Category Archives: Current

Rub-a-dub-dub, three gourmands in a tub

Posted on September 2, 2010 by David McKee

On Nov. 15, LVA will unveil Las Vegas’ 50 finest restaurants, as chosen by the troika of John Curtas, Max Jacobson and Al Mancini. Their collective judgment will be showcased in Eating Las Vegas. As our invaluable Heidi Olson writes: … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining | Comments Off on Rub-a-dub-dub, three gourmands in a tub

And then there was one

Posted on September 1, 2010 by David McKee

Scarcely had Steve Wynn and Victor Drai parted company than Wynn Resorts issued this curt declaration at 10 a.m. today: Cy Waits has been separated from the company and is free to pursue other interests. Wynn [Resorts] has no further … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, TV, Wall Street | 6 Comments

Objects in the photo may be emptier than they appear

Posted on August 31, 2010 by David McKee

Booking site Oyster.com is having a bit of fun with the gap between perception and reality at some Las Vegas hotels. Take for instance, that photo which shows you the Mandalay Bay wave pool as though you would have it … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Colorado, Current, Downtown, Economy, Election, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Riviera, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Venetian Oriental delayed again; Wynn & Drai divorce

Posted on August 27, 2010 by David McKee

Worker-recruitment problems in Macao are worse than Las Vegas Sands has been letting on. The company has now re-postponed its $4 billion, 6,000-room Venetian Oriental into late 2011, with its second phase debuting in mid-2012. The company’s verbiage, however, raises … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Encore, Entertainment, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Transportation, Wall Street | 3 Comments

Sin City, look to thy laurels!

Posted on August 27, 2010 by David McKee

Warning: Adult content; viewer discretion advised. Boy, wouldn’t the Nevada Gaming Control Board go into apoplexy if, say, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino took a page or 12 from Casino Victoria, in Minsk. At least everybody seems to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, International, Morgans Hotel Group, Regulation | 1 Comment

Reid wusses out; Sucker bets, Sheldon & strippers

Posted on August 26, 2010 by David McKee

UIGEA repeal? Forget about it. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has chickened out again. Pressed on the issue, he said he’d support the legalization of online poker but faintheartedly drew the line there. That still wasn’t good enough for some independent … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, CityCenter, Current, Dubai, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Harry Reid, International, Internet gambling, James Packer, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Politics, Regulation, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 3 Comments

Early returns are in

Posted on August 26, 2010 by David McKee

Not electionwise but with regard to Penn National Gaming‘s racino in Charles Town, W.V., and its Hollywood Casino in Pennsylvania. The introduction of table games is buoying revenues nicely. The overall result in especially impressive in Charles Town. Not only … Continue reading →

Posted in Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Harrah's, Neil Bluhm, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Tribal, West Virginia | Comments Off on Early returns are in

Quote of the Day

Posted on August 26, 2010 by David McKee

“This next song is about a place where I like to drink. Whatever. I said it.” — Katy Perry, introducing “Waking up in Vegas” during her concert appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. And people ask my wife … Continue reading →

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

Old cats, new tricks

Posted on August 26, 2010 by David McKee

After one near-eviction, followed by a lengthy reprieve, magician Dirk Arthur and his big cats got the heave-ho from the Tropicana Las Vegas. Where’s tiger-loving illusionist to go? In Arthur’s case, it’s to the Strip’s biggest litter box, O’Shea’s Casino, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Animals, Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, The Strip | Comments Off on Old cats, new tricks

Case Bets: Global Cash’s Access, Cosmo, Riviera, Oscar, Oregon & Banditry

Posted on August 25, 2010 by David McKee

Excessive Access? The casino industry gets closer and closer to the day when it simply hooks up a suction hose to your bank vault. While Global Cash Access doesn’t want to interface bank cards with slot machines — it would … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado, Cosmopolitan, Current, Election, Environment, Harrah's, International, Marketing, New York, Oscar Goodman, Problem gambling, Regulation, Riviera, Technology, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, TV | 8 Comments

Mothers of invention; Fernwood 2night

Posted on August 24, 2010 by David McKee

“Stacked” casino floors are a rarity in Las Vegas, usually necessitated by a limited footprint. That’s certainly the case with the Cosmopolitan, jimmied into a narrow slot just north of CityCenter (and often mistaken for part of that complex). However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Architecture, Cannery Casino Resorts, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, history, Isle of Capri, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism | 3 Comments

Crazy from the heat?

Posted on August 23, 2010 by David McKee

As the August sun beats upon our brains like a hammer on an anvil, it seems to be rendering us soft in the noggin. Reader kerr_mudgeon has aggregated a few instances, the pages of the Los Angeles Times, which seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Current, LVCVA, Marketing, Regulation, Tourism, Transportation | 5 Comments

No concord in Massachusetts

Posted on August 21, 2010 by David McKee

There won’t be casinos in Massachusetts this year and a lot of people are hopping mad. It’s understandable, given that state leaders had all the time in the world to get enabling legislation together, only to see it thwarted at … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Massachusetts, Politics, Racinos, Tribal | 2 Comments

Readers are genius

Posted on August 20, 2010 by David McKee

A big shout-out goes to the S&G subscriber who has the best solution yet for reviving interest in Atlantic City: “Just put the cast of Jersey Shore on view in glass cages on the Boardwalk (like the Snake Guy on … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Marketing, Missouri, Pinnacle Entertainment, Regulation, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 5 Comments

How green is Vegas?; Harrah’s thinks globally, acts locally

Posted on August 19, 2010 by David McKee

A lot greener than you’d think, says Las Vegas Sustainability Officer (yes, we have one) Thomas Perrigo. Among those companies getting recognition of leading the way in “green” initiatives is Harrah’s Entertainment, which has reduced its energy consumption by vast … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, Florida, Harrah's, Marketing, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 4 Comments

Suicidal in New Jersey

Posted on August 18, 2010 by David McKee

Atlantic City can just plain go to hell. That’s the message from several prominent — or simply loud — Democratic lawmakers who say Gov. Chris Christie‘s rescue plan for the city is spinach and to heck with it. Noisiest of … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Colony Capital, Current, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, Harrah's, Horseracing, Internet gambling, Marketing, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Singapore, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Lies, damned lies and Control Board statistics

Posted on August 18, 2010 by David McKee

One swallow doesn’t make a spring — unless you write for USA Today. Columnist Kitty Bean Yancey cherry-picked a lone statistic from the most recent set of Nevada Gaming Control Board numbers are proclaimed happy days are here again on … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, Movies, Oklahoma, Politics, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on August 18, 2010 by David McKee

“The people who come to Vegas are not going to be the people who want to explore art galleries. There was a brief moment where I thought Vegas would grow into that. But I turned out to be mostly wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Current, Entertainment, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Who needs M most?; Station’s glass jaw

Posted on August 17, 2010 by David McKee

In a shocker of a scoop, The Newspaper That Must Not Be Cited revealed yesterday that a $700 million stake in $1 billion M Resort was being shopped around by the resort’s lead banker. While this probably says more about … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, California, Carl Icahn, Colony Capital, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Kansas, M Resort, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Michael Gaughan, North Las Vegas, Ohio, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Riviera, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tourism, Tropicana Entertainment, Wall Street | 8 Comments

Vegas: Frugality is the new liquidity

Posted on August 16, 2010 by David McKee

I’m sure I speak for some of colleagues in the biz when I say that, on certain subjects, we feel like we’re writing the same story over and over again. (Which is provides yet another reason for our collective fascination … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Downtown, Economy, Mesquite, MGM Mirage, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tourism, Tribal | 12 Comments