Category Archives: Current

Atlantic City: Fertitta in, Trump out; Inside Pokergeddon

Posted on May 18, 2011 by David McKee

Trump Marina became “RUMP Marina” this week (watch the video), as workers began removing vestiges of the Donald J. Trump era from the property. New owner Landry’s Restaurants is wasting no time putting its Golden Nugget imprimatur on the last-place … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Current, Dining, Downtown, Economy, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, Illinois, International, Internet gambling, Isle of Capri, Marketing, Penn National, Regulation, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | Comments Off on Atlantic City: Fertitta in, Trump out; Inside Pokergeddon

Birthday wishes

Posted on May 18, 2011 by David McKee

… are due to the family of Golden Gaming CEO Blake Sartini, whose grandmother, Mildred Juanita Steely Myers, turns 100 tomorrow. The Clements, Calif., native has been behind the wheel long enough that her earliest cars included “a Model T … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Downtown, Golden Gaming, history, Oscar Goodman | Comments Off on Birthday wishes

Kasich’s sneaky “juice job”

Posted on May 13, 2011 by David McKee

This just in (thanks in large part to a timely Tweet from Howard Stutz of the Review-Journal) … One of Ohio Gov. John Kasich‘s costly casino consultants just got caught with its hand in the cookie jar. While Kasich piously … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation | 2 Comments

Johnny Casino, thug; Truce at the Trop; The T-Word

Posted on May 13, 2011 by David McKee

Although the Mob may have left Las Vegas, its strong-arm tactics are still in use. Respected casino architect Paul Steelman found that out when he wouldn’t give a job to John Ensign‘s borderline-illiterate former chief of staff, Doug Hampton. Drunk … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Culinary Union, Current, Dennis Gomes, Donald Trump, Economy, Harrah's, Harry Reid, Kansas, MGM Mirage, Penn National, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Goett … Goett … gone

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David McKee

In addition to his core site of 100 acres across from M Resort, would-be Olympia Gaming mogul Gary Goett is also shopping around an additional 260 gaming-enabled acres directly to the north. Goett’s asking price? A cool million an acre, … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Current, Downtown, Economy, Gary Goett, Herbst Gaming, International, Marketing, Mesquite, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 2 Comments

Kasich screws casinos; Adelson screws the pooch

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David McKee

Our next-to-worst fears for Ohio have come to pass: Caesars Rock Ohio has temporarily pulled the plug on both its Cincinnati (above) and Cleveland casinos. It’s the latest escalation in a war between developers and state government, which wants to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Hard Rock Hotel, International, Kansas, Macau, Marketing, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David McKee

“I like it that [Donald] Trump is filthy rich but nobody told his accent. His whole life is models and gold leaf and marble columns but he still sounds like a know-it-all down at the O.T.B.” — Seth Myers at … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump | 3 Comments

Road to Hong Kong

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David McKee

I. Nelson Rose, the cosmos’ leading expert on gaming law (and a real mensch) is taking his facts and hitting the road on a round-the-world tour. The Whittier Law School professor will be speaking at the Global iGaming Summit & … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, International, Internet gambling, Macau, Oklahoma | Comments Off on Road to Hong Kong

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 11, 2011 by David McKee

“If publishers really hope to expunge the ‘original sin’ of giving away content free online, they may be best positioned to do so not on the computers where they first gave away their wares, but on mobile devices that offer … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Marketing, Technology | 1 Comment

Trump’d

Posted on May 11, 2011 by David McKee

With his sham presidential “campaign” disintegrating faster than a hydrogen-filled zeppelin, inept casino operator Donald Trump‘s much-hyped Sunday announcement turns out to have been a put-on, too. Trump lackey Michael Cohen is still trying to pump air into the deflating … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cretins, Current, Donald Trump, Election, Marketing, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Pinnacle Entertainment, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Has Illinois finally bottomed out? Trop shakeup; Big markdown on Trump

Posted on May 6, 2011 by David McKee

Sorry to disappoint, but we won’t have the answer until June–August, three straight months with the same number of weekend days as last year. By that point we’ll know whether April‘s 2% increase was the beginning of a trend. Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, George Maloof, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Missouri, Penn National, Phil Ruffin, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | 3 Comments

California bound; M changes hands and style

Posted on May 6, 2011 by David McKee

Yes, MGM Resorts International, Boyd Gaming, Las Vegas Sands, the great state of Illinois and I don’t know who all else have been reporting revenues this week, and Mississippi is under water.. And I’ve not had time to cover any … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, California, Current, Dining, Environment, Illinois, M Resort, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Movies, Penn National, Pets, Steve Wynn, Transportation, Wall Street | 2 Comments

The undersea world of Gary Loveman

Posted on May 5, 2011 by David McKee

If you simply must gamble at a Caesars Entertainment casino in Tunica, you’d better bring a boat. Photographer Trey Clark has surveyed the scene and it looks like the damage to Harrah’s Casino Tunica will be especially costly. There go … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Environment, Harrah's, Mississippi, Wall Street | 5 Comments

A message from Steve Wynn

Posted on May 4, 2011 by David McKee

Our favorite casino mogul, Steve Wynn, reminds us that his is a “more restrained” and private form of procession to the pronubial altar, and should be treated with discretion by the media … Which reminds me that Daily Fiasco requested … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Encore, Entertainment, Marketing, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 8 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on May 4, 2011 by David McKee

“They should have captured Bin Laden alive and made him continually go through airport security for the rest of his life.” — V Theatre hypnotist-in-residence Marc Savard, on his Facebook page.

Posted in Current, Entertainment, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Trump™: asset or liability?

Posted on May 3, 2011 by David McKee

If you’d like to wager on Donald Trump‘s sham presidential “campaign” and you like long odds Paddy Power is the place for you. It’s taking action on the 2012 presidential race and Trump is now a 33-to-1 shot, along with … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Entertainment, history, International, Marketing, Movies, Sports, Steve Wynn, Tilman Fertitta, TV, Wall Street | 9 Comments

John Kasich, casino killer

Posted on May 3, 2011 by David McKee

Aw, isn’t this great? After Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) made the ludicrous claim that Ohio voters didn’t know what they were getting into when they approved a casino initiative in 2008, his legislative allies are trying to up the ante. … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, history, Kentucky, Lyle Berman, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Taxes, The Strip, Tribal, TV, Wall Street | 6 Comments

Vegas’ highest-paid Elvis impersonator

Posted on May 2, 2011 by David McKee

Yes, it’s Steve Wynn. Although Wynn Las Vegas is claiming this video went viral over the weekend, I have a strong certainty that a certain F-bomb barrage across the street at Treasure Island racked up more views. Also, given some … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, Internet gambling, Movies, Pokergeddon, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 1 Comment

Boyd exits Florida; Mixed messages from the Riv; The revenge of Adelson

Posted on May 2, 2011 by David McKee

Regardless of whether or not resort casinos are voted into law in Florida, one company that won’t be in the running is Boyd Gaming. The firm threw in the towel on the Miami market today. The Sunshine State “no longer … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, M Resort, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Politics, Regulation, Riviera, Sahara, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Today’s top story

Posted on May 2, 2011 by David McKee

Planet Earth: Now with 100% less Osama bin Laden. A good day by any measure.

Posted in Current | 2 Comments