Regulation, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Caesars, MGM impress The Street; Less drag at Golden; Police blotter

After hanging out with CEO Tom Reeg and Senior Vice President of Finance Brian Agnew, analyst Joseph Greff of J.P. Morgan came away “upbeat” about Caesars Entertainment. His optimism centered on three salient points: “Las Vegas strength and momentum”; “a … Continue reading

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Cretins, Dining, G2E, Golden Gaming, Internet gambling, Japan, Law enforcement, Louisiana, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Politics, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, Texas, The Strip, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street, Wyoming | Comments Off on Caesars, MGM impress The Street; Less drag at Golden; Police blotter

Wall Street lauds Station, Wynn, MGM

Station Casinos posted impressive 4Q22 numbers—if not as impressive to Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli as Boyd Gaming‘s. Still, net revenues were up 2% and cash flow improved 3.5% (Boyd did 7% and 13%, respectively.) Santarelli liked Station’s improved margins … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Architecture, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, California, Conventions, Cosmopolitan, Economy, Encore, Macau, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Palms, Real Estate, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Wall Street lauds Station, Wynn, MGM

No ‘M’ in ‘Penn’; A Royal mystery; See Vegas and die

Scarcely had the hot air cooled on Penn Entertainment‘s announcement that it was doubling the capacity of M Resort than word trickled out—via Vital Vegas—that Penn is in talks too sell the locals-oriented property to MGM Resorts Entertainment. It would … Continue reading

Posted in Barstool Sports, Conventions, Downtown, Failsinos, Illinois, Las Vegas Raiders, Law enforcement, M Resort, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Nevada, Ohio, Penn National, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, The Strip | 3 Comments

Indiana flat, Missouri down; Bally’s happy talk; Miller loses it

Casinos in Indiana kept pace with 2021 last month, grossing $196 million. No prizes for guessing who was tops—Hard Rock Northern Indiana with $35.5 million, a 14% leap from the previous November. Horseshoe Hammond fell 16% but hung in there … Continue reading

Posted in AGA, Australia, Bally, Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Century Casinos, Chicago, China, Colorado, Conventions, DFS, DraftKings, Economy, FanDuel, Genting, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Law enforcement, Macau, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Penn National, Regulation, Sports betting, Star Entertainment, Station Casinos, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | Comments Off on Indiana flat, Missouri down; Bally’s happy talk; Miller loses it

MGM: Change partners and dance; 888 TKO’d

It’s Blackstone Group out, Vici Properties in at MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, as Vici exercised its option over the half (OK, 49.9%) that it didn’t already own. Blackstone is $2.8 billion richer as a result, including $700 million in … Continue reading

Posted in Alabama, Arizona, Atlantic City, Bally, BetMGM, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Canada, Conventions, DraftKings, Economy, Election, FanDuel, Florida, Genting, Golden Nugget, Internet gambling, Iowa, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Maryland, MGM Resorts International, Michael Gaughan, Nebraska, Politics, Puerto Rico, Racinos, Real Estate, Regulation, Sports betting, Taxes, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Vici Properties, Virginia, Wall Street, WInd Creek | Comments Off on MGM: Change partners and dance; 888 TKO’d

MGM, Penn disappoint, Golden droops; Tilman’s gambit

Dragged down the golden albatross that is Macao, earnings of MGM Resorts International missed analysts’ projections by a whopping $1.61 per share for a 3Q22 loss of $1.39/share. More’s the pity, as MGM did so many things right. Wall Street … Continue reading

Posted in Bally, Barstool Sports, Baseball, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, California, China, CityCenter, Conventions, Cosmopolitan, Detroit, DraftKings, Economy, Election, Full House Resorts, GLPI, Golden Gaming, Health, Illinois, Internet gambling, Iowa, Japan, Laughlin, M Resort, Macau, Maryland, Mattress Mack, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Rush Street Gaming, Singapore, Slot routes, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Caesars Strip-tease; Slot flea swatted; Biden targets resort fees

In the end, all that talk of Caesars Entertainment selling a Las Vegas Strip asset was just a sham. The company probably couldn’t find any takers for the Flamingo at CEO Tom Reeg‘s preposterous asking price (ditto his equally preposterous … Continue reading

Posted in Arizona, Bally, Baseball, Caesars Entertainment, Chicago, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Cordish Co., Hard Rock International, Indiana, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Planet Hollywood, Politics, Real Estate, Resort fees, Sports betting, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Virginia, Wall Street, Washington State | 4 Comments