Category Archives: Current

Around the horn

Posted on July 8, 2010 by David McKee

Iowa‘s casino revenues last month were nearly the textbook definition of “flat”: up a tenth of a percent, the first revenue-positive month since February 2009. (Hey, growth is growth. We’ll take it.) The drag anchor on revs was Harrah’s Entertainment, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ameristar, Boyd Gaming, Carl Icahn, CityCenter, Current, Detroit, Don Barden, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, Horseracing, Illinois, Indiana, International, Iowa, Isle of Capri, Macau, MGM Mirage, Mississippi, Missouri, Pansy Ho, Penn National, Pinnacle Entertainment, Racinos, Regulation, Stanley Ho, Tribal, Tropicana Entertainment, TV | 2 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 8, 2010 by David McKee

“So many of the [blackjack] tables have been removed and turned into sucker games. They’re killing the cash cow instead of milking it.” — Pi Yee Press General Manager Al Rogers, distributor of Blackjack News, on the rise of 6-5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, The Strip | 3 Comments

Aqueduct: Penn screws the pooch

Posted on July 7, 2010 by David McKee

Since tout  le monde is fixated upon where LeBron James will play next season (is it OK for me to say I don’t care?), this seems like the moment to observe that Penn National Gaming bricked an easy layup. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Cannery Casino Resorts, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, Harrah's, Horseracing, International, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation | 1 Comment

New casino pitched for Massachusetts

Posted on July 7, 2010 by David McKee

Even though the Massachusetts state Senate has opted to go with destination casinos, Suffolk Downs racetrack is putting its chips on a racino-centric bill currently before the assembly. The track has three things going for it: proximity to Boston plus … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Current, Donald Trump, Horseracing, Macau, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson | 2 Comments

Vegas continues to confound

Posted on July 7, 2010 by David McKee

A friend recently posed to me the question of how Nevada‘s casino revenues can be so anemic at a time when casino floors appear so crowded (only 100K fewer visitors in April 2009 than two years earlier). I’m coming around … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Economy, Lake Tahoe, Laughlin, North Las Vegas, Regulation, The Strip | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 2, 2010 by David McKee

“Isn’t that what he always says?” — my wife, a fairly staunch Democrat, reacting to a news clip of President Obama saying, “We are headed in the right direction.”

Posted in Current, Economy | 4 Comments

“Project Linq”

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

I’m not sure anybody but Gary Loveman could come up with such a preposterous handle as “Project Linq” (alas, not “Linc,” as in Clarence Williams III on the Mod Squad, although that would be pretty cool) for Harrah’s Entertainment‘s street … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Current, Economy, Election, Harrah's, Marketing, Massachusetts, Politics, Sports, Taxes, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street, World Series of Poker | 6 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

“Only in Massachusetts would we have a casino bill and try to build a politically correct casino. Have any of you people ever been to a casino, and [do you] understand what it takes for a casino to be successful … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Massachusetts, Politics, Taxes | 3 Comments

Cosmo: Blueprint for failure?

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

Geez, I’ve not been feeling pessimistic about the Dec. 15 debut of the Cosmopolitan … until somebody forwarded me a copy of a Bill Lerner analysis of the property. Now I’m worried. After walking the place, Lerner found it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, The Strip, Wall Street | 5 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

“Let’s face it … Macau is a small city and its government is more like the town council of any moderately large town in other parts of the world, so it is time to strip out all the hype and … Continue reading →

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

Meltdown at Hooters

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

Too many Las Vegas shows are afflicted with a lack of spontaneity (the Celine Dion/Franco Dragone snoozer A New Day was the worst offender in my experience). No such worries where Hooters Casino Hotel headliner Todd Paul is concerned. Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Regulation, The Strip | 1 Comment

“Lies, damned lies and statistics”

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David McKee

Former Nevada journalist Mark Twain popularized this quote, believed to have originated with Charles Wentworth Dilke. (I know: “Who?!?!?“) One rarely sees an object demonstration of what Dilke — and Twain — meant, but this gem literally fell into my … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Minnesota | 1 Comment

Cosmo sets a date

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David McKee

Dec. 15 is the Cosmopolitan‘s date with destiny. That’s when it begins rolling out its room inventory and casino product. That doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? It’s hard to get worked up about a place so grammatically challenged it … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Genting, International, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Tourism, Wall Street | 1 Comment

Aqueduct: Then there were three

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David McKee

As the contentious racino contract for Aqueduct Racetrack is rebid, the field has narrowed to three suitors, all of whom are in enviable cash positions. Penn National Gaming‘s bankroll has taken on Holy Grail status, Genting Bhd has a money-spinner … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, California, Columbia Sussex, Cordish Co., Current, Election, Florida, Genting, Harrah's, history, Lake Tahoe, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Reno, Taxes, Tribal | 1 Comment

Brad Garrett: Enter at your own risk; Bargains & magnanimity

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David McKee

First, the good news. After going null for two with Paul Rodriguez (PR nightmare) and Wayne Newton (artistic disaster), the Tropicana Las Vegas appears to have swatted an 0-2 pitch into the bleachers. Brad Garrett‘s eponymous comedy club is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Current, Detroit, Economy, Entertainment, Marketing, Movies, Regulation, Reno, The Strip, Tourism, Wayne F. Newton | 1 Comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on June 30, 2010 by David McKee

“‘Champagne wishes and caviar dreams’: Sounds kind of faggy, don’t you think?” — Brad Garrett, at the Tropicana Las Vegas last night, in reference to local blogger Robin Leach (who was in the audience).

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Entertainment, The Strip, TV | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Penn’s door prize: toxic waste!

Posted on June 29, 2010 by David McKee

Penn National Gaming got a little something extra when it bought an old General Motors site for its Columbus, Ohio casino: 81 sites’ worth of toxic waste, so much sludge it takes 3,000 pages to catalog. Penn didn’t have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony Capital, Current, Detroit, Election, Entertainment, Environment, Harrah's, Massachusetts, MGM Mirage, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sahara, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV | 3 Comments

The casino Angle

Posted on June 29, 2010 by David McKee

Nevada senatorial aspirant Sharron Angle got off to an odd start a few weeks back by warning balefully of “unwarranted influence” from the casino industry. (Which is, after all, one of the Silver State’s two primary sources of revenue.) Then … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Election, Harry Reid, Politics, Sports, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip | 6 Comments

Still catching up in Margaritaville

Posted on June 28, 2010 by David McKee

Eight days of vacation have left me deep in the hole, research-wise, so I hope you’ll forgive the slender output of recent days whilst I plough through dozens — if not a hundred or more — of unread news stories, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, Mississippi, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Still catching up in Margaritaville

That giant flushing sound …

Posted on June 28, 2010 by David McKee

… you hear coming from the offices of Texas Pacific Group is a 46% writedown of its equity stake in Harrah’s Entertainment. As detailed in the Financial Times (registration req’d), $1.4 billion has turned into $759 million at the stroke … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Economy, Harrah's, James Packer, TV, Wall Street | 1 Comment