Category Archives: Current

Hold that recovery!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by David McKee

Just when things were looking good … I mean, after many a premature prediction of economic recovery, room-rate trends on the Las Vegas Strip were looking like change in which one could believe. J.P. Morgan projections for the fourth quarter … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments

Ameristar goes East; Colony’s secret formula revealed

Posted on November 17, 2011 by David McKee

Yesterday morning, Wall Street was advised by Ameristar Casinos that the latter had forked over $16 million for land in Springfield, Massachusetts. Given that Ameristar has been in extreme-caution mode since the death of founder Craig H. Neilsen and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Movies, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on November 17, 2011 by David McKee

“The Attorney-General’s kind remarks are noted and appreciated. I’ve spoken to Ed Burns and we are prepared to go to work on season six of The Wire if the Department of Justice is equally ready to reconsider and address its … Continue reading →

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

Foxwoods Philly: It’s history

Posted on November 11, 2011 by David McKee

Barring a huge reversal from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the long and mostly inept saga of Foxwoods Philadelphia has finally come to a conclusion. The politically juiced-in trio of Ron Rubin, Lewis Katz and Comcast Chairman Ed Snider (collectively known … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Don Barden, Harrah's, Illinois, Lyle Berman, Maryland, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, Tilman Fertitta, Tribal | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on November 11, 2011 by David McKee

“Ah, the Democrat machine. I believe I’ve seen one of those. I don’t know if you know anything about it. From what I understand, it costs billions of dollars, runs on solar energy and turns hope into disappointment.” — Jon … Continue reading →

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

Atlantic City: Fertitta struggling, Gomes triumphing, Boyd steady

Posted on November 10, 2011 by David McKee

No surprise that Borgata remains in a class by itself among Atlantic City resorts. It finished October at 0.0% deviance from last year, as flat as “flat” can be. The lone gainer in the market was Resorts Atlantic City, up … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Dennis Gomes, Detroit, Donald Trump, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, New York, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 1 Comment

The Conrad Show

Posted on November 10, 2011 by David McKee

In 15 years of covering the casino industry, I’ve learned that there are a few, exceptional people who stick by you through thick and thin, and who treat everyone the same, regardless of social standing. One such is Raving Consulting … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Marketing, Reno | Comments Off on The Conrad Show

It’s payback time

Posted on November 10, 2011 by David McKee

… or maybe not. Dealers at Wynn Las Vegas won a rare victory when Clark County District Judge Kenneth Cory (pictured) spiked Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek‘s longstanding position vis-a-vis the tip-confiscation policy at the Strip resort. Asking for a third … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Pets, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off on It’s payback time

Coming soon …

Posted on November 9, 2011 by David McKee

Just when Dr. Conrad Murray was safely behind bars and you thought the Michael Jackson postmortem couldn’t get any squickier, Cirque du Soleil busted out … fetish gear! This is a brief snippet from The Immortal World Tour, which plays … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, TV | Comments Off on Coming soon …

Rule or ruin in Illinois; A new deal in Detroit

Posted on November 8, 2011 by David McKee

State Rep. Lou “Death Wish” Lang (D, right) continues to dare, then double-dare Gov. Pat Quinn (D) to veto what’s now a 2.6X expansion of the number of gambling positions in the state of Illinois. Lang has offered a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Current, Dan Lee, Detroit, Economy, Harrah's, history, Illinois, Indiana, International, Iowa, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Reno, Slot routes, The Strip, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on November 8, 2011 by David McKee

“Neither Joe Paterno nor [Penn State University President] Graham Spanier called the police. Neither Joe Paterno nor Graham Spanier seem to have demonstrated any concern for the victim. They never tried to find him. They never tried to get him … Continue reading →

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

Another victory like this …

Posted on November 4, 2011 by David McKee

In one of the most Pyrrhic victories in casino-industry history, Colony Capital has managed to prevent foreclosure of the former Atlantic City Hilton. But the cost of victory outweighs the gain. Colony got itself out of this scrape by giving … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Dennis Gomes, Genting, Mississippi, New York, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Tilman Fertitta, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Sahara 2.0: Nazarian gets real

Posted on November 2, 2011 by David McKee

Chuck Monster had this right on the money: He called Sahara owner Sam Nazarian‘s bluff over and over and over again on the latter’s luxury-megaresort predictions for the aging, shuttered property. Today, the Clark County Commission took the wraps off … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Current, Economy, Fontainebleau, Goldman Sachs, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Riviera, Sahara, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on November 2, 2011 by David McKee

“And here I thought newspapers only printed bad news.” — Las Vegas Sun reader Jerry Fink, on the court-ordered seizure of copyright zombie Righthaven assets to satisfy a $63,720.80 judgment. The feds weren’t buying Righthaven’s “the dog ate my homework” … Continue reading →

Posted in Cretins, Current | 1 Comment

Rock, Paper, City; Generosity at Caesars, shopping at Sands

Posted on November 2, 2011 by David McKee

While Massachusetts lawmakers sharpen their scissors in order to cut and paste two versions of the Lege’s casino-enabling bill, the city of Holyoke is happy to find itself between Hard Rock International and Paper City Development. The partnership has its … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Detroit, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Maine, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, The Strip, Tribal | 1 Comment

Going home again; Hotel Hell: The sequel

Posted on November 1, 2011 by David McKee

Here’s a casino-development story with several personal angles. When I lived in Minneapolis and wrote from the since-defunct Twin Cities Reader, my publisher was R.T. Rybak. Now he’s mayor of the city and is trying to hold onto the perennially … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cordish Co., Culinary Union, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Genting, Harrah's, Herbst Gaming, Isle of Capri, Lyle Berman, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Minnesota, Neil Bluhm, Ohio, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism | 4 Comments

There’s life after the Mob Experience

Posted on November 1, 2011 by David McKee

So the Las Vegas Mob Experience has sacked 90% of its staff, cut ticket prices by 75% (making it a bargain play), had its malfunctioning “interactive” exhibits repossessed by a creditor, closed off the theme-park portion of the attraction and … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Entertainment, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Domino effects

Posted on October 31, 2011 by David McKee

“Prior to the official opening, a 60-minute opening ceremony was held outside of the main entrance to the casino, where local and state politicians patted each other on the back for finally getting the casino opened, a mere 10 years … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Culinary Union, Current, Detroit, Economy, Election, Florida, Harrah's, Horseracing, Isle of Capri, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Singapore, Slot routes, Taxes, Tourism, Tribal | 1 Comment

Is MGM Grand Detroit too successful for its own good?

Posted on October 28, 2011 by David McKee

From a labor-relations standpoint, yes. Although workers at Greektown Casino were quick to ratify a new collective-bargaining agreement, closely followed by MotorCity Casino, it was a different story across town. Employees of MGM Grand Detroit decided their union reps were … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Detroit, Economy, Election, MGM Mirage, New York, Penn National, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Sports, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Who needs “Tower Heist”?

Posted on October 28, 2011 by David McKee

Here at S&G HQ, we try to offer a video goodie every Friday. This week we ask the question, why plunk down 10 hard-earned bucks for cheesebag Brett Ratner‘s Tower Heist when you could hold out for … Stealing Las … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, Economy, Movies, Tamares Group | Comments Off on Who needs “Tower Heist”?