Category Archives: Conventions

Stimulus is here, recovery … who knows?

Posted on March 26, 2020 by David McKee

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?

Notes in the time of Coronavirus

Posted on March 20, 2020 by David McKee

Saying her city “cannot survive” a month-long shutdown, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (D) wants Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) to drastically reduce his 30-day casino closure. We admire Goodman normally but think she’s out of her depth here or, as … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Cretins, Economy, Election, Genting, Horseracing, International, Las Vegas Raiders, Nevada, New York, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State | Comments Off on Notes in the time of Coronavirus

Casino closures sweep the country

Posted on March 16, 2020 by David McKee

We’re all going through what are called “adjustment reactions,” including casino executives across the country. They’d like to stay open for business—many are—but others are being forced to close or making the difficult choice to go dark on their own. … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Cordish Co., Derek Stevens, Downtown, e-sports, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Health, IGT, Illinois, Indiana, Las Vegas Sands, Maryland, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Scientific Games, Sports, Station Casinos, The Strip, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Crisis mode hits Las Vegas

Posted on March 14, 2020 by David McKee

Our country is still trying to grasp the ramifications of Coronavirus, as Broadway goes dark, Disneyland and Disneyworld are closed, The Masters and Boston Marathon are postponed, and cancellations of sporting and cultural events (here and abroad) comprise a list longer … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Dining, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Health, LVCVA, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Pets, The Strip, Tourism, Wynn Resorts | 5 Comments

Las Vegas slides toward crisis as market tanks

Posted on March 12, 2020 by David McKee

Coronavirus having been officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, it was only a matter of time before the impact hit Las Vegas. Not much time, either. Late yesterday, the National Association of Broadcasters pulled the plug … Continue reading →

Posted in AGA, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, DFS, Donald Trump, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Health, International, Las Vegas Sands, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, New York, Sheldon Adelson, South Korea, Sports, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Twin River, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | 3 Comments

Panic in The Street, Vegas calmer

Posted on March 9, 2020 by David McKee

A stock market “circuit breaker” was deployed for the first time since the crash of 2008, when Wall Street opened for trading and stocks promptly nosedived. All major casino stocks are trading down, especially Wynn Resorts, Eldorado Resorts and Station Casinos. … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Conventions, Diversity, Eldorado Resorts, Health, IGT, International, Macau, MGM Resorts International, Oregon, Philippines, Sports betting, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Panic in The Street, Vegas calmer

Vegas vs. virus; Tribe puts $1 billion on table

Posted on March 4, 2020 by David McKee

Las Vegas is 20,000 attendees poorer now that Adobe Summit 2020 has pulled the plug on its convention. Although Sin City has been spared from coronavirus fears so far, withdrawals of this magnitude are at least as bad as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alabama, China, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Donald Trump, Election, Health, International, Lotteries, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Real Estate, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal | Comments Off on Vegas vs. virus; Tribe puts $1 billion on table

Macao sucks; Massachusetts tribe rebuffed … again

Posted on March 3, 2020 by David McKee

Macao was a ghost town last month, with hotel occupancy an anemic 12%. Gaming analysts, in addition to writing off 1Q20, are predicting a 50% declivity in the second quarter, with recovery not taking hold until October. Casino companies, meanwhile, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Caesars Entertainment, California, Conventions, Donald Trump, Economy, International, Las Vegas Sands, Law enforcement, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Money laundering, Palms, Regulation, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Macao sucks; Massachusetts tribe rebuffed … again

Ghost in the (slot) machine; The “evil genius” of resort fees

Posted on March 3, 2020 by David McKee

Electrical troubles are bedeviling Downtown casinos. All the slot machines at the Four Queens and Binion’s Gambling Hall were idled by a mechanical snafu last week. Table games remained operational, as did selected video-poker machines. Terry Caudill clammed up when … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventions, Crown Resorts, Derek Stevens, Downtown, IGT, International, Law enforcement, Macau, Massachusetts, Maverick Gaming, Regulation, Resort fees, Technology, Terry Caudill, Virgin Hotels, Washington State, Wynn Resorts | 1 Comment

Gaming exempt from Wall Street love; Harry-come-lately

Posted on March 3, 2020 by David McKee

Gaming stocks responded indifferently to yesterday’s Wall Street rally. Wynn Resorts was up and down but ultimately flat, MGM Resorts International ticked up 2%, Las Vegas Sands was flat and Melco Resorts & Entertainment slipped a percentage point. So much … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, China, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Dining, Donald Trump, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Entertainment, Harry Reid, Health, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Macau, Massachusetts, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Oregon, South Korea, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Gaming exempt from Wall Street love; Harry-come-lately

Dream on (really); Golden gets downgrade

Posted on March 2, 2020 by David McKee

Dream on the south Las Vegas Strip is looking more like reality, Shopoff Real Estate Investments having purchased the requisite 5.25 acres. The exact location will be at the Strip at Russell Road, just south of Mandalay Bay. Calling the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventions, Economy, Golden Gaming, Horseracing, Kansas, Las Vegas Raiders, Lotteries, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Problem gambling, Sports betting, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Dream on (really); Golden gets downgrade

Bank rides to Churchill Downs’ rescue; Las Vegas healthy

Posted on March 2, 2020 by David McKee

Last week Churchill Downs posted perfectly good 4Q19 numbers but Wall Street wasn’t buying it. CHDN shares slumped 14%. That prompted some weekend damage control from JP Morgan, which bumped its rating up from “neutral” to “overweight,” and sent analyst … Continue reading →

Posted in Caesars Entertainment, China, Conventions, Donald Trump, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Health, history, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, International, Kentucky, Marketing, Problem gambling, Regulation, Rhode Island, Slot routes, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Tribal, Wall Street, Washington State, William Hill, Wynn Resorts | Comments Off on Bank rides to Churchill Downs’ rescue; Las Vegas healthy

Big January for the Strip; Mega-jottings

Posted on February 28, 2020 by David McKee

January was very good for the Las Vegas Strip, up 7.5% to $572 million. Baccarat played a big role, with winnings up 16% on 24% greater wagering. (In fairness, January 2019 was terrible for baccarat.) Other table games didn’t do … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Boulder Strip, Caesars Entertainment, China, Conventions, Downtown, Downtown Grand, Eldorado Resorts, Health, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, North Las Vegas, Philippines, PokerStars, Regulation, Reno, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wendover | 2 Comments

Reeg savages Caesars; Catskills rescue plan

Posted on February 24, 2020 by David McKee

Having rashly committed $500 million in reinvestments to the Louisiana market (he’ll have to build whole new casinos to spend that much), Eldorado Resorts CEO Tom Reeg has to make those forfeited savings back somewhere. Potential sales of Caesars Entertainment‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Animals, Caesars Entertainment, Conventions, Donald Trump, Economy, Eldorado Resorts, Election, Entertainment, Foxwoods, Genting, Internet gambling, Japan, Las Vegas Sands, Lotteries, Louisiana, Marketing, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Planet Hollywood, Resorts World LV, Sexual misconduct, Sports betting, The Rio, The Strip | 1 Comment

Life’s good if you’re Boyd; Caesars fire sale threatened

Posted on February 21, 2020 by David McKee

Boyd Gaming‘s share price got a bump from JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff, who wrote “We continue to believe BYD is well positioned in both U.S. regional gaming markets as well as the LV Locals market.” Since Boyd is ahead … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, Churchill Downs, Conventions, Downtown, Eldorado Resorts, Election, GLPI, Las Vegas Sands, Louisiana, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Taxes, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Atlantic City looking good; Murren calls it quits

Posted on February 13, 2020 by David McKee

An extra weekend day helped nudge Atlantic City casinos up 8% last month, for a $192 million gross. Tables were relatively sluggish (+1%) but slots were hot (+11%). Borgata gained 8.5% on the strength of 4.5% more table win—despite 3% … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Caesars Entertainment, China, CityCenter, Conventions, Detroit, Eldorado Resorts, Hard Rock International, Health, Internet gambling, Japan, Maryland, Massachusetts, MGM Resorts International, Mississippi, Mohegan Sun, Morris Bailey, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ocean Resort, Ohio, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Case Bets

Posted on February 4, 2020 by David McKee

My head feels more disorganized than the Iowa Democratic caucuses (and that’s going some), so take a few Case Bets and call me in the morning … * Our salient recollection of Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas involves taking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conventions, Dining, Election, Entertainment, FanDuel, history, International, Las Vegas Raiders, Las Vegas Sands, Marketing, MGM Resorts International, Scientific Games, Sports, Sports betting, The Strip, TV, Virgin Hotels | 2 Comments

It’s Greek to them; Super Bowl odds amuse

Posted on January 27, 2020 by David McKee

Despite having lost its bid for the Hellenikon megaresort concession, Hard Rock International isn’t taking rejection lying down. “While we are disappointed by this news, we are more disappointed in the process. Hard Rock firmly believes it was wrongly disqualified … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Conventions, Donald Trump, Election, Entertainment, Environment, Hard Rock International, Indiana, International, MGM Resorts International, Mohegan Sun, Movies, New Jersey, Sports, Sports betting, The Mob, TV | Comments Off on It’s Greek to them; Super Bowl odds amuse

Card-room smackdown; CES not high on weed

Posted on January 8, 2020 by David McKee

What happens when a casino doesn’t have enough cash on hand to cover all the chips on the floor? If you’re California card room Magnolia House Casino, in Rancho Cordova, you get shut down by the state. The card room … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Conventions, Marijuana, MGM Resorts International, Regulation, Scott Butera, Sports betting, Technology, Transportation | Comments Off on Card-room smackdown; CES not high on weed

Trop sold (we think); Angels in the casino

Posted on January 2, 2020 by David McKee

After fielding multiple offers for the Tropicana Las Vegas, one has been accepted by Penn National Gaming and negotiations are underway. All this comes by way of Scott Roeben‘s VitalVegas, which pegs the sale price at $700 million, making a tiny … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Conventions, DraftKings, Laughlin, M Resort, Maine, Massachusetts, Movies, New Hampshire, Penn National, Politics, Sports, Sports betting, Technology, The Strip | Comments Off on Trop sold (we think); Angels in the casino